Hollywood has put out a lot of crap lately, though I agree with Roger L. Simon that Winter’s Bone
One of my readers in Poland bought this for me as a gift (thanks, Małgorzata), and I urge everyone here to either buy it or rent it
Somehow the events depicted never cease to shock and appall me all over again whenever I’m forced to confront them. That’s as it should be, and it’s the reason films like this need to be made and seen by as many people as possible.
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Here is another important film that shines light on the crimes of Hitler’s cronies and subordinates. There are some great performances from the stellar cast, particularly Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth.
Conspiracy (TV 2001)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266425/
Simon you beat me too it. I was just about to mention Conspiracy and it’s depiction of the meeting during which the deaths of millions of people was decided.
Eichmann has been on my ‘to see’ list for a while but thanks for reminding me of it Michael.
The studios were thinking about another Eichmann film. This one has Ben Affleck and Ben Stiller in a buddy flick as erstwhile Nazi hunters on Eichmann’s trail in Argentina, J-Lo makes a cameo as a waitress. Affleck has pangs of conscience over the overly harsh and brutal plans to kidnap Eichmann and bring him to Israel. It tugs at the audience heartstrings how the Affleck character’s change of heart causes conflict with the Stiller character, and the buddy team falls apart, ruining the good times. Oh yeah, and there are some CIA guys in there as evil characters.
Is there a film about Mengele worth seeing?
Winter’s Bone is indeed pretty wonderful. I’d be shocked if there were a better film released by Hollywood this year.
Haven’t seen Eichmann yet.
I’m going to assume that everyone posting here has already seen The Lives of Others.
I’d love to see them make a good movie about the life of Chana Senesh. It would be one of the best ever.
Lawrence: I’m going to assume that everyone posting here has already seen The Lives of Others.
Now that is an outstanding movie.
Yosef,
We were impressed enough about a movie about Senesh called “Blessed is the Match” to buy the DVD. There was one that came out 20 or so years ago that we thought was surprisingly good considering it was made by the Sabans; David Warner played the Hungarian officer who had Senesh shot.
Michael, have you seen the documentary Shoah by Claude Lanzmann? I haven’t seen it yet, but someone mentioned that it’s required viewing for anyone interested in the Holocaust.
By the way, Lanzmann also created “Sobibor, Oct. 14, 1943″ about the revolt there.
(His other films focus on Israel, including “Tsahal”, which is a documentary about the IDF made in the mid 1990s, and “Pourquoi Israël/ Why Israel”, which is a documentary set during the country’s 25th anniversary.)
Someone asked:
“Is there a film about Mengele worth seeing?”
Here’s an anectode I take a minute or two to write, in response – just for the record.
My mother never could tell me much about her travails in Auschwitz. She’d have her hairs stand on edge when I asked her to tell me stories. She hardly ever complied. But once, as she was cooking for the Sabbath meal on Friday, and putting in chunks of beef bone to make for a delicious chicken soup, she suddenly turned around, sat down at the table where I was sitting, and she related:
From her place in the camp, the platform where the Jews were emptied onto, alighting from the rail car (for this platform was the end station for this rail car, and for the one that would stop on the other side of this platform), was visible. One side of the platform was a dead end; The other side had Mengele sitting and directing people left or right, pointing with his finger, to slave work or to immediate death. He had a fetish for ugly experiments, especially when twins were spotted.
This day, he spotted a hunchback father and his hunchback son. This delighted the “doctor” freak. He took both father and son into the kitchen and placed them into their huge caldrons in which “soup” was prepared for the slaves. The soup was mostly water with some potato peels thrown in and the like. He boiled these two until even their flesh fell off the bones, just so he can examine the bones.
Even if there WERE a film on this freak, I wouldn’t watch it!
The re-release of Lanzmann’s Shoah was reviewed in The New Yorker a couple of weeks ago. To see:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2011/01/10/110110crci_cinema_denby
Leo,
I’m sorry if my request triggered painful memories. I asked about a film on Mengele for the same reason I recommend everyone today watch at least excerpts from “Triumph of the Will.” And learn why General Eisenhower insisted Ohrdruf and other camps receive witnesses. When monsters emerge, a healthy society must confront such human cancers with resolve and irrefutable evidence, for the sake of future generations.
Yet we STILL have fools out there that swear it never happened.
Nuts.
Sorry, Les; my fault. I’m used to seeing the name “Leo” here. I got more focused on my comment than whom I was responding to.
Maybe the most troubling factor is that, even when the lessons of history are documented, ignorance, denial/blind belief and sheer laziness easily trump a little effort and critical thinking for too many.
FormerStudent mentioned that “Lanzmann also created “Sobibor, Oct. 14, 1943″ about the revolt there.”
I’ve only seen “Escape From Sobibor” (1987), starring Rutger Hauer and Alan Arkin, both of whom looked far too healthy to have spent much time in a camp. The story was moving though, although tragic beyond most people’s experiences.
Dustoff, you say, “Yet we STILL have fools out there that swear it never happened”.
Don’t ever expect that to change, unless you believe, as I do, that one day Messiah will show up and elevate this world to a higher level. For as long as we remain under conditons of a diaspora, there will always remain the phenomenon of anti-semitism and hatred for G-d. Actually, fools is the wrong word, for they know full well what they are doing. They are simply haters, and know they are haters, and – get this – can’t help themselves! They are wired to hate.
How could this be; How could G-d’s plan include this element? Because it renders for the rest of mankind the opportunity to DESERVE their place in the future to come. It renders them the opportunity for FREE CHOICE, to do good or evil, as they will it. For WITHOUT the manifestation of BAD in the world, there would no free choice, because the only choice to be observed would then be the GOOD choice.
It’s like giving a dog the choice between a steak and tuna. There is no choice there for the dog. He’ll always go with the steak. Similarly, if all we’d see in the world was good, and we’d be unable to take sides with the likes of Jew-haters, then there’d be NO free choice. G-d gave us free coice so we should act and deserve what we acted out on.
Be well.