200 Movies, 1 Woman, 1 Blog

The Last Days, 1998, USA

I signed up for Netflix solely to watch this film, which is pretty significant. I’ve long wanted to watch this documentary about the Holocaust, because Steven Spielberg produced it.

The documentary looks at the experiences of several Hungarian Holocaust survivors. Hungarian Jews weren’t taken to the concentration camps until the last year of the war when it became clear that the Nazis were going to lose the war. Instead of focusing their resources on fighting the war, the Nazis attacked the Hungarian Jews and murdered them or sent them to the concentration camps.

The interviews with the survivors were so interesting. They spoke candidly about their lives before the Holocaust, and about how they survived in the concentration camps. Many of the subjects journeyed back to Europe in order to find some sort of closure. One visited the town she grew up in and discovered her childhood home. These journeys added another layer to the film. The horrific atrocities of the Holocaust are fairly well known, but we often forget about what the survivors experienced after they were liberated. Many never returned home, and many lost their entire families.

It was not an easy documentary to watch. There are photos and video from the concentration camps, and it was just awful to watch. But this footage was necessary, because it shows what the Holocaust was. Humanity needs to see this footage. As I was watching it, I thought about the fact that these people were someone’s son or daughter. These people were loved, and they were treated as if they were vermin. It was very difficult to think about. We must never forget that this happened, and we can never let this happen again.

I did have one minor beef: the film was in a letterbox format. I’m assuming it was in letterbox format because it’s an older film and it isn’t one that necessarily needs to be converted back to a widescreen format. Or, it’s possible that it was filmed in that format. It was just a bit odd to watch a letterbox film on my widescreen TV.

Watch this documentary. Hearing the stories of these survivors was such a privilege. It saddens me to think that, in a few years, there won’t be any more Holocaust survivors left. It’s important to hear these stories; to get them on film or paper, before it’s too late.

I’ve been reading Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman over the last week and a half. I’m midway through the second book, which featured a scene where the author is struggling with the popularity of his graphic novel. He adamantly does not want his book adapted into a film.

It really made me think. The entire series is enormously thought provoking, rich and beautiful, but it made me think about something different. The two graphic novels would not work as a film. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Maus is a memoir about Spiegelman’s father, Vladek. Vladek survived the Holocaust, and was deeply affected by what he went through. The memoir takes place in the “present” (late 1970s/1980s) and during World War II. Instead of drawing the characters as humans, Spiegelman draws them as animals. Each character is assigned an animal based on their ethnicity, and every animal is drawn exactly the same. This is to portray the ethnic stereotypes that exist and just how ridiculous they are.

The only way the story could work without losing its message is to retain the animal characters. But, if it were to be made into a film, I imagine people would be annoyed that many of the characters looked the same; with only their clothes to differentiate them. Plus, many would misinterpret what Spiegelman was trying to say by making the characters animals in the first place. It was an attack on stereotypes, but many wouldn’t see it that way.

Adapting graphic novels into animated films can be problematic. Persepolis was adapted into a relatively good French film. I read the graphic novel prior to seeing the film and really loved it. But the film itself was essentially the graphic novel on film, with voice acting and movement. It was quite faithful to the novel, but it didn’t ultimately add to the story. If I want to experience the story again, I’d be better off picking up the book.

I believe Maus would run into the same issue. That’s why I’m glad the author has refused to allow it to be adapted into a film. It has no place on film. I’m looking forward to finishing the last half of the second book, and I highly recommend reading the series. Telling a story about the Holocaust as a graphic novel is unbelievably creative and genius. Seeing drawings of the terrible events that occurred emphasizes further the horrors Vladek and his wife lived through. Spiegelman won the Pulitzer Prize for the series – and he did for good reason. Maus was a huge creative risk, and his story telling is unbelievable.

Sarah’s Key, 2010, France

I’m really glad I had the opportunity to watch this film. I had looked for it on Apple TV about a week ago, and saw that it was playing here at the local theatre yesterday. So I decided to go and see it.

