Comparative Cinema (how to use Boy in Striped Pajamas or similar films)

[Pier Marton]

I sent these words to some Holocaust educators:

I finally watched Boy in Striped Pajama on a DVD (I had refused to spend the money/time/energy to see it on the big screen), and for me it is better done (in better taste) than La Vita e Bella, and thus worthy of my attention.

What I like about it has more to do with its potential impact, as Peter Fredlake wrote me, that it probably will be shown to students in classrooms and become an alternative to Schindler's List for many. A kind of new Ann Frank film, the Holocaust for children. And it becomes an easy way to discuss the fantasy/hoax of Wilkomirski
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binjamin_Wilkomirski_

In that sense the film becomes a worthy place to bring up, not the Holocaust itself, but the "Holocaust as a state of mind". We knew this would happen, and it is good it is happening in our lifetime when some of us, the children of survivors, might still be able to interact with that kind of statement or "posture".

So the challenge is ours, the educators, to think hard about responses, warnings and whatever else we would like to state about this kind of film, the films that take their inspiration, and only their inspiration from history. Yes, there is a feeling of veracity, and yes the strings are pulled, but that is not enough.
We have plenty of work awaiting us to formulate the best of our thinking.

So I think the film is important in the particular context of "Comparative Filmmaking" (like the recognized field of Comparative Literature) which should be a field in itself, how to read films, not just consume them nor be consumed by them.

[Pier Marton]

Thanks Anna. I think there are tons of other more worthy films that might also create "riveting eyes watching in silence". Those are the ones we should spend our and the students' energy towards as they accomplish more than just tell "another Holocaust related story", they teach us rigor and the power of images and sound, the way a good novel teaches us about good writing.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about rabbis.
Best wishes.
Anna Alpert said:

I have seen the movie with a group of 50 middle school students in a casual setting. They moved around and talked quietly as was expected during most of the movie. There was no movement, no sound, during the last 15 minutes. All, and I mean ALL, eyes were riveted on the screen at that time. I agree with what you have said. The movie, in and of itself, is useless as a tool to actually teach the events and meaning of the holocaust. But, as a jumping off point, used by an informed teacher, it can be extremely useful. By the way, Rabbis are people with all the imperfections that we all have. Unfortunately, because of the title, we give them more power/knowledge than they themselves may want.

[Pier Marton]

About rabbis, they have congregants, and a following. It comes with the territory so, in many ways, they should be responsible to the group they assist, just like TV stations, newspapers, etc... carry more responsibility than just one person voicing their opinions. Another factor is that "truth" is often associated with power entities (an outcome of having been a child?).