Stories Retold

* this blog entry is a work in progress... (finish entries, fixing spacing)

As I have a personal interest in the topic of World War II and the Holocaust I have read a number f books and viewed a number of movies over the years in order to further familiarize myself with the time period and the events that occurred.  I hope that these resources will be beneficial to you in better understanding the issues surrounding the Holocaust or continue to build on the knowledge that you may already have.

Books
- Night (Elie Wiesel)


- Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank)

Movies

- Downfall (2004):Takes place in April of 1945, as the Russian army is closing in from the East and from the West the Allied Expeditionary Force.  The story is told through the narration of the former secretary of Adolf Hitler who worked alongside him throughout the war.  The movie takes you through in great detail the dramatic decisions made and the life altering choices that took place in the Berlin bunker during the end of WWII.
Out of every movie I have seen to date this was the only one that has told the story of the final days of WWII from the perspective of the Nazis and Hitler himself.  To see the soldiers of the Nazi army sitting in the halls of the bunkers as they shake, while the opposition approaches.  I personally feel that the set design and depiction of the massive underground system that Hitler had built is unlike anything and it really sets the seen that every book outlines about how big the system he built under Berlin really was. The decisions that certain individuals made during the final moments of Nazi power will shock the viewer, as many of these facts are not recorded in many books.  Hitler himself who cowardly chose to commit suicide with his life and have his body burned to not allow the allied forces to find him dead or alive.  Once he is gone it is difficult for anyone to maintain organization among the troops or the city and faster than before things slip away for the Nazis as liberation apporaches for the city and Europe.
 - The Pianist (2002):

A pianist, a Polish Jew, Wladyslaw Szpilman lives as the Nazis place restrictions on his people and his family is deported to Nazi Labour camps.  He is able escape capture and being shipped off by moving through/living in the ruins of Warsaw.  Before the war occurred Szpilman was a said to be the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland. Throughout his time in the Warsaw ghetto attempting to survive being caught by the Nazis he was able to witness the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19 - May 16, 1943) and the Warsaw Uprising (August 1 - October 2, 1944).  He is able to survive throughout the final months of his hiding due to the assistance from a Nazi Solider by the name of Hosenfeld (who sadly died after the way in a  Soviet gulag in 1952).
(IMDb.com)

This has to be one of the best, if not my favourite movie adaptation of a story from the Holocaust.  The movie does not only an impeccable job of detailing the story but, also does extreme justice by depicting what the country and the ghetto would look like over the duration of the war.  The story itself is one that is sad, but lets the viewer into a situation that was all to familiar to Jews during this time, coming home and having no one left.  The struggle Szpilman faces is true and to watch him wither away throughout the movie you almost wonder if he will make it.  I feel I am drawn to this movie in such a strong way because the film provides the viewer and opportunity to see/feel first hand what it would be like for a individual on their own to struggle and try to face every obstacle placed against them throughout the ordeal.

- Uprising (2001): Jews rise up in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazis in 1943.  A memoir of the rebellion that held back the Nazis for almost a month in 1943.  They did one thing the Nazis never expected, they fought back.  By the end of 1942, those living in the ghetto realize they are doomed, and the rudiments of the resistance are planned by a handful of the young residents. (IMDb.com)

I remember watching this movie on TV in Grade 6, we had the opportunity to 'Teach for a Period', an activity that our teacher Mrs. Speed encouraged because she wanted us to learn about topics that interested us and then share them with our peers.  I was so moved by this movie at such a young age that I felt compelled to share the video with the class (which at the time we probably should not have watched it due to the violence but my teacher felt just as strongly as the subject as I did).  Once the class viewed the movie we had to ask them to complete an 'educational' component.  From what I recall I believe we asked them to right a paper reflecting on how the movie made them feel, and then following that up by indicating if they would/would not stand up and fight against the Nazis if they knew they may die anyway.  Since I have not seen this movie in a number of years, I am a little fuzzy on the details but if I recall correctly the basis of the movie is a group of young people living in the Warsaw ghetto who feel that enough is enough, if their potential sentence from the Nazis is death anyway maybe they should try their best to stand up for themselves/what they believe in.