The film is based on a French novel by Tatiana De Rosnay. I read the book a year or two ago and it was very bleak and difficult to read. It was so overwhelmingly sad and it really stuck with me. The film manages to capture the tone of the book perfectly. During the climax of the film, I felt very overwhelmed and sad – but I didn’t cry. It was almost as if I was beyond tears.

The film works because the actors are fantastic. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Julia, an American journalist living in Paris with her French husband (Frédéric Pierrot). She becomes obsessed with the apartment they’re moving into when she discovers that her husband’s father moved into it following the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup.

Half the film takes place in 1942, just following the roundup.  Sarah (Mélusine Mayance) is six years old and locks her younger brother (Paul Mercier) in a closet just before vacating their apartment. When it becomes clear the family will not be returning home anytime soon, Sarah becomes obsessed with returning home to free her little brother.

Mayance is a fantastic young actress. I was very impressed by how she handled the heavy subject matter. The flashback scenes were far better than the modern day scenes. I felt the same way about the book. I felt that De Rosnay (and the screenwriters of the film) tried too hard to make Julia’s story interesting. I found myself feeling detached from her story, and longing to know more about Sarah. Julia’s story does bring up some interesting issues about what a journalist does with information they find, but it’s ultimately not that compelling.

Despite the weaker modern day scenes (which I was expecting), this film is fantastic. See it for the flashback scenes alone. They are extraordinary and really carry the film. I’m not sure how long it will be playing here, but if you can, see it this week.

The Boys of Buchenwald, 2002, Canada

This 60 minute documentary looked at an aspect of the Holocaust that I knew little about. After the liberation of Buchenwald, it was discovered that there were about 1000 young boys living in the camp. Most of these boys had no relatives, and they needed a place to go. Therefore, homes in France, Switzerland and the UK were established. This documentary looked at a few of the boys who lived in France, and their experiences adjusting from the horrors of camp life to a normal existence.

The documentary was very touching. The interview subjects were very open about their experiences at the home, and how difficult it was to adjust to a normal life. Elie Wiesel was one of the interview subjects, as he lived in the French home for a few years following his liberation from Buchenwald.

Society had given up on these young boys. Many people thought that, because of the things they’d experienced, they’d be psychopaths. That could not be further from the truth. These men built fulfilling and successful lives. The foster brother of one interview subject, Robbie Waisman, explained that Waisman was even more eager to live because of everything that he had seen in his life. He went out and partied, dated, and eventually got married. I really enjoyed Waisman’s stories. His story of the first time he was able to really feel emotion after liberation had me in tears.

I highly recommend this documentary. These men really display the strength of the human spirit. They had been through so much as young boys, but they found each other, became family, and rebuilt their lives. It was very inspiring. But at the same time, it was also very sad. The Holocaust was overwhelmingly terrible. It’s hard for me, as a woman who has never experienced true hunger or physical suffering to imagine what they went through. I know what they went through, of course, as I’ve studied the Holocaust quite extensively, but I can’t really imagine it. I can’t imagine going through what they did and being able to rebuild after the fact. They truly are extraordinary.

I recorded this documentary off of the Documentary Channel. Please watch this documentary if you have a chance to do so. It was so inspiring and really made me think about my own life. I’m very lucky to live the life that I do, and I think that, sometimes, I take my luck for granted. I’m going to try not to do that, because I’ve never been beaten, starved or threatened.

Racism

As I searched for a photo for this blog entry, I came across a website that really depressed me. I will not link to it, because it does not deserve the attention of any of my readers. The website was dedicated to discrediting Wiesel as a Holocaust survivor. Anyone who does even the slightest bit of research knows that the very idea of Wiesel not being a Holocaust survivor is absolutely ridiculous. So I knew that the creator of this website was using Wiesel to make a very thinly veiled racist attack. So I looked up this individual’s name and, sure enough, they had a personal website. I visited it, and it was full of Holocaust denial articles that she had written. She also praised people who had been jailed for Holocaust denial in Germany. What a disgusting human being. Reading the crap that she wrote just drove home the necessity of education about history. If we forget the terrible events of the past, we are bound to repeat them.

