Forenote; Moddies, excuse this one being put here. I don't feel it fits under " What WW2 Films ". That thread smacks too much of 'entertainment value'. Weighing up between the " Book 'n Film " board and here? I just feel this belongs here. Don't you? Anyway ...... Feeling a bit hollow, as I start trying to type this. I've just watched the last of this three disc set. Produced by 'The War File' people the DVD's cover #1: The liberation of Auschwitz. #2: Dachau and Sachsenhausen. #3: Ravensbruck and Buchenwald. Watched the first two, back to back, the other night. Just watched the third one. Stone cold sober and in the middle of a relatively bright and normal afternoon. F**k. I haven't turned my music back on yet. I don't think I want music. By way of a brief 'review'? The Auschwitz one consists of footage taken by a Russian cameraman, 'As the Red Army liberated the place'. Or so says the blurb. Well, it doesn't. Not really. It's more a reconstruction, made around and after the event. And, as such, it actually comes perilously close to being a god send for Denialists. Shown just out of context, one could be forgiven for thinking how the inmates shown, being 'liberated', look as if they've never missed a hearty meal in their lives. Smiling, rather better fed than me looking people. Great columns of them shoving carts full of possessions before them as they trundle off home in their civilian clothes. Then the staged, blatantly reconstructed 'Opening of the gates'. I could have been an 'extra' in that scene. I eat once a day. I look about as 'bad' as the, by now fed and watered, former prisoners chosen to star in that scene. I'm sure there were the customary shots of piles of once living skeletons. It's just not the over all impression I came away with. No. Russia blew it. And the damn commentary throughout? That narrator could do with a few volts up his jacksy. Get some Life into him! His monotonous droning was just vile! Second disc? Better. British narration and this guy at least employed some cadence in his speech. Being a more 'Produced' effort too, it made better viewing. It had some feeling of story line to it and made an effort to educate and illustrate. Good then ~ or Better. But still, the viewing left me just sombre and thoughtful. Most of that thought even was discontent at the completely off mark Russian effort. And today I watched the last one. And, by god; Did they save the best till last! Good narration, again. Some very 'nice' impressionistic work ~ plenty of photographs of women, obviously taken before they'd ever heard of Ravensbruck. These bitterly underlying the horror of what these normal girls were to suffer there. Quite unremitting in it's message of 'Look what the b*stards did!'. Ravensbruck was 'Good'. It hit the mark. And then, Buchenwald. Jesus f***ing christ. Powerful! And, as it ended, with the local, German populace being marched out there and Made to LOOK ..... Illse Kochs' Lampshades ..... The Yanks sorted that one out. And, hell yes; They did the job alright! See the faces of those people, Forced to come and see. That's how it should've been done. Left me in tears.
War is a terrible thing, and the Holocaust was an example of the depths of depravity and brutality that many people sink to during such times. The reason for my reply to this post is based on the writer's last but one line "The Yanks sorted that one out. And, hell yes; They did the job alright! See the faces of those people, Forced to come and see. That's how it should've been done." As far as I understand it these people were not the guards, nor were they workers at the camps, they were men and women and children too old to be used in the German Military who happenned to live in villages surrounding the camp. Assuming they knew of the slaughter taking place I have to ask myself what could they have done to stop it. I believe the decision to take the villagers there was made at the time in good faith in the hope of showing the German people what took place however I do not think it achieved anything. The film footage was what showed the world, and the people of Germany, the horrors of the Nazi regime. I am aware that at other camps, captured guards from those camps were made to clear bodies. This I can understand.
The Russian footage has to be taken in context , it was propaganda first and foremost - the hurriedly written reports of what went on in the camp were equally cobbled together and pushed out and today are reflected back by "revisionist historians" as "evidence" of "lies" , needless to say they take all out of context and insist that it is what " Jewish Historians" or as they describe mainstream historians "court historians bought and paid for" (soundbites for their followers) have concealed and how they ( the revisionists) have "brought out the truth". History by way of an idiots charter but its how they view things and how they press their case , same style of misrepresentation that Irving and Co has gone for time and time , again which is why no one takes them seriously apart from the people who buy into their pseudo history and pseudo science. I would not worry to much about it Steve when the same people are pressed on serious questiond they fold like a cardboard box , inspite of the "mass of evidence" which they insist they have. Propaganda was a tool all nations employed , the contrast with the BBC Dvd's which you have will stand out. (Bottom line is some are well made and others are not so well made , as you can see from the clip below the revisionists have already made good use of German propaganda and Soviet film and used it just as the Germans did , you are asked to believe Dr Goebbels and to take his spin as serious historical evidence , its a joke - but to them it is meant to be a serious dialogue). An example of revisionist logic - one well read revisionist in answer to a question I posed to him described the function of the section Kanada to be that of recycling , he did not view it as theft. Although I am loath to give a link to U-tube this illustartes the rubbish they put forward. The fantasy YouTube - Holocaust Revisionism for Beginners part 4 of 5 The reality YouTube - BBC Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution' Episode 1 [4/5] YouTube - AUSCHWITZ: THE FINAL SOLUTION clip 5/5 YouTube - Auschwitz: The Nazi and the Final Solution (4/5) YouTube - BBC Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution' Episode 1 [4/5]
As far as I understand it these people were not the guards, nor were they workers at the camps, they were men and women and children too old to be used in the German Military who happenned to live in villages surrounding the camp. Assuming they knew of the slaughter taking place I have to ask myself what could they have done to stop it. Have ye seen the footage, Pete? I have. And I genuinely don't recall any children amongst the 'villagers' brought out there. I do remember women plenty young enough, as well as men far below 'Elderly'. In fact, with the expected absence of fit young bucks, it looked a reasonable cross section. And, considering these were the same Villagers as had earlier come out and buried the corpses of people exhibiting frontal exit gun wounds to their skulls, because the stench of decay was bothering them? I think we may take it they knew exactly what was going on. And they weren't a load of geriatric invalids themselves either. They all looked more like middle aged, comfortably middle class citizens. James; Despite having only today had my Memory doubled, I doubt I can view You Tube on this " Connection " of mine. But, that hardly matters. I don't need to be exposed to "Revisionist" Bull to know that sort are full of it
