Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die
Encyclopedia
Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die is a 1982
documentary
that asks whether the United States
could have stopped the Holocaust
. The film combines previously classified information, rare newsreel footage, and interviews with the politicians who were in office at the time, to tell a behind-the-scenes story of secret motives and inane priorities that allowed for the death of millions.
The Los Angeles Times
called it, “a devastating political story,” and the New York Times said the, "unadorned" film tells a story not to be proud of.
managed to smuggle a letter to that Allies
. It read, “And you, our brothers in all free countries: and you, governments of all free lands, where are you? What are you doing to hinder the carnage that is now going on?”
Through archival footage and soundbites, the documentary simultaneously reconstructs and criticizes America’s isolationist attitude during the war. Full of righteous anger, the film scrutinizes Jewish-Americans inactivity and the government's apathetic response to the European
Jews' cry for help.
Full of biting anger, Peter Bergson of the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe believes that American Jews silenced their outcries against the Holocaust because they were afraid they wouldn't get into their local Country Clubs. Bergson argues that if American Jewish leadership had taken a more vocal and active stance against the Nazism
, lives could have been saved.
But while Bergson blames Jewish leadership, other politicians are more critical of the Franklin D. Roosevelt
administration, which seems to have been ill advised, consumed by other issues, and dependent upon the nation's approval. One politician quips that the truth is President Roosevelt didn't want to be remembered for passing the “Jew Deal.”
Regardless of Roosevelt's motives, the Commander and Chief missed opportunities both at war and at home to save Jewish lives. One of the most devastating decisions was the nation's refusal to change its immigration policies. The tangles of bureaucracy, deep-rooted anti-Semitism
, and a fear of the economic effects seem to have caused the inflexibility. One politician recognizes that “it should have been a crisis, but there wasn't enough passion in America to let them in.” He's still haunted by a story of a boat full of Jewish refugees who managed to escape from Hamburg
, Germany
, and traveled to America, only to be refused asylum. They ventured down to Cuba
, were they were again refused entrance. Left with no other option—the Jews “returned to Hamburg to burn.”
The documentary points to the fact that while the Jews were being slaughtered, America refused to fully recognize the horror, but, as soon as the war was over, the nation was ready to address the inhumanity. Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die shows clips from a disturbing American propaganda film, Death Mills
, which was intended to educate the German people about the crimes of the Nazi regime. Black and white footage shows concentration camps after their liberation. Emaciated bodies, still alive but with no chance of survival, lie motionless on the open fields. When the crematorium door is opened, showing the skulls inside, the narrator demands, “Don't turn away! Look!” Once the evil had been committed and nothing could be done to change the awful reality, the public was ready to be shocked and horrified.
in Film and Television from UCLA's School of Film and TV and taught at UCLA and California State University
, Los Angeles
.
Since then, he's been involved in PBS
. He wrote two books about the station, Masterpiece Theatre and the Politics of Quality (Scarecrow Press, 1999) and PBS: Behind the Screen (Prima
, 1997), and testified before the United States Congress
about PBS and cultural policy. He has appeared on C-Span
's Washington Journal
, CNN
Crossfire
, ABC
Nightline, and the CBS Evening News
, among other programs. His articles have appeared in scholarly and popular publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe
, The Los Angeles Times, American Film, Montage
, and American Cinematographer
.
James Kurth
, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College
, co-produced this film.
Other documentaries about the Holocaust:
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that asks whether the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
could have stopped the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. The film combines previously classified information, rare newsreel footage, and interviews with the politicians who were in office at the time, to tell a behind-the-scenes story of secret motives and inane priorities that allowed for the death of millions.
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called it, “a devastating political story,” and the New York Times said the, "unadorned" film tells a story not to be proud of.
Summary
At the height of the war, dying Hungarian JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
managed to smuggle a letter to that Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
. It read, “And you, our brothers in all free countries: and you, governments of all free lands, where are you? What are you doing to hinder the carnage that is now going on?”
Through archival footage and soundbites, the documentary simultaneously reconstructs and criticizes America’s isolationist attitude during the war. Full of righteous anger, the film scrutinizes Jewish-Americans inactivity and the government's apathetic response to the European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
Jews' cry for help.
Full of biting anger, Peter Bergson of the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe believes that American Jews silenced their outcries against the Holocaust because they were afraid they wouldn't get into their local Country Clubs. Bergson argues that if American Jewish leadership had taken a more vocal and active stance against the Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, lives could have been saved.
But while Bergson blames Jewish leadership, other politicians are more critical of the Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
administration, which seems to have been ill advised, consumed by other issues, and dependent upon the nation's approval. One politician quips that the truth is President Roosevelt didn't want to be remembered for passing the “Jew Deal.”
Regardless of Roosevelt's motives, the Commander and Chief missed opportunities both at war and at home to save Jewish lives. One of the most devastating decisions was the nation's refusal to change its immigration policies. The tangles of bureaucracy, deep-rooted anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, and a fear of the economic effects seem to have caused the inflexibility. One politician recognizes that “it should have been a crisis, but there wasn't enough passion in America to let them in.” He's still haunted by a story of a boat full of Jewish refugees who managed to escape from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and traveled to America, only to be refused asylum. They ventured down to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, were they were again refused entrance. Left with no other option—the Jews “returned to Hamburg to burn.”