It was just infuriating to read this woman’s drivel. Racism and other prejudices are learned, so I fear for her children. She was seeking donations via PayPal, so I think I will be reporting her website. She should not be receiving donations from PayPal to fund a racist website.

Another film…

This afternoon, I went to see Sarah’s Key, which is also about the Holocaust. I’ll be posting my review of the film tomorrow or the day after!

Once a Nazi, 2006, Canada

This documentary follows Adalbert Lallier, a former Waffen-SS member as he returns to Germany to testify against one of his colleagues.  55 years ago, Lallier witnessed his superior officer murder seven Jewish individuals at the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Lallier had kept his past as an SS member secret from almost everyone.  He had become an economics professor at Concordia University, and one of his closest friends was a Holocaust survivor.  Lallier had not murdered anybody in the camps, and was not under suspicion for any crimes.  He voluntarily admitted his past to his friend, and then to a private investigator, who arranged for him to return to Germany to testify at the trial.  Testifying at the trial was done voluntarily – something that hasn’t happened very much.  The documentary stated that SS members were sworn to secrecy, and generally won’t testify in court because there’s a general consensus among members that God should judge them.  Most former members claim that they cannot remember what happened, or are vague about who was present when crimes were committed.

The documentary brought up the question of whether somebody who once wore an SS uniform is always a member of the SS.  Publicly, the generally consensus is “yes”.  I’ve been fascinated by World War II history for many years, and I’ve taken a few University courses covering that time period, and I know how brutal and horrific members of the SS could be.  So as I watched the film, I wasn’t inclined to give Lallier a “free pass” for being a member of the SS.  After all, he was at the camp and fully aware of what was going on within the camp.  A historian interviewed within the documentary stated that had he spoken up and defended the Jewish people, he would have been killed himself.  I understand that argument, but why did Lallier wait 55 years?  Why not speak up right after the war?

Lallier is obviously very remorseful and built a shrine at the spot where these seven murders occurred.  Viewers could tell that their deaths impacted his life very heavily.  In many ways, Lallier himself was a victim.  He was a victim of Nazi indoctrination, and experienced racism in the SS himself, because he had dark skin and didn’t speak German “properly”.  But I’m torn as to how much sympathy he should receive.  Testifying at the trial and speaking up about what he witnessed is very admirable, but he still enabled the deaths of many innocent people.

But then again, should a person be condemned forever over the dumb choices they made in their youth?  This was a very thought provoking documentary, and I’m still torn about how I feel about Lallier.  The filmmakers showed him in a very sympathetic light, but I’m not sure if he should necessarily be seen as entirely sympathetic.

I encourage everyone to check out this documentary.  You can purchase a copy of the DVD on the film’s website.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, 2008,UK/USA

This is a super “feel bad” movie. You better have something super happy lined up afterwards, ’cause you’re going to need it.

Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is the young son of a German soldier (David Thewlis). When his father is promoted, he has to move to the country against his will. His sister, Gretel (Amber Beattie) enjoys it, but Bruno is miserable. He goes exploring and manages to find a “farm” where all of the “farmers” wear pajamas. He meets a young boy named Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) and slowly they become friends. During this time, Bruno’s mother (Vera Farmiga) turns against her husband when she realizes he’s working at an extermination camp.

This movie interested me because it showed the Holocaust through the eyes of a child. He’s very naive and doesn’t understand why his friend is in the camp. While he does get a tutor who feeds him propaganda, he questions it because he’s friends with Shmuel who doesn’t embody the supposed “evils” of the Jewish population. He begins to question his dad’s work. Shmuel was very interesting as well. Scanlon did such a good job portraying him. He gave him such a sadness, but he was also very stoic and strong.

