Jews in Italy During the Holocaust: How the Italians helped Jewish Refugees in WWII

By Bonnie Way

http://ww2history.suite101.com/article.com/jews_in_italy_during_the_holocaust

"While thousands of Jews were dying in German concentration camps during the Holocaust, thousands were surviving and thriving in Italian concentration camps."

This article discusses how Italy helped Jews during WWII and how concentration camps differed in Germany and Italy. It gives information on things that are not well known by society and that are not taught in schools.

In 1938, anti-semitic laws were passed in Italy but didn't affect much. During the WWII time span, Italy was the only country who allowed Jews in without visas when they were fleeing from Germany. In 1940, Italy became Germany's ally. However, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum reports that Italy "did not willingly cooperate in the Nazi plan to kill the Jews of Europe. Italians generally refused to participate in genocide, or to permit deportations from Italy. . . to the Nazi extermination camps. Italian military officers and officials usually protected Jews. . . Between 1941 and 1943, thousands of Jews escaped to Italy and Italian-occupied territory from German-occupied territory."

In 1943, Mussolini, Italy's dictator, was overthrown and Italy joined the Allies. During this time, Germany invaded Italy and deported Jews to German concentration camps. Close to 10,000 Jews were deported, and of those 7,000 died in either Auschwitz or other concentration camps. But because of Italy's efforts, over 40,000 Jews were saved and escaped the horrors that could have been their's in German concentration camps.

There were Italian concetration camps, but they were much different than ones in Germany. One woman, Eva Costabel, who interned at an Italian camp, says, "they gave the Jewish leaders the right to administer the daily life of the camp, which gave us a fair amount of autonomy in our daily lives." Here, Jews were allowed to wear their own clothes, play cards, visit with their neighbors, and lead virtually normal lives. Another survivor in an Italian concentration camp, Hans Heiman, reports that they were housed in a hotel that overlooked the sea, were allowed to go to the movies, and were given pocket money. Another big difference is that Jews were transferred to different camps within Italy to keep families together. Jews were even allowed to set up synagogues and practice their faith. Edith Birns, who survived Aushcwitz, said, "The Italians treated them like human beings." She also goes on to comment that her husband survived 6 years in an Italian concentration camp, but that no one could have survived that long in a German concentration camp.

"In the horrors of this era of history, the story of Italy helping its Jews stands out as remarkable. One country refused to follow Hitler's lead and the result was thousands of lives saved."

Place Annihilation: Area Bombing and the Fate of Urban Places

Place Annihilation: Area Bombing and the Fate of Urban Places
Kenneth Hewitt

The effects and devastation of bombings during World War II is the main focus within this article. Kenneth Hewitt first brings up the type of phrasing used in the descriptions in casualties of war such as "unfortunate" and "unplanned." As well he talks about the way casualties are viewed because of the intentions of those who killed them. An example he gave was of a village called Lidice that was one of the ones that the Germans completely destroyed. The people living there were either killed or taken to concentration camps. Then they altered the land to blend in with the surrounding landscape and even routed a river that ran through it. Because of their intentions this was seen as a travesty but those who called it that did similar damage. The Allies did many carpet bombings that were not very discriminatory killing many civilians and destroying towns. These casualties were just referred to as "sacrifices of war."

Hewitt then goes into how the bombings were done during the war. At first the bombing tactics used in World War II were dense carpet bombings. These used many explosive bombs that were found to not be the most effective. Later they started using incendiary bombs that destroyed many cities and killed many civilians by spreading fires through the cities. These bombings were not just being done to cities with combatants but also noncombatant undefended towns. Japan suffered the most civilian casualties during these bombings than any other country Germany having the second highest casualty count. The incendiary bombings actually caused more destruction in Japan than both atomic bombs that were dropped.

This article gave good information about how scary and destructive war can be. Some may think that it is mostly combatants that are killed and innocent civilian deaths are kept to a minimum. The numbers of casualties from bombings given in this article show just how frighteningly high the casualties were during World War II. It definitely gives a strong argument against war.

