Arnold Schwartzman's Genocide is a devastating testament to the strength and suffering of the Jewish people which pays tribute to those who have suffered as well as the courage and heroism of those who attempted to come to their aid during this horrendous time in global history. The film begins by tracing the history of the Jewish people in Europe, demonstrating how a group of people have long been the scapegoats of others, whether it be the Romans, the Inquisition, or the Soviets. From there, Genocide exposes the agitation against the Jews in the aftermath of World War I due largely to Europe's economic collapse, eventually making its way to the darkest of times, the rise of Adolf Hitler, who essentially took advantage of a deeply impoverished and weak nation to push his agenda of purifying the Aryan race. Featuring a big, booming orchestral score, narration by Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Welles, and a host of stylistic editing and filmmaking techniques, Arnold Schwartzman's Genocide goes for the jugular, making sure the power and importance of the subject matter resonates with the viewer. While detailed, harrowing, and intense, Genocide is a documentary that comes off feeling more like a well-constructed educational video than a feature film documentary, relying far too much on the subject matter to create a true work of art. While the film isn't impressive from a technical standpoint, Genocide manages to make up for it with its detailed approach, offering an in-depth look into the atrocities of World World II that feels simultaneously intimate and grand, using first-hand testimonials from victims as well as poems and other literature to paint its harrowing canvas of atrocity. Given the film's detailed look into arguably the most evil even in the history of humanity, Arnold Schwartzman's Genocide is a film that should be experienced by everyone, regardless of the film's inability to breakaway from feeling like a history lesson.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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