The motion picture,
The Pianist is the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman who was one of the most accomplished musicians in Poland in the 1930s. This film does an excellent job of explaining why it became impossible for the Jewish people living in Europe to escape the Nazis and the plight of hundreds of thousands of Jews living in Warsaw, Poland. What did you learn from the film that you did not know before?
30 comments:
Before watching this film I wasn't completely aware of the fact that the Nazi's brutally killed the Jewish people while they were in the ghetto's that they set up. I was under the impression that the killings only went on in the death camps, I wasn't aware of the widespread brutality that went on in the ghettos.
I guess I didn't realize that the Nazis would just go into homes at night and make all the people go outside and run and then just kill them. I didnt know that things were that merciless. i thought people had to have at least done something in order to be killed.
I would have to agree with Scott. I knew the Nazis were cruel towards the Jews but I didn't know they morbidly killed the Jews as soon as they were placed in the ghettos. I thought they waited until the Jews were sent off to the labor camps. I was shocked to see the brutality of the Nazis, such as the killing of the little boy and the old man in the wheelchair. I understood the desperation the Jews felt when they ran from the Nazis but got shot one by one. Or how they were desperate enough to steal food. The film made me aware of the pain suffered by Jews at the ghettos
I agree with Scott because I was also aware that the Nazis were extremley cruel to the Jews, but didn't realize exactly how horrible they were until watching the movie. Seeing the old man in the wheelchair thrown off the balcony was a real eye opener. It makes me sick knowing the Nazis could do that without even thinking twice. Also seeing the little boy die trying to sneak back underground was really sad. I couldnt imagine having to see a ton of dead people lying on the street every day.
I agree with Tess and Alanna that seeing the old man in the wheelchair being thrown off the balcony was one of the most eye opening and horrifying parts of the movie. Killing people seemed so casual to the Nazi’s and I couldn’t believe how easy it was for them to kill people and even children. It shows how ruthless the Nazis were and how they truly hated the entire Jewish race no matter what age.
Before seeing the film, I had not realized that the methods used by the Nazis mirrored gang violence so much. The sheer insensitivity displayed by the Nazis in their encounters with the Jews was a sort of wake-up call to me. I agree with everyone above in the sense that I had not before understood just how brutal the Nazis could be.
Prior to watching this film, I had never really thought about the physical layout of the ghettos. From watching the movie, it seemed as though their was a social and economic hierarchy, which never occurred to me; it's easy to think that everyone in the ghetto was just suffering and being miserable 24/7, but many seemed to try and carry on their normal lives with whatever hope they had left. Knowing the outcome, it was really upsetting to watch how compliant they were with the deceitful Nazi tactics.
I learned so much from this film, even though we just saw the first half, it really made you noticed just how horrific conditions were before they even entered the work camps. The moment that stood out to me the most was definitely when the German Nazis took the man in the wheelchair who was just eating dinner with his family, and simply dropped him out the window. It was as if he was just trash. They didn't even flinch, or consider the harm of what they were doing. They just threw him. It also showed the amount of fear that the Germans had over the Jewish families. The family just stood there and watched their father fall to his death. They couldn't and wouldn't react. Also, right after the Nazis killed everyone else by shooting them in the streets. Why did they feel the need to through the other man out the window in front of everyone if they were just going to shoot everyone else. I found it sickening. Why? During the entire film I found myself asking why, I just couldn't even imagine the extremely harsh conditions and the insane treatment.
I agree with Kevin, I never really thought about the layout of the Ghettos either. I had heard they were bad, but the main focus was always the work/extermination camps themselves. By seeing them in the movie, the suffering physical and mental they faced everyday in the Ghettos themselves.
I really enjoyed the film nd at the same time it really emphasized how brutally the Jewish people were treated. The one scene that really affected me was when the Natzi soldierd threw the old man in the wheel chair off of the balcony. I just couldn't believe it. I agree with kevin on the statement that people did their best on keeping to their everyday lives after they were placed in the ghettos. I thought that once they were put in there it was over and everyone gave up home, but many kept trying. I also never knew how the ghettos were set up but this people helped me get a good view of it.
This film did a pretty good job at giving me a better understanding of how the Jews were actually treated. I agree with Alanna in that seeing the old man being tossed off the balcony was one of the hardest things to watch in that movie. I think that it is horrible that they could just do that to a person without having any reason what so ever. This film made me realize how cruel the Nazi's really were and how they had the ability to do whatever they wanted when they felt like it. I also didn't know before watching this that many of the Jews were starved before they got into the camps and a lot of them died before they even made it to a camp.