Article taken from JSTOR archives:
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 73, No. 2 (Jun., 1983), pp. 257-284
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Association of American Geographers

An Exotic Enemy: Anti-Japanese Musical Propaganda in World War II Hollywood

An Exotic Enemy: Anti-Japanese Musical Propaganda in World War II Hollywood
W. ANTHONY SHEPPARD

This article describes ways in which Japanese citizens and Japanese-American citizens were stereotyped and mistreated during the World War II era. Countless songs came out of the Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley composers derogatorily referring to the Japanese as "Japs," yellow rats, and other names of the sort. Songs, films, and television programs would make fun of and ridicule the way that Japanese speaking individuals pronounce the English language. Japanese children were stereotyped as squinty-eyed, buck-toothed, and unintelligent.

Film music is an incredibly useful tool for propaganda. By thematically presenting different nationalities through inaccurate (in most cases) and generalized modes and motifs, images and thoughts are immediately conjured up that shade a watcher's disposition.

Many times if the intent of the score is to stereotype, it is not very subtle at all. Sheppard compares it with a derogatory phrase, such as "dirty Jap." In these cases, the tone of voice plays a huge part in the insult. His analogy matches the inflection in the voice with the less than subtle moments in a score. This propaganda dehumanizes individuals and nations and shapes the views of it's audience.

One of the biggest problems with film scores of this era (and later), is the lack of authenticity in the music. Most scores borrow from other sources that sound like one thing or another (or at least what the composer thinks it should sound like). Many times, the music is composed to sound "Japanese," but actually just sounds like a horrible Hollywood stereotype involving an amalgamation of several pseudo-cultures. Although somewhat inevitable, this really is a bad thing, because it gives us a false view of other cultures and institutions.

Sheppard's focus was on the effectiveness of film propaganda. Film was the most effective medium for anti-Japanese propaganda during World War II. The musical scores that accompanied these films did much to assist the stereotyping and profiling.


This article was taken from JSTOR Archive:

Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Summer, 2001), pp. 303-357
Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the American Musicological Society

Grave of the Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies is a movie about the struggle for survival in Japan during World War II. The story follows a young boy named Seita and his little sister Setsuko. In the opening scene you are shown that this movie is not going to have a happy ending. The scene shows Seita sitting against a post in a train station just after the war is over. He is looking worn out and staring blankly at the ground. Everyone walking around the station either ignores him or tells him to get a job. It then skips to later that night when the workers are cleaning the floors at which point Seita falls over dead. This seemed to be a common occurrence during this time as the workers were not shocked by this at all. One of the workers inspected him and picked up a tin container with some sort of "powder" inside that Seita was holding. The worker then threw the tin outside at which point you see the ghost of a little girl and the recently deceased boy picking up the can. Now knowing what happens to the characters in the end the film goes back to show the events that led to this point. In the next seen you see Seita franticly trying to bury some food while loud sirens can be heard. His sister, Setsuko, and his mother are their appearing very calm even though the sirens are sounding. His father is away on a navy ship fighting in the war. The mother then heads out to the bomb shelters while Seita finishes burying food. Once he is finished he puts Setsuko on his back and starts to run to the shelters, but the moment he steps outside his house he sees the planes overhead dropping incendiary bombs. All the buildings around start to catch fire as he runs to get out of the city. The two of them make it out but their home and most of the city is burned to the ground. They then go to a schoolhouse where people are being treated after the attack at which point they learn their mother was severely burned. Their aunt takes them into her house while their mother is readied to be taken to a hospital. Unfortunately before their mother can be moved to the hospital she dies leaving them to stay with the aunt. At first living with their aunt worked out fine. As time went on however she started getting annoyed at Seita because he was old enough to work but was doing nothing but goofing off with Setsuko all day. Their aunt kept criticizing them until they decided they have had enough and left to go live in one of the bomb shelters. This was working well for them until they started running out of food. Food during this time was being rationed and not even farmers had enough to sell to people. Setsuko was starting to develop rashes and getting sick due to malnutrition. Becoming desperate Seita started sneaking into farms to steal food from their fields. He was eventually caught by a farmer and after the confrontation decided he was not going to steal from farms again. However still needing food in order to help his little sister he decides to take a very dangerous route to get food. He starts running into towns during bombings to grab whatever food he can find while everyone else was fleeing. Later he manages to make it to a bank where he withdrawals money from his mother’s account to buy food. While at the bank he overhears people people saying the war is over and mentions that all their navy ships were sunk including Seita‘s father‘s ship. He is crushed after learning this but knows he needs to get food and bring it back to Setsuko so that she can get better. Regrettably, with all the food Seita is able to get, Setsuko continues to get worse until she ultimately dies in her sleep. This was the most heartbreaking moments of the movie. At this point you could tell Seita had been broken as he does not smile again and barely speaks. Seita does a ritual cremation for Setsuko on top of a hill near the shelter they had stayed in. Afterwards he put her ashes in a tin that used to contain fruit drops that Setsuko liked a lot. He stated he never returned to that spot until the final scene in which you see the ghosts of Seita and Setsuko sitting together at the top of that hill.
This movie was a great, although depressing, movie showing the struggles that civilians in Japan were going through during World War II. They had to cope with constant threat of bombing attacks. Many had lost their homes as well as friends and family members. Food was scarce and medical treatment was not easy to get. This film captured the fear, sadness, and desperation that people were going through during this time of war.

