Mottel's Depiction Of Personal Values In East And West

The 1923 silent movie, East and West, is a great depiction of how customs and life in general differed in the traditional polish town, compared to the more westernized American family and the capital Vienna. Throughout the movie, the viewer can make distinction of how different East and West are portrayed; by their looks and even the very different values, that each of the worlds has, as well as how coming in contact with the West affects the East. In East and West there is a clear distinction of who is from which side of the spectra. One of the main characters is Brown, who is a rich clothing manufacturer from New York. He is portrayed as a fat, beardless man, who is only interested in Money. In the other side of the coin you have Mottel, Browns Talmud studying brother. Mottel is portrayed as a very pious Jew, wearing traditional Jewish attire with a long beard. Meanwhile, Another distinction between East and West is when you compare the homes in Poland and Vienna. The homes in Poland are very humble, and focused mostly on religion. Meanwhile, the houses in Vienna are displayed as more opulent and swanky. The only part that Jacobs’s uncle shows to be of religious consideration is a star of Zion in the façade. …show more content…
The East side of the world has more obviously described traditional, family-oriented religious values. In contrast, the West has a more individualistic, money oriented and vain values. In the scene where the Brownstein’s are celebrating Yom Kippur, Mottel makes fun of Brown for wanting to read the Talmud saying, “Don't bluff Morris. You can’t read it. That’s a prayer book and not a check book” . Brown is therefore satirized for having different values, by being part of the West where they give money a higher regard than