I was utterly disgusted and overwhelmed watching the train car scene. As soon as I saw the train I knew that every single person, many who we as viewers knew "personally" through the filmstory, would die. I know the facts: everyone dies - whether on the train by starvation and suffocation or in the camps through work and gas. It was inevitable. But watching those people obliviously willing to get onto the train that would lead them to their deaths just nauseated me. I can't describe it. After that, none of the violence particularly shocked or surprised me; in fact, I thought it was dumbed down. The movie could and should have been more brutal. But it still created a powerful, horrific representation of Jewish relocation/liquidation. The thing that terrifies me the most is that there was nothing anyone could realistically do about their situation but keep their head up as they walked to their deaths.
Interesting comments Kevin, Nick P., and Colleen. All three of you offered a few different ideas, and yet some were similar. I can say that I have never thought of them in that manner though. Thanks for the input.
I guess I would have to say though that I never really knew about the many structured elements and the fullest extent of the lies that the Nazi's told trying to convince the Jews that they were actually going to work or what have you. I enjoyed the movie and wish we could all see the end.
I learned so much from this film. One thing that i learned was that the Jew thought they were saved by the French but learned quickly that, they were not going to be saved. Another thing is that they were trapped in by brick walls. They had no way out but claiming the wall which had broke glass on the top of it. This film has open my eyes to how badly the jews were treated in WWII
Prior to watching this film I knew absolutely nothing about ghettos, to be honest I didn't even know they existed. I was under the impression that the Jewish people were taken from their homes and taken directly to death camps. While the whole thing is disturbing and sickening, it makes it much worse that they created such an intricate web of deceit. They took the families from their homes, to the ghettos, to the trains, to the death camps. It was a process that drained all sense of hope.
I agree with Abby, I didnt really realize the Nazis would take Jews out of their homes and kill them under any cicumstance even if they havent done anything wrong. I guess I didn't understand the severity of the situation the Jews were in at the time and the pain and horrible things they had to go through. It was really upsetting to watch
I didn't know that other Jews members were working as police officers for the Nazi’s. I couldn't even bear the thought of having to hurt people who are living in the same condition as just to save your own life and family’s. I didn't realize how cruel everything really was. I knew it was bad, but I never thought of kids getting brutally killed, and separated from their family. I found it very heart breaking to see the little girl searching for her mother all alone in a big crowd; I could only imagine the scare she went through. At her age, my worst nightmare would be to getting lost at the mall from my parents. This was very eye opening.
Before the film I had already learned that the Nazis usually did their dirty work during the night. I did not realize that they were so violent. I always thought that they just beat people up or shot them. In the film though they threw a guy from a few stories up in a building right out onto the floor. I never reazlied that they were so cruel and thats how they punished people. Also when the Nazis came at night everyone knew to turn their lights out and stay out of the window view. It seemed like it came by instinct.
I agree with Scott that I didn't know that the Nazis killed people in the ghettos too. I thought they were taken to the death camps and killed their.
I think this has been my favorite film so far. This film did an amazing job at giving a realistic perspective on what was actually happening to the jews. This film made me think about how much power and superiority Hitler and the Nazi thought they had over everyone.
i agree with Abby i didnt know the Nazi's would mainly going into houses at night
I agree with Abby. I didn't realize that the Nazis would just barge into homes like that.
I learned how harsh the Nazi's were on everybody, even going to the point of throwing the elderly our of their own windows in the middle of the night.
By watching this film I learned a lot more about the ghettos that the Jews were forced to live in. Before this movie, most of my knowledge was focused around the extermination camps.
I had no idea how poorly the Jews were treated within the ghettos
Before watching this film i had no idea how bad it was for the people who had to live in those Ghettos. I also had no idea how violent and bad the nazi's were to people. In the scene where the grandfather gets thrown of the balcony was one of the worse things i have ever seen.
The movie taught me alot of stuff. I did not know that the Jewish people were bruttaly killed in the ghetto.I tottaly agree with Scott and Kevin and jeff
I agree with scott and tess... before watching this movie i hadnt known the degree of brutality the jews faced which is hard and unbearable to watch i mean put yourself in there shoes that was just unfair and messed up there lied to that there going to labour camps whereas there of to there death beds!
i believe that this film displayed the many hardships prior to the death camps that is often overlooked in the study of the holocaust in schools, i thought it was a very important film in the sense that it creates more awareness of the initial invasions of jewish villages and towns
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