The uchronic novel, signed by the American Philip Roth (Pulitzer Prize for “American Pastoral”), caused a lot of noise when it was published in the United States in 2004. “The Plot against America” ) imagine that in 1940, President Roosevelt, favorable to the entry of the United States into the Second World War, loses the elections to the aviator Charles Lindbergh – national hero since he crossed the Atlantic alone in 1927 at the helm of his “Spirit of Saint Louis”, who became a sympathizer of the Nazi regime and known for his anti-Semitic positions.
Told from the point of view of the youngest boy of a Jewish family in New Jersey, the author himself in fact, the story describes, through the contrasting destinies of several characters, the gradual rise, over two years, of the fascism and anti-Semitism on the spot, and goes so far as to imagine that Lindbergh is organizing – with the help of an overly credulous rabbi – the displacement of Jewish populations in certain states in order to be parked there. At the time, the novel had been praised by some, and very criticized by others, who criticized it for the lack of reference to the racial segregation which actually took place.
A faithful adaptation of the novel
The series, visible from this Tuesday on OCS at the rate of one episode per week, impresses with its fidelity to Roth’s work. The course of the story is precisely respected, as are the characters, and especially its atmosphere. Over the six episodes of the mini-series, we tremble at the insidious rise of anti-Semitism, at the divisions that this causes within families, Jewish and non-Jewish, we shudder at this character of Rabbi Bengelsdorf, played by John Turturro, who lets himself be fooled by Lindbergh and actively participates in the implementation of the relocation of American Jews, all this seen through the eyes of Philip, this kid who composes as best he can in the face of events …
And then, there is Winona Ryder who has made a comeback since the beginnings of the series “Stranger Things”, and who camps here Philip’s aunt, the one who will gradually approach Rabbi Bengelsdorf and betray his family. A role – exactly the opposite of that of “Stranger Things” – which she embodies with seriousness and extreme finesse.
The other actors in the series deliver performances of the same level. In the end, faithful to the novel, talkative but very rhythmic, wonderfully interpreted, “The Plot against America” devours itself and gives chills: a great success.
EDITOR’S RATING: 4.5 / 5
« The Plot against America », American mini-series by David Simons and Ed Burns (2020) on OCS, with Winona Ryder, Morgan Spector, Zoe Kazan… 6 episodes between 50 and 90 minutes.
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