In many instances, a movie of this nature can no longer be considered a purely artistic or purely entertaining work. In this case, we are dealing with both an educational duty and an educational work.
Soberly shot, without music and in cool black and white, the film is about political prisoners in a German concentration camp in 1939.
The movie is shot realistically and without much pathos. It shows the typical events of a concentration camp in a shocking and repulsive way: forced labor, humiliation, hatred of the Jews, crematoria, participation of some prisoners and sadistic SS men.
The words alone underline the general cruelty of the time. The cinematic staging, however, translates this amazingly well - to the detriment of the viewer's well-being. But this lack of inhibition, which was surprisingly low for the year 1965, is necessary to fully understand the story.
It makes you feel sick to your stomach when you realize that the hardship shown in 1939 is milder in comparison to the war years.
What I also found particularly striking was the contrast between everyday life and the political events of the time. The final scene illuminates this approach very well. The commander's visit to the pub is set to the gruesome sounds of the concentration camp.
All in all, this is a film worth seeing and one that is aware of history.
Soberly shot, without music and in cool black and white, the film is about political prisoners in a German concentration camp in 1939.
The movie is shot realistically and without much pathos. It shows the typical events of a concentration camp in a shocking and repulsive way: forced labor, humiliation, hatred of the Jews, crematoria, participation of some prisoners and sadistic SS men.
The words alone underline the general cruelty of the time. The cinematic staging, however, translates this amazingly well - to the detriment of the viewer's well-being. But this lack of inhibition, which was surprisingly low for the year 1965, is necessary to fully understand the story.
It makes you feel sick to your stomach when you realize that the hardship shown in 1939 is milder in comparison to the war years.
What I also found particularly striking was the contrast between everyday life and the political events of the time. The final scene illuminates this approach very well. The commander's visit to the pub is set to the gruesome sounds of the concentration camp.
All in all, this is a film worth seeing and one that is aware of history.