The documentary points to the fact that while the Jews were being slaughtered, America refused to fully recognize the horror, but, as soon as the war was over, the nation was ready to address the inhumanity. Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die shows clips from a disturbing American propaganda film, Death Mills
Death Mills
Death Mills, or Die Todesmühlen, is a 1945 American propaganda documentary film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by the United States Department of War. It was intended for German audiences to educate them about the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime...
, which was intended to educate the German people about the crimes of the Nazi regime. Black and white footage shows concentration camps after their liberation. Emaciated bodies, still alive but with no chance of survival, lie motionless on the open fields. When the crematorium door is opened, showing the skulls inside, the narrator demands, “Don't turn away! Look!” Once the evil had been committed and nothing could be done to change the awful reality, the public was ready to be shocked and horrified.
About the director
Laurence A. Jarvik received his Ph.D. and Master of Fine ArtsMaster of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Film and Television from UCLA's School of Film and TV and taught at UCLA and California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Since then, he's been involved in PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
. He wrote two books about the station, Masterpiece Theatre and the Politics of Quality (Scarecrow Press, 1999) and PBS: Behind the Screen (Prima
Prima
Prima may refer to:*Prima , a human rights news agency in Moscow*Prima , a locomotive type by Alstom*Prima , an Autobot leader in Transformers*Prima TV, a Romanian television channel...
, 1997), and testified before the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
about PBS and cultural policy. He has appeared on C-Span
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
's Washington Journal
Washington Journal
Washington Journal is an American television series on the C-SPAN network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Crossfire
Crossfire
A crossfire is a military term for the siting of weapons so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I....
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Nightline, and the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
, among other programs. His articles have appeared in scholarly and popular publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, The Los Angeles Times, American Film, Montage
Montage
-Filmmaking:*Montage , a technique which uses rapid editing, special effects and music to present compressed narrative information*Soviet montage theory in the 1920s-Other:* Montage , Documentary television series from 1960s and 1970s...
, and American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer is a monthly magazine published by the American Society of Cinematographers.American Cinematographer focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, going behind the scenes on domestic and international productions of all shapes and sizes...
.
James Kurth
James Kurth
James Kurth is the Claude Smith Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College, where he teaches defense policy, foreign policy, and international politics. In 2004 Kurth also became the editor of Orbis, a professional journal on international relations and U.S...
, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, co-produced this film.
Reception
Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die was the first documentary to examine America's roles during the Holocaust. It was initially seen as controversial, but has since become a part of US Holocaust Museum’s collection. The documentary received positive reviews from major publications. And the US Memorial Holocaust Museum has said, "It is a detailed, informative presentation of a complex topic, with oral testimony from a wide range of Jews and non-Jews involved with the issue of Jewish rescue. Indispensable for more advanced students of the Holocaust."Trivia
- Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die features scenes from Death MillsDeath MillsDeath Mills, or Die Todesmühlen, is a 1945 American propaganda documentary film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by the United States Department of War. It was intended for German audiences to educate them about the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime...
an American Propaganda film intended to educate the Germans about the horrors of the Nazis committed.
- Annette Insdorf's book about film and the Holocaust Indelible Shadows, which is prefaced by Elie WieselElie WieselSir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
, has a chapter on Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die.
- David EhrensteinDavid EhrensteinDavid Ehrenstein is an American critic who focuses primarily on issues of homosexuality in cinema.-Life and career:Ehrenstein was born in New York City. His father was a secular Jew with Polish ancestors, and his mother was of African American and Irish descent. His mother raised him in her...
's 1984 book Film the Frontline also has a chapter on Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die.
See also
- President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
- antisemitism
Other documentaries about the Holocaust:
- Paradise CampParadise CampParadise Camp is a 1986 documentary about Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Unlike other Holocaust camps, Jews entered Theresianstadt willingly, even eagerly, because Nazi lies led them to believe it would be a peaceful retreat. The deception continued even after it was clear...
- The Boys of BuchenwaldThe Boys of BuchenwaldThe Boys of Buchenwald is a 2002 documentary film that examines how the child survivors of the Buchenwald concentration camp had to assimilate themselves back into normal society after having experienced the brutality of the Holocaust...
- The Story of Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of LodzThe Story of Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of LodzThe Story of Chaim Rumkowski and the Jews of Łódź is a 1982 documentary that uses archival film footage and photographs to narrate the story of one of the Holocaust's most controversial figures...
- The Sixth BattalionThe Sixth BattalionThe Sixth Battalion is a 1998 documentary film that examines the little known history of Jewish soldiers who fought for the Slovak Republic, which was closely aligned with Nazi Germany during World War II...
- Sisters in ResistanceSisters in ResistanceSisters in Resistance is a 2000 documentary by Maia Wechsler that tells the story of four young, beautiful Frenchwomen who fought against the German occupation of France during World War II. The film won Outstanding Documentary by the Academy Award Screening Committee and won Best Documentary in...