Philip Roth, no less, lauded mentor Saul Bellow as the first Jewish author to gain acceptance in a Christian world. He was championed by readers and peers alike as the literary voice who defined his generation. What became of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author? Long before the woke brigade loomed on the horizon, Bellow was called out for a pattern of sexist and bigoted thinking. A racially-charged passage from Mr. Sammler’s Planet is given airing by both denouncer and defender. The sons of three of Bellow’s wives are on hand to express undying love for their mothers. (At one point or another, Bellow dragged all three exes through his lettered swamps.) Filmmaker Asaf Galay tenders an array of friends, family, and scholarly interviews, plus readings from the author’s works. A staging of The Adventures of Augie March, hailed by many as the great American novel, runs throughout, and there’s just enough critical commentary to present an objective overview of Bellow’s life. One question continues to puzzle and astound: in light of the nose-hair freezing winters, what kind of a Chicagoan has a summer home in Vermont? When it was over, I dusted off my copy of Herzog and placed it on the nightstand. You’ll have two chances to catch this San Diego Jewish Film Festival midseason screening. Watch it onsite at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre on November 10 at 7:00 pm or virtually on November 11 (48 hours on demand). For more information visit: 2021novmidseason.eventive.org/schedule. (2021) — Scott Marks
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