Art house spotlight: 'Protocols of Zion'

'PROTOCOLS OF ZION'

Last update: January 5, 2006 - 5:24 PM

'PROTOCOLS OF ZION'

It's the myth that keeps on giving. "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," a document that purports to be a Jewish cabal's strategies for secretly controlling the world, has been repeatedly debunked as fake, yet it's been circulating for more than a century. When filmmaker Marc Levin heard the urban myth that no Jews died in the 9/11 attacks thanks to a warning not to report for work, he set out to explore the roots of anti-Semitism. "Protocols of Zion" (**½ out of four stars, unrated, in English, with subtitled Arabic and Hebrew) notes that anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments come in a broad array of flavors, from Palestinian nationalists to a skinhead entrepreneur who sells the "Protocols" and swastika-soled jackboots by mail. Levin (pictured at center right in Paterson, N.J.) makes himself a central character, arguing with his interviewees in a patient, let's-be-reasonable manner, even when he's facing a zealot who calls New York City's former mayor "Jew-liani." The film holds out hope that progress is possible, noting the Roman Catholic Church's post-World War II opposition to persecution of Jews. Sadly, though, most of Levin's subjects seem immune to reason and allergic to tolerance. (7:15 & 9:15 p.m. today-Thu.; also 3:15 and 5:15 p.m. Sat.-Sun. A panel conversation will take place after Saturday's 5:15 p.m. screening to discuss contemporary anti-Semitism. Bell Auditorium, 17th & University Avs. SE., Mpls. $5-$8. 612-331-3134.)

COLIN COVERT