Smashbomb

"I suppose given the tenor of this list, Melville is pretty predictable, being that he’s a genius of crime noir, but this film is neither noir nor gangster; it’s about a thoughtful, intelligent, wise, and committed country priest, played by the young Jean-Paul Belmondo (!). Melville has a strong moral code, standards of honor and loyalty, as seen not just in his crime movies, but in the devastating Army of Shadows, his film drawn from his experience in the French Resistance, but I never could have foreseen him making a movie that is basically an argument of morality between a compassionate young stud of an impeccably behaved priest and a wild and magnetic, cynical woman, the riveting Emmanuelle Riva. Also, it made me get Catholicism in a way I never had before, namely the appeal of having as a confessor and advisor someone whose concern is for one’s soul. What could be more moving and fulfilling (and flattering)? It’s way more seductive than a psychiatrist, and it’s almost free."

Source

Kudos

Lenard (726 KP) rated The Auschwitz Report (2021) in Movies

Jan 27, 2021

The Auschwitz Report (2021)

2021 | Drama, History, International, War

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Movie Rating

People would say there are enough movies about the Holocaust, but this film is different. In 1944, two Slovak Jewish scribes escaped from Auschwitz to safety. They "worked" for the Nazis keeping careful records for the camp. When they met with the Resistance and with the Red Cross, neither organization could believe that the stories they told were true. Meanwhile, back in Auschwitz, the inmates at Barrack 9 withstood months of torture protecting the escapees.
A great movie overall. Two things stood out. One scene at the camp: After spending the night standing outside in the cold, Nazis force the captures to perform their daily work. As the captures walk off, three bodies are seen: one leaning against the wall of the barrack, one in a fetal position on the ground, and the last knelt over, a powerful image of torture. The second happens during the credits when voices from the modern day propagate hate against "the others" showing how the Holocaust continues even as some deny it.