The Younger Generation: Jews and Diaspora in Frank Capra’s America

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The Younger Generation (1929) represented Columbia Pictures’ response to the success of Warner Bros.’ 1927 hit The Jazz Singer. Directed by Frank Capra on the cusp of his professional breakthrough in the 1930s, this story of a Jewish immigrant family in New York is notable in its own right. Most significantly, the film combines motifs of the Jewish “ghetto” film with Capra’s creation of symbiotic relationships between his characters and the places they inhabit. This article argues that Capra’s portrayal of authentic Jewish “place” in The Younger Generation cinematically relocates the source of Jewish cultural authenticity to American soil. Analyzing these themes situates the film in its historical context and in Capra’s filmography.