Various | In the 20th Century: A Look at the Millennium through the Eyes of Some of Hollywood's Most Noted Directors world of the 1950s sitcom as compared to the overt parody of The Simpsons or Married, with Children. But even though historically incomplete, Norman Jewison on Comedy in the 20th Century: Funny is Money is a slick, well-produced documentary, and while some of its explorations of the world of comedy may seem digres- sive, all paths lead back home, offering important insights into the problems that plague comic production. Though many of the comedians, producers, and journalists inter- viewed are critical of the commercial side of comedy, there's no denying that comedy, as all art, has had a close, if uncomfortable, relationship with commerce. Perhaps what is more ennobling about the documentary is that it demonstrates how comedy has been able to serve as an avenue for expression despite economic and social restric- tions. Indeed, though Funny is Money treats its subject in all seriousness, we're reminded of the transcendent power of comedy as Jewison and his crew crumble into laughter as the occasional interview subject, like Jackie Mason with his tirade on Madonna's incessant attempts to shock, reminds them that when all is said and done, funny is something more than just money. Hannu Salmi University of Turku hansalmi@utu.fi Gregory Nava's On the American Dream in the 20th Century: The American Tapestry. Gregory Nava's documentary, The American Tapestry, begins with a montage that could be characterized as audiovi- sual historical narration: it is a polyphonic account, the aim of which is not to offer any single "truth." In this opening sequence a series of people from different ethnic back- grounds express their conceptions of the American Dream. "To become rich and never have to work again," says a teen- ager. "To get away from the ghetto," says a black man. "The American Dream has nothing to do with me," argues a girl of Asian origin. Furthermore, we hear the statement certainly shared by the director as well: "There is not one single Ameri- can Dream, I say there are many American Dreams." These various ideas of what the American Dream is or might be form the mental landscape of the American tapestry, into which director Gregory Nava is leading his audience. As a whole, being a collection of testimonies and per- sonal experiences of American mythology, Nava's film is almost more an aural than a visual account. The images shown are not particularly surprising, but the stories, accom- panied by John Adams' intensive music, capture the specta- tor. The narrator himself seems to give space for this oral history. He does not employ a narrative voice-over, so typical of TV documentaries, nor has he indicated his own position by cinematic means: he has highlighted what people really say, how they remember their past, and how they conceive their dreams. Nava's method of exploring the American Dream is to juxtapose different, sometimes virtually oppo- site, views. After the opening montage, the film dives into the turn-of-the-century world through the memories of two immigrants. In what seems an attempt to expose the double standard of American immigration policy, Nava intertwines 70 I Film & History