Additional Information

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/ - Various facts about the movie.
http://www.shvoong.com/humanities/794655-grave-fireflies/ - Summery and review.

World War II and the American Film

World War II and the American Film

This is a very interesting journal article about how the American film industry handled the contant changes during World War II. The article explains a lot about the history of the war itself, and what films became focused on throughout this period. First, the author, Lewis Jacobs explains that the American film industry centered on comedies, romances, adventurs, melodramas and westerns (Jacbos 1). As the events of World War II became closer to the United States, the types of films being created changed their focus. Film became focused on military tactics and training. The media became an "inspiration and morale-building journalism which featured scenes of patriotic parades, town meetings, recruits leaving for camp, destroyers being launched, pilots receiving comissions, graduation exercises at West Point and Annapolis" (Jacobs 3). All of the defense preparations were portrayed in not only film, but also other media, as glamorous and fun. During this time, there were very few clips that would show what exactly was happening in the war. Only a few documentaries were able to break the restrictions and create something closer to the war than any other media in the United States.

During the transition into war, films became focused on man hunts, spy plots, escapes, and those members fighting in the army, airforce, and navy; like Flight Command (1940), Dive Bomber (1941), and Navy Blues (1941).

In April of 1941, when the President stated the United States was in a National Emergency, films began to center on helping men and families accept the idea of being drafted. By this time, the majority of movies were focused on the military and war.

This article also discusses details about the history of this time period and how it affected the film making industry. For example, after the evens at Pearl Harbor, the President assigned Lowell Mellet to work with the movie companies in order to show how the industry can help the national defense. There were six themes given by the government. The companies were not forced to follow them, but it was definitely suggested. The six themes were "the issue of war, the nature of the enemy, the United Nations, the production front, the home front, and the fighting forces" (Jacobs 10).

Jacobs then goes by the years of conflict and describes how the war affected the film industry. During the first year, most films were centered on propoganda and entertainment. By the end of the second year, American film had much less compassion. "Film began to serialize the profanity of war" (18).

Towards the end of the war, when the Allied Forces were growing strong and the possiblilty of ending the war became more prevalent, films changed quickly and drastically. All the films focused on the military tactics were either abandoned by the companies, or were finished up and released as quickly as possible. "Hollywood beat all other industries to reconversion" (20).

This article in very informative not only about the film of this time period, but also the history of the war itself. Jacobs clearly shows how the events of World War II affected American film by going more in depth about a few movies from each stage of the constantly changing industry.