As I mentioned in my last entry, historical accuracy is pretty important to me. I’ve done a lot of research about the Holocaust over the last number of years. I’m fascinated by examples of the very worst of humanity, and the Holocaust is probably the lowest humanity has ever gone. But throughout all of that sadness, there were some truly inspiring moments. There are countless examples of selfless people risking their lives and the lives of their loved ones in order to save people.

This movie isn’t “historically accurate” and I knew it going in. But it didn’t bother me the way it did the other day. Yes, the movie was about the Holocaust, but it was also about the innocence of children. Bruno didn’t care about Shmuel’s religious affiliation: instead he cared about him as a human being, and sought to feed him and help him.

The movie is also suitable for children. Due to the absolute horror of the Holocaust, it’s understandably quite difficult to make a movie about it that children can watch. I saw Schindler’s List when I was 14, but my high school sent out permission forms beforehand. And my teacher fast forwarded through the nudity because, apparently, some of my classmates had not developed the sufficient maturity required to view full frontal nudity without laughing. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is PG-13. This means that younger people can see it. It’d be a great way to introduce this awful historical event to children.

I was introduced to the Holocaust when I was 12 years old. We did a unit on human rights and we were required to read a book about a past historical event. I read one about the Holocaust and I was so horrified that something like that was allowed to happen. I couldn’t grasp the fact that humans were persecuted because of their religion. It made me so sad. I read every single book about the Holocaust that we had in the classroom. We watched Life is Beautiful (another one of the few movies about the Holocaust that is suitable for younger people) and it made me cry so hard. It was also my first subtitled movie. At first I thought it was weird to read while I was watching the movie but I got used to it very quickly. I loved the movie.

If you have preteens, go out and rent this movie and talk to them about the Holocaust. We need to learn about the past so we don’t let the horrible events of yesterday happen again today.

Adam Resurrected, 2008, Germany/USA/Israel

It’s hard to know what to think about this movie. There are many good things about it, but I don’t think it works. It was horribly disturbing (although I was prepared for it, given the subject matter), but at times it seems like it is being disturbing for mere shock value.

Adam (Jeff Goldblum) is a patient in an Israeli mental hospital. Through flashbacks we discover that he was a former circus performer in Germany before World War II. In 1944 him and his family are taken to a concentration camp where he encounters Commandant Klein (Willem Dafoe). Adam met Klein many years ago and Klein recognizes him. His life is spared and he is ordered to act as Klein’s “dog”. In the mental institution Adam meets a young boy (Tudor Rapiteanu) who lived in a basement and believes that he is a dog.

The primary theme of the movie is guilt. Adam feels guilty for surviving and appears to try to cope with his guilty by taking care of the boy. But the movie is all over the place. I got the sense that it was disjointed in an attempt to show the audience the extent of Adam’s mental health issues. But I was left confused regarding the surrealistic aspects of the movie. What was real? What wasn’t? A movie like this should have packed a serious emotional punch, but I didn’t feel anything, aside from the few moments of horror I experienced. I’m actually impressed that Paul Schrader managed to make a movie about the Holocaust that was almost devoid of emotion. I would have thought such a thing would be impossible.

There were good parts to it. Goldblum was amazing. Most of the time Goldblum is left being a supporting character and he ends up being underused. I was really happy to see him in a starring role. I wish he’d get more opportunities like this one. Dafoe was very good as well. He was playing a creepy, unsettling sort of character, which seems to be the norm for him. He doesn’t really have the look of a romantic hero, does he? Dafoe certainly knows what he is good at and always does it well.

The more I think about it, the more disappointed I was. When I first heard about this movie I was really looking forward to it because it sounded very interesting. And while it was interesting, it ultimately wasn’t a great movie. But I will say that it is certainly an interesting failure. It certainly had the potential to be brilliant, I just think more emotion needed to be added to it so the audience is able to empathize with Adam.