Definitely not the best narrated, informative or memorable documentary I have seen on this terrible event of human barbarism. The four gentleman of the story came across as very nice individual people, but who were as one because of the holocaust event of history. One was full of horrific memories but was not letting it affect his or new family and lived fairly happily. Another was still noticeably deeply distressed and unable to overcome the losing of his entire family. One was using his career to busy himself so that he could find the strength to keep him going. Then, as there always is, there was the one who you could see the pain still etched deeply into his face and had obviously spent 60-70 years of hell trying to either cope or come to terms with something that was so bad for him he cannot succeed in moving on.
Having said this and seeing once again the horror that was inflicted, on yet more victims of the Nazis and the gutless German military, I was disappointed with the overall expo! The reason being is twofold...
1) The gentleman of the documentary I felt were not forthcoming enough with the stories they could have told and, could have committed such important facts to archival historical importance for future generations. But knowing what they had been through I can understand, in a small way, why they are still reluctant to fully open up and now unfortunately it is too late!
2) Once again I came to see that the pompous, narrow minded and arrogant Israelis in charge of deciding whose names go on their memorial walls of stone plinths etc. I have heard of their ways of doing things before and I think that they are cruel people.
When a brave man (one of the many who helped many Jews in the camps escape death and, was revered and talked about constantly after the war by 1600 boys whom he saved) is denied his place on the wall of the resourceful it is disgraceful. What made it worse was they decided he could be added after all but he never saw or knew of it...because he died the year before they made the addition! They said they needed written proof, testimony recordings etc, etc. What utter crap! You had the proof of the boys.
Antonin Kalina was that man and what a fine example of how humanity should be to each other he was!
I was surprised that they included that theatrical lady who lived and worked in the village near the camp. I give her a respectful knowledge for admitting (after all the usual gunge deniers come out with and say) that maybe she did not want to know because she couldn't grasp how these handsome soldiers and officers, as she put, could be such bad people/human beings.
So there you go. Not at all a great documentary but still, one you should watch anyway for a few historical pieces you will hear for the first time!