This journal article is available in the JSTOR archives.
World War II and the American Film
Lewis Jacobs
Cinema Journal, Vol. 7, (Winter, 1967-1968), pp. 1-21
Published by: University of Texas Press on behalf of the Society for Cinema & Media Studies

The New York Times Review: Days of Glory

Yes, Soldiers of France, in All but Name

This film review by A. O. Scott gave a film critique's perspective on "Days of Glory," while also providing insight into the historical information that the film included. Scott explains that the title of the film in French, "Indigenes," means "Natives" in English. By choosing this title for the film, the director (Bouchareb) shows the irony present on the French side of World War 2. Clearly the main characters in this film are not natives of France, yet they sacrifice even more than the true Frenchmen in most cases in order to achieve victory. Scott compliments Bouchareb on his ability to provide war drama to the viewer while still maintaining a genuine aspect of each of the character's lives and personalities. He describes the acting as "first rate," and admires how this film depicted the experiences of individuals who have been misrepresented as a whole in other popular war stories. The men from North Africa were expected to possess a patriotic duty to France, even though they are treated as second- class citizens throughout the film. Scott claims that France has had a goal of achieving universal aspirations of the people while still maintaining some sort of national identity. His belief is that the film shows how much these two ideas truly contradict with one another, leading to numerous confrontations between the North Africans and Frenchmen. The article repeatedly praised Bouchareb for his ability to present history through his characters and according to Scott, "make every shot count." Bouchareb's ability to depict aspects of war with a personal glimpse into each character's life is what makes this film so extraordinary.

Link to the article: http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/movies/06glor.html

“Why WWII Tales Endure”

Intrigued with Rickey Gervais’ comment to Kate Winslet, “I told you, do a Holocaust movie and the awards come, didn’t I?”, writer Addie Morefoot explored the popularity and critical acclaim of WWII films in her 2009 piece, “Why WWII Tales Endure.” Morefoot explained that for years both Hollywood and foreign country’s cinematic industry have been producing films based on WWII or the Holocaust. Coincidently, many of these films have be nominated and/or won many awards. However, Morefoot’s interviewees argue that even though film critics may have a general interest in WWII/Holocaust film, it is the quality of these films that earn their critical acclaim. Supporting the interviewees’ claim are several factors. First, WWII/Holocaust movies tend to have higher budgets. Also, the films explore themes of morality in a highly emotional and action-packed storyline. Lastly, the tales come out of a rich history that is not only real but are also recognizable worldwide. Consequently, WWII/Holocaust films are not only popular amongst film critics but general audiences. One such example is "Winter in Wartime" (Netherlands), which out- grossed "Twilight" and "The Dark Knight" in the Netherlands. Filmmakers will continue to make WWII/Holocaust films not only because of their financial success and critical acclaim but also because of the education value that each story has to offer.

Works Cited

Morfoot, Addle. "WHY WWII TALES ENDURE." Variety 416.13 (2009): A1-A5. Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 13 Apr. 2010.

Days of Glory

Days of Glory is a film that not only depicts the French side of World War Two, but more importantly focuses on the prevalence of racism and discrimination within the French Army itself. Since the main characters of the film are from Africa and are Muslims, the story has a much different perspective than if it was told by a Frenchman. The main group consists of Said, Messaoud, Yassir, Corporal Abdelkader and the French Sergeant Martinez. From the very beginning the film shows the expendability of the Africans, as they are forced into a dangerous confrontation in the mountains, simply so the French Commander can identify the artillery stations of the enemy. A number of the African troops are killed, yet the white military correspondent tells the press that the battle was a “great victory.” One of the conflicts between races in the film happens in the cafeteria and is about something as simple as tomatoes. The cooks do not allow the Muslim men to have any tomatoes and in an act of defiance, Corporal Abdelkader smashes the crates of tomatoes and demands that the Africans have equal rights to the food. Throughout the film, he is the patriot for equality who represents the Africans, and they are eventually allowed to have any food that they want. While in France, Messaoud begins a romantic relationship with a French woman. Their romance eventually ends when his letters are censored and they have no means of communication. When Sergeant Martinez’s assistant dies, Said replaces him and is constantly harassed by the other soldiers because of it. They call him names like “wog,” a derogatory slang word for Africans and “aicha,” meaning slave. This part of the film shows the discrimination that took place even among the soldiers and fellow Muslims. Next, two major events take place in the film. The first event is when Said discovers that Sergeant Matinez’s mother is a Muslim as well. When Said mentions this to Martinez, Martinez is outraged and threatens to kill him if he ever tells his secret. It is incredible how ashamed he is about this detail of his life and constantly looks down upon the Muslims even though his own mother was one of them. A second major incident occurs when the Africans discover that the French soldiers are allowed leave to visit their homes and families while they are prohibited from going anywhere. In response to this racism, Abdelkader gathers a group together who demand justice be done. He is thrown in jail for his insolence and eventually is convinced to participate in a dangerous mission, along with the rest of his troops. Several of the men die along the journey to the battle, and after the fighting has ceased, only Abdelkader remains. Although the Africans held the Germans long enough for reinforcements to come and help with the victory, only white French soldiers stand next to the liberated villagers during a photo shoot that will inevitably be in a French newspaper. It is heartbreaking how the African soldiers fought with such bravery and heart, only to lose their lives and gain absolutely no recognition from the French government. The film fast-forwards in time many years later when Abdelkader returns to the gravesites of his former fighting companions. As if the Africans have not been through enough discrimination and unfair treatment, the movie closes by saying that the French government froze the pensions of the soldiers in 1959 before their countries were independent. This was an excellent film because it showed the numerous ways that racism and discrimination played a role in World War Two, while also providing insight into what the war was actually like.

