Product Description
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At the end of WWII, 60 minutes of raw film, having sat
undisturbed in an East German archive, was discovered. by
the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply "Ghetto,"
this footage quickly became a resource for historians seeking an
authentic record of the Warsaw Ghetto. However, the later
discovery of a long-missing reel complicated earlier readings of
the footage. A FILM UNFINISHED presents the raw footage in it's
entirety, carefully noting fictionalized sequences (including a
staged dinner party) falsely showing "the good life" enjoyed by
Jewish urbanites, and probes deep into the making of a
now-infamous Nazi propaganda film.
.com
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A Film Unfinished, a harrowing look at the devious art of a
propaganda film made by the Third Reich, is a rich and
well-researched investigation into the filmic history of the
Warsaw Ghetto. Made by Yael Hersonski, this documentary begins by
explaining how a film found in a Berlin vault, called "The
Ghetto," depicting Polish Jews living in luxury among the squalor
of the three square miles that made up the real ghetto, has
served as cinematic historical documentation of Warsaw only
because it contains actual footage of the destitution there.
However, by offering the viewer multiple takes of each scene,
Hersonski argues that viewers need to remember that this
propaganda film was completely staged to manipulate the viewer
into believing in a contrast between what fortunate Jews
allegedly could have had under the reign of the Third Reich. This
is not to undercut or disrespect the true terror and tragedy that
the viewer undoubtedly sees on film, but to build historical
context for "The Ghetto" as an example of films made by the Third
Reich that lied to the public in efforts to cover up atrocity. By
presenting the entire 60 minutes of "The Ghetto" spliced with new
footage, Hersonski proves the falsity of the propaganda film and
also analyzes the history of how it was made and the psychology
behind that historical impetus. Because this "story about a film
that was never completed," as Hersonski calls it in the opening
narration, shows survivors watching "The Ghetto" to annotate it
with their actual memories, or an interview with Herr Wist, one
of the cameramen of "The Ghetto," for example, A Film Unfinished
takes a meta approach, jumping between vintage footage and that
more current. As A Film Unfinished s to set the record
straight, it furthers a political resistance that Jews undertook
during the war, when they were encouraged to document their dire
daily existences through diary. In other words, this documentary
is a tribute, a correction of history to honor those who died,
witnessed, or survived atrocities prior to their move to
Treblinka, Warsaw's affiliate death camp. Informative extras,
like the alarming 22-minute short film Billy Wilder for the
US , "Death Mills," interviews and essays by Adrian Wood
and Michael Berenbaum, plus a study guide, make this a valuable
academic resource. While the graphic nature of this film is
disturbing at the deepest level, there is much here meant to
provide healing through truth. --Trinie Dalton
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Review
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Grade A. A doc you shouldn't miss. Profound and vital
--Entertainment Weekly
Moving, mysterious, and intellectually provocative. --New York
Times
Ghostly and gripping. A kind of historical detective story. --New
York Daily News
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