Theresienstadt (film)
Encyclopedia
Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet (Terezin: A Documentary Film of the Jewish Resettlement) was a black and white projected Nazi propaganda
film shot in the concentration camp of Theresienstadt.
In the summer of 1944 the Nazi government had perpetrated a hoax against the Danish
Red Cross by taking them on a tour of the Theresienstadt concentration camp in the Sudetenland
, occupied Czechoslovakia
. They fixed up and cleaned the camp prior to arrival and arranged cultural activities to give the appearance of a happy, industrious community. To cover up the endemic overpopulation of the camp, numerous inmates were deported to Auschwitz before the arrival of the Red Cross delegation.
The gimmick was so successful that SS commander Hans Günther
attempted to expand on it by having Kurt Gerron
, a Jewish actor/director, make a short film about the camp to assure audiences that the inmates kept there were not being abused. In return they promised that he would live. Shortly after he finished shooting the film, however, both he and other cast members were "evacuated" to Auschwitz where they were gassed upon arrival.
The film was intended to be shown in neutral countries to counter anti-Nazi propaganda about the persecution of Jews coming from the Allies. Influential organisations such as the International Red Cross and the Vatican
would be given screenings. However, the progress of the war in that period (late 1944 to early 1945) made that impossible. After an initial screening in early April 1945 to senior members of the government and SS there were a few other screenings to international humanitarian groups in Theresienstadt in April 1945. Further distribution was halted by the defeat of Germany.
The full film was destroyed but about 20 minutes of sequences from the film have survived. The surviving footage features a children's opera, Brundibar
, and two musical performances on a wooden pavilion in the town square. One is of Karel Ančerl
conducting a work by Pavel Haas
, the other is of the jazz band leader Martin Roman
and his Ghetto Swingers
. Ančerl and Roman both survived Auschwitz; most of their musicians and the children from the opera did not.
The "Beautification", the Red Cross tour and the making of the film, are dramatized extensively in the novel War and Remembrance
as well as the mini-series. Austerlitz
, a novel by W.G. Sebald, features discussion of and a still of the film.
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
film shot in the concentration camp of Theresienstadt.
In the summer of 1944 the Nazi government had perpetrated a hoax against the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Red Cross by taking them on a tour of the Theresienstadt concentration camp in the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
, occupied Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. They fixed up and cleaned the camp prior to arrival and arranged cultural activities to give the appearance of a happy, industrious community. To cover up the endemic overpopulation of the camp, numerous inmates were deported to Auschwitz before the arrival of the Red Cross delegation.
The gimmick was so successful that SS commander Hans Günther
Hans Günther (SS officer)
Hans Günther was an SS-Sturmbannführer who was the head of the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Prague" during World War II. He was in charge of the deportation of Czech Jews to death camps during the Holocaust. He was killed by Czech partisans in 1945.-Career:Günther worked as an...
attempted to expand on it by having Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron was a German Jewish actor and film director.-Life:Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he initially studied medicine but was called up for military service in World War I. Seriously wounded he qualified as a military doctor of the German Army...
, a Jewish actor/director, make a short film about the camp to assure audiences that the inmates kept there were not being abused. In return they promised that he would live. Shortly after he finished shooting the film, however, both he and other cast members were "evacuated" to Auschwitz where they were gassed upon arrival.
The film was intended to be shown in neutral countries to counter anti-Nazi propaganda about the persecution of Jews coming from the Allies. Influential organisations such as the International Red Cross and the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
would be given screenings. However, the progress of the war in that period (late 1944 to early 1945) made that impossible. After an initial screening in early April 1945 to senior members of the government and SS there were a few other screenings to international humanitarian groups in Theresienstadt in April 1945. Further distribution was halted by the defeat of Germany.
The full film was destroyed but about 20 minutes of sequences from the film have survived. The surviving footage features a children's opera, Brundibar
Brundibár
Brundibár is a children's opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, originally performed by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia...
, and two musical performances on a wooden pavilion in the town square. One is of Karel Ančerl
Karel Ancerl
Karel Ančerl , was a Czech conductor, known for his performances of contemporary music and for his interpretations of music by Czech composers...
conducting a work by Pavel Haas
Pavel Haas
Pavel Haas was a Czech composer who was murdered during the Holocaust. He was an exponent of Leoš Janáček's school of composition, and also utilized elements of folk music and jazz. Although his output was not large, he is notable particularly for his song cycles and string quartets.-Pre-war:Haas...
, the other is of the jazz band leader Martin Roman
Martin Roman
Martin Roman was a German jazz pianist.At the time of the Reichstagsbrand in February 1933, Martin was stopped by SS men at the entrance to the huge Vaterland emporium in Berlin, where his band, the Marek Weber Band, was employed. He left for Holland. In January 1944 Roman was transported to Terezín...
and his Ghetto Swingers
Ghetto Swingers
The Ghetto Swingers were a jazz band organised in Theresienstadt.The original amateur Czech band playing in the Cafe was led by Eric Vogel and Pavel Lipensky. Vogel petitioned the Kommandant on January 8, 1943. The personnel of The Ghetto Swingers would be Piano: Dr. Brammer, Percussion: Dr. Kurt...
. Ančerl and Roman both survived Auschwitz; most of their musicians and the children from the opera did not.
The "Beautification", the Red Cross tour and the making of the film, are dramatized extensively in the novel War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in 1978, which is the sequel to The Winds of War. It continues the story of the extended Henry family and the Jastrow family starting on 15 December 1941 and ending on 6 August 1945. This novel was adapted into a mini-series presented on...
as well as the mini-series. Austerlitz
Austerlitz
- People :* Austerlitz * Fred Astaire, born Frederick Austerlitz* Robert Austerlitz , linguist, specialist in the Proto-Finno-Ugric language- Places :...
, a novel by W.G. Sebald, features discussion of and a still of the film.
See also
- List of films made in the Third Reich
- ReconstituireaIoanid GangThe Ioanid Gang was a group in Communist Romania named after two of its members, Alexandru and Paul Ioanid. On July 28, 1959, they allegedly carried out the most famous bank robbery ever to have occurred inside a Communist state.-Timeline:...
, a Romanian Communist film in which Jewish prisoners were made to reenact their alleged crimes.