This film provided French insight into the war in a number of ways. French soldiers referred to the German forces as “Krauts,” showing an obvious distaste for their enemy. I feel as if the French relate to their foes in a very stand-offish manner, keeping their emotional connections as humans to the Germans very limited, if at all. The only sympathy shown in the film for the Germans is that some of the French leaders demand respect be paid to the German dead when a few of their soldiers are being mutilated by their opponents. There is an obvious division in the French ranks between the Frenchmen and the Africans, even though they fight in battle together on a daily basis. This opposition, along with the bigger battle with the Germans, shows that the film represents more than one form of confrontation on the French side. Despite being treated poorly, the African have an enormous amount of loyalty to the French. They declare that France is their country now as well, and even when they are given the chance to forfeit the dangerous mission, they press on because they feel it is their duty to do so. As with any war, this film shows that there are numerous underlying conflicts and situations on the same side, besides the overall main conflict of World War Two.

Additional Info:

• New York Times Review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/movies/06glor.html
• Boston Globe Review: http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=9752
• Facts about the crew, cast and plot: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444182/

Mephisto

Mephisto does not concentrate on the war itself, but more on how the citizens in Germany were affected by the dominating power of the Nazis. It is a film about a man named Hendrik Hofgen who has the desire to be a well known actor of theater all throughout Germany. He begins acting in Hamburg, but he doesn't get the fame he wants. Also in this specific theater, there is a man named Miklas who is a Nazi. At this time Hofgen does not want the Nazi's to come to power. He agrees with his wife Barbara that it would be a disaster for Germany. Clearly, Hofgen and Miklas do not get along. Hofgen says that either Miklas must leave Hamburg, or he will. This turns out well for Hofgen. He receives an opportunity to work with another actress named Dora Martin in Berlin. He accepts this offer even though it is for less money. He moves his wife and himself to Berlin. His career begins to flourish. He acts in one man shows and sings about the upper classes in Germany putting them in a negative light. This shows his opposition to the Nazi beliefs.

Then comes the role of Mephisto. Mephisto is a character in a play that Hofgen portrays. This boosts Hofgen's career and he quickly becomes one of the most well known actors throughout Germany. However, after this performance, the Nazi party is elected into office. Many of Hofgen's friends and family flee Germany traveling to France and the Unites States. His wife Barbara wanted Hofgen to go with her to France, but he refused because he does not have the same opportunities his wife has. He said that he needs the German language and culture because he doesn't know anything else. His wife has money and a good family and could benefit from a move. He also truly believes that the art of theater can overcome anything that occurs in Germany. He stayed in Berlin and worked with another actress name Lotte Lindenthal. The role of Mephisto comes back and Hofgen takes on this character for a second time in his career. While playing this character again, the Prime Minister attends one of his performances and asks to speak with Hofgen, as the entire theater watches the interaction.

