Jack Litz, a Philadelphia attorney who is national action chairman of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, filed a complaint here last Friday for a temporary injunction against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to stop production of the television film “Playing for Time,” starring Vanessa Redgrave as Auschwitz survivor Fania Fenelon. The British actress has become controversial because of her outspoken support for the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The film is based on the life experiences of Fenelon, a musician who was forced to play in the Auschwitz orchestra which provided background music while prisoners were being marched to the gas chambers.
In a telephone interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Litz said that on Oct. 23 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania entered into an agreement with Syzygy Productions, Ltd. of New York, on independent company that is filming the movie for CBS. The agreement gave Syzygy permission to film at Ford Indian Town Gap, a military base owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Litz said the basis for the complaint, that was filed on behalf of the JWV of the U.S. and Pennsylvania Department of the JWV, is that the Commonwealth did not comply properly with the Administrative Code that requires specific signatures on such on agreement. The signatures of the Governor and of the General Services Administration are missing, he said.
Although the Commonwealth has received many letters of protest and has acknowledged that its decision was controversial, the agreement was signed. The agreement includes the phrase: “Whereas the parties hereto recognizing that this film project may engender some controversy, are willing to carry out the terms and conditions of this agreement notwithstanding such controversy.”
Litz said that the agreement allowed public land to be used by a for-profit agency with no compensation to the Commonwealth. Production of the film has been underway for the last three weeks and Redgrave has been on location.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
