"Zone of Interest" is a new Holocaust film by Jonathan Glazer. It focuses on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoess, his family, and their lives as they lived next door to Auschwitz.
Manohla Dargis wrote a critical review for the New York Times, here.
From that review:
"What is the point of “The Zone of Interest”? I’ve seen Jonathan Glazer’s movie twice, and each time I’ve returned to this question, something that I rarely feel compelled to ask. Movies exist because someone needs or wants to make art, tell a story, drive home a point, defend a cause, expose a wrong or simply make money. All that is clear from what’s onscreen is Glazer has made a hollow, self-aggrandizing art-film exercise set in Auschwitz during the Holocaust."
Another Times article, here, discusses "Zone of Interest" in the context of other Holocaust films.
The Fish Jelly review here gives a good sense of the film.
I won't be watching it, but obviously wonder if it goes out of its way to vilify Poles/Polonians, or not. I assume it will, in the light of a new movie called "Border" (I think) which apparently exists to tell the world how horrible all us Poles are to the refugees/immigrants at our borders.
ReplyDeleteGiven that we are, officially (dis)courtesy of the most powerful media and academe in the world, More Horrid than Anyone Else in Time and Space, I would have thought that went without saying. But, alas, it never does.
At any rate it does throw the loving impartiality of our Grand Creator, the God of Abraham, into sharp relief, and I hope will help us all to come to appreciate it more and more.
Another Holocaust movie, to join the countless others that came before it. Wouldn't it be something if an American moviemaker made a movie about some other genocide...even the Polokaust?
ReplyDeleteSo make the movie you want. No one is stopping you. You have the support of the Polish American Congress.
DeleteNot a level playing field. Jews have a lot of involvement in Hollywood, and Poles have very little.
DeleteThe problem is not that Jews have more power than Poles when it comes to moviemaking or education or other cultural products.
DeleteJews and Poles have equal amounts of power.
Jews exercise the power that they have to produce cultural products and to support those who do create cultural products.
Polish Americans have chosen not to exercise the power that they have to create cultural products and financially to support writers, teachers, curricula producers, filmmakers, storytellers, poets, etc.
There are some few Poles and Polish Americans who do this, and God bless them. Two -- exactly two -- have made financial contributions to this blog to help me to travel to conferences in the past.
Those who gripe the loudest about Jewish power and Polish powerlessness have not donated to this blog.
Jan Peczkis wrote "It is all right for Jews to dominate American public life."
ReplyDeleteGood grief.
Please stop submitting antisemitic material. I'm not going to post it.