Hofgen begins to see the Prime Minister often by making many appearances at political gatherings. These gatherings become his act because he is putting on a front of agreeing with the Nazi beliefs, when he clearly stated in the beginning of the movie that he did not agree with their politics.

Time passes by and Hofgen is doing well for himself. He trades in his beliefs for success. To him, the applause at the end of show is all that truly matters. Many times throughout the movie he says that success is all he needs.

Because he appears to be staying true to his country, the Prime Minister offers him a deal he cannot refuse. He asks Hofgen to write his own biography. The Prime Minister also gives him the task of running the Prussian State Theater. This gives Hofgen the opportunity to run plays that he wants and how he wants.

Hofgen decides to put on Hamlet in his new theater. He wants to tear down the fourth wall between the actors on stage and the audience. He wants the audience to be an active participant in the production.Throughout this process, Hofgen meets a new woman and marries her. She became the lead actress in Hamlet opposite Hofgen.

Throughout the movie, Hofgen uses his relationship with the Prime Minister to help his friend Otto Ulrichs. Otto fled Germany directly after the Nazi's took power, but wanted to come back because it was all he knew. Otto asked Hofgen for help. After speaking with the Prime Minister, Otto was granted permission to safely live in Germany. However, this did not last. During the showings of Hamlet, Otto disappeared from his home. Hofgen goes to see the Prime Minister to ask him to find out what happened to his friend. The Prime Minister says that it is not any of his business what happened with Otto and tell him to stay out of it. Hofgen soon after found out that his friend had committed suicide.

At the end of the film, the Prime Minister asks to speak with Hofgen once again. Hofgen is shown the new arena for theater. It is very large and seats a large amount of people. The Prime Minister tells Hofgen to go down into the theater to get a feel for it. Then many spotlights are put upon him. The very last phrase in the movie is said by Hofgen; "What do they want from me, I am only an actor."

The central issue in this movie is that of beliefs and success. Would you give up what you truly believed in just for success like Hendrik Hofgen? To me it doesn't seem worth it. He may have had success, but he lost his first wife and many friends when they left Germany. I would rather be happy with my family and friends, than only have happiness through success.

Additional Information about Mephsito:

http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?id=4938 - Review

http://www.filmreference.com/Films-Ma-Me/Mephisto.html - Includes names of producers and cast along with other articles about the movie. Concentrates more on political aspects of the film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082736/ - Information about cast, Trivia, and movie details.

Timeline & Workflow

Workflow:
Each of the six blog members will watch a movie and read articles, interviews, ect. surrounding the topic of World War II. Jen will watch a movie from the French perspective called Days of Glory. Bret will watch a movie from Japan called Grave of Fireflies. Betsy will take a closer look at the Italian persective. I will focus on a film called Mephisto which is a collaboration of German, Austrian, and Hungarian filmmakers. Bethany already analyzed a movie called Before the Fall from Germany. And Joel had our very first post about the movie Life is Beatutiful from Italy.
We are also planning on commenting on one another posts to further discussion about that specific movie and its impact on the view of World War II.

Timeline:
Joel posted first, followed by Bethany. I will be posting next with Jen fourth, Betsy fifth, and Bret wrapping it up. Our plan is to have something posted about every week. Not necessarily all movies, but a movie one week followed by an article the next.

