But that was a magnificent film.
Posted on 11/18/2025 7:06:05 PM PST by Rummyfan
It is said there is only one rule when it comes to dramatising the Holocaust: don’t. The argument is essentially this: the unique horror of the event is beyond the scope of conventional artistic representation. Illuminate what happened with a documentary, sure, but apply a glossy Hollywood sheen to those monstrous events and you risk artistic catastrophe.
I’ve seen many productions which fall into that category but here’s two recent ones: Hunters, an Al Pacino series for Amazon which portrays a gang of 1970s New York Nazi hunters as superhero vigilantes, and Sky Atlantic’s tastefully shot The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a sentimental, semi-fictionalised (why? Is the truth not enough?) account of a concentration camp love story. Coming soon, I fear: The Dry Cleaner of Buchenwald, The Loss Adjuster of Bergen-Belsen and The Ladies Hairdresser of Dachau.
...
● The sub-Dynasty style soap dialogue. For example: ‘Ah’m gonna put Hermann Goering on the stand and ah’m gonna make him tell the world what he did!’ A story like this, ideally, demands a respect for the facts, a verbatim approach where possible and a sober, low-key dynamic. The more you amp it up, the more grotesque it potentially becomes.
● The heavy handed MAGA references. Near the end of the film someone says – or rather shouts – something like: ‘EVIL DOESN’T HAVE TO WEAR A UNIFORM FOR YOU TO KNOW IT’S EVIL!’ Yes, Trump has his flaws. But comparing his administration with the Third Reich is, as even his enemies would surely acknowledge, moronically reductive.
● The ‘Allo ‘Allo! style accents. (E.g. Goering: ‘I em going to es-cape zee hengmen’s noose!’.....
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.co.uk ...
But that was a magnificent film.
It is behind a paywall and I was unable to read beyond “The Hairdresser of Dachau”. I assume the author thought this movie was terrible?
Can’t read - subscription site
The 1961 film was great. And enough.
Yeah when I read the backdrop to this story, I knew it would be cringe. As it is the psychiatrist who is dramatized became obsessed with the Nazis and ended up killing himself in front of his wife, father and three children while cooking on a New Year’s Day family get together. Horrible.
There was another one, unfortunately it featured Alec Baldwin, but Brian Cox, who played Goering in it, was great.
“Fenway Park on its feet for Teddy _______ Ballgame! He went yardo on that one, all the way to ______ Landsdowne Street!”
Bkmk
Is THAT the storyline to this movie?
I already wasn’t going to see something about such a somber topic, I definitely would not see it now.
I don’t usually go see a movie with the intention of feeling miserable as I leave the theater.
If I have a historical interest about this, there are endless documentaries I can view or read anytime I choose to do so.
Yes, it's moronically reductive, but nonetheless, it's now a standard talking point of liberals and leftists: Trump is Hitler 2.0, the MAGA hat is the new brown shirt, and ICE is the new Gestapo.
how come no movies are made about the communist atrocities like Holodomor. Or how about the Armenian genocide.
My response to the excerpt:
“Schindler’s List”
You would be better off watching the excellent YouTube videos by Indy Neidell, about WWII. I still have a lot of those videos yet to go through.
Why did they make this? Because movie makers are completely out of ideas. We know this from their outbreak of sequal-itis which has taken over most of the business.
Holodomor?
You missed Mr Jones apparently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Jones_(2019_film)
And for the Katyn Massacre you need to see “Katyn”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy%C5%84_(film)
Then there is the Ukrainian massacre of Poles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volhynia_(film)
Horrifying, look for the longer version.
And the most horrifying one I have seen is “The Chekist”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chekist
It’s about the Russian Civil war after the Bolshevik takeover.
The minute the USSR collapsed in 91, this film was made in Russia and released.
It’s about the mass execution terror.
The Death Of Stalin was a pretty good satirical jab at The Soviet Union. Putin banned it in Russia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.