Before the Fall

When studying World War II, it is hard for contemporary students to understand how the leadership of one man led to the mass killings of Jews, homosexuals, and several other people groups. It is easy for students to dismiss the possibility that they would have joined Hitler’s Nazi regime. Yet, it is a valid question that should be answered. Would you have joined the Nazi movement if you had lived in Germany during the 1930’s?
The movie, Before the Fall, is an insightful depiction on how Hitler was able to use propaganda to manipulate people to support his cause. Based on real events, the movie follows Friedrich Weimer, a German teenager who wants to become an aspiring boxer. One day, a Nazi recruiter sees Friedrich box and offers him admission into a Nazi Napola academy (an elite, male, Nazi, political, youth school) where he can participate in a first-rate boxing program. Along with the boxing, he is to be instructed in academics as well, making it possible for Friedrich to assume a future position in the Third Reich regime.
Friedrich’s dreams for a better life are nearly dashed when his father refuses to sign the parental consent papers for his son to attend the boarding school. In an act of desperation, Friedrich forges his father’s signature and blackmails him into silence. As a student, Friedrich is educated and trained in boxing under the discipline of Nazi military principles. In being chosen to attend the Napola academy, Friedrich is given unprecedented privilege that his former life precluded.
Shortly after arriving, however, Friedrich’s eyes are opened to the cold, harsh, disciplinary methods of the school. The students are subjected to highly rigorous training exercises which require complete submission to the officers. In order to achieve total compliance, students are pitted in competition against each other; they are humiliated in front of their peers; and they live in constant fear of harsh and inhumane punishments being leveled against them. Daily, they are immersed in a culture which eradicates any traces of humanity, morality, or free thinking. Any signs of compassion, weakness, or dissension are not tolerated. As a result, the student’s individual identity is destroyed and replaced with the community identity, based on Nazi propaganda. Friedrich refuses to capitulate to the loss of his own identity when he witnesses the suicide of his best friend. Consequently, he decides to defy the regime and accept whatever consequences his defiance will cost him.
Before the Fall is a riveting account that explores the allure that the Nazi Party had on the German youth during the time of Hitler’s rise to power. This story brilliantly replicates the devastating toll that many in the youth movement experienced. It is a story that needs to be retold, lest we ever forget.
By: Bethany Smith

Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful

La vita è bella

This wonderful film starts out following the antics of Guido Orefice, an Italian Jew, as he begins courting a young woman named Dora, who is unwillingly betrothed to another man. Guido uses his humor and well-placed greetings of his “principessa” to charm her and whisk her away.

As Guido and Dora are raising their little boy, Giosué, political tensions rise for Jews and non-Fascists. During the boy’s birthday party, Guido and his son are arrested by German officers and taken to a concentration camp to work and be killed. Much to Guido’s distress, Dora (who was not a Jew) insists that she be taken along with her family.

Throughout their internment at separate male and female camps, Guido uses his wit this time to keep the truth of the situation from his son. He tells him they are playing an elaborate game in which there are strict rules that they must follow in order to win. Throughout this “game,” Giosué becomes convinced that he must remain hidden from the Germans, not cry, and not ask for food. The winner gets the first prize, a real version of Giosué's favorite toy, a tank.

When the war is over, the Germans scramble to gather up those remaining in the camp and kill them before the Americans come. Guido sneaks about with his son, desperately looking for Dora. He hides Giosué in a junction box and tells him that this is the final round of the game and everyone is looking for him. He must not come out of the junction box until everyone is gone and there is no noise outside.

Guido franticly searches for his wife, eventually giving his position away in trying to save her. Guido is taken and led back into an alley to be shot, but not before he passes his son’s hiding place. He sends his son one last wink, as if it’s still a game, before he is killed.

Giosué remain hidden until all sounds have stopped, faithful to his fathers command. He finally emerges from his box to find no one around. He hears a low rumbling in the distance and out from behind a building comes an American tank. Giosué is overjoyed. The game was real! He won the tank!

The American in the tank takes the boy and lets him ride on the tank as they drive past all the other freed refugees. Giosué spots his mother and shouts to her. He jumps down and runs to her. The film closes as they are in each other’s arms.

The film begins and ends with narration saying, “This is a simple story... but not an easy one to tell.” In the beginning we are led to believe that the narrator is Guido, but by the end it is revealed that Giosué was actually telling the story of his father years later.

Interestingly, the film was co-written and directed by the same actor who played Guido, Roberto Benigni. Benigni wrote the story from the experiences his own father had in a concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen.

It may seem odd at first glance to combine comedy with holocaust horror, but Benigni executes this combination beautifully. The film provides an honest and emotional look at the terrible conditions of a concentration camp through the eyes of a surprisingly optimistic man exemplifying the depth of true fatherhood.

Our Plan

Over the next several weeks, we will analyze World War II movies from many countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Japan, to show how these perspectives portray the war. We will also analyze and post scholarly articles, movie reviews, and interviews about world cinema and World War II. Each member of the blog will choose one film from different countries and one article to discuss.