The Second World War is one of the worst events of the last century. The Nazis committed a huge number of terrifying acts that still remain in the memory of many people. The Germans gradually captured one country after another, introducing new laws and putting in power their allies, adhering to fascist ideology. All this led to such a terrible thing as the Holocaust. In a narrow sense, the term represents the persecution of Jews. They were forcibly sent to concentration camps, in which they were forced to perform inhuman work. And those who could not work were simply killed in the most cruel way. In this article, we will analyze the most remarkable feature films and documentaries about the concentration camp, the Holocaust.
Best feature films
In the entire history of cinema, a huge number of various films on the theme of the Second World War and the Holocaust have been created. They were shot both in America and in Europe. From the extensive list, we have selected the best films about the Holocaust for every taste. All of them tell about those old events that forever changed the world.
"Schindler's list"
This is the best movie about the Holocaust (feature). One of the main masterpieces of world cinema, created by the outstanding American director Steven Spielberg. During his long career, he taught us to be a master in the field of entertainment cinema. He has countless countless boxbusters of the highest level. But in the mid-nineties, Stephen decided to change direction and make a realistic military film called Schindler's List. The cinema turned out to be low-budget and black and white, which was quite unusual for modern cinema. But all this made it possible to fully experience the atmosphere of those terrible events.
The main character is a successful person and entrepreneur named Schindler. He is a real person who has left a significant mark in history. He decided to use his connections not for personal gain, but in order to help a Jew. Thus, he managed to save more than a hundred human lives and become a national hero. About his fate will be described in this film.
"Life is Beautiful"
Of course, this topic could not ignore Italian cinema. These people also had to go through a difficult period of time before fascism was finally defeated. He shot this film about the Holocaust, a fairly well-known Italian comedian named Roberto Benigni. Given the fact that before that he had never taken up serious topics, it was extremely unusual to watch him in this genre. Initially, the film looks easy, but around the middle, serious emphasis on drama begins to be made. Benigni was able to successfully find a balance between such different genres and create a real masterpiece of world cinema.
In the center of the plot of this motion picture is a young man who comes from the province to the city. He dreams of finding a job, as well as building a family life. The main character is a cheerful merry fellow who sees everything as exceptionally positive. Thanks to this, he quickly managed to win the heart of a local beauty, with whom he fell in love almost at first sight. They have been living together for several years now. They had a glorious boy who they tried to give everything they needed. But everything changed after the Nazis came to power. From this moment, the life of the protagonist's family turns into a real nightmare ...
"Pianist"
Roman Polanski is an extremely difficult person. During his long life, he had a chance to survive a considerable number of very different incidents. In the second half of the last century, Charles Manson killed his young pregnant wife, and after a while Polanski was also accused of various unpleasant things, which is why he still cannot work normally in the USA. No less important is that in childhood he had to witness all the horrors of World War II and miraculously survive. Then he was still a child. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that one day he nevertheless decided to put a picture on this difficult and rather personal topic. This film is about the Holocaust, the Jews turned out quite ambitious and earned a huge number of prestigious awards. According to many, "Pianist" is the pinnacle of the work of this director.
The plot focuses on a young man who is Jewish. He lives peacefully with his family exactly until one day war breaks out. The Germans began to systematically exterminate the Jews, so that the main character had no choice but to try to escape. Ahead of him will be waiting for long and painful years, which will forever change his usual outlook on life. Can he survive in such a difficult time for the country and not become another victim?
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
This movie is very different from the ones presented above. The thing is that the main characters of this story are ordinary children who have not yet had time to realize the horror of what is happening in the world. They are forced to communicate through a huge lattice. One of them is a Jew, who is in a Nazi camp. The other, in turn, is the usual naive boy and the son of one of the rulers of this terrible time. The child does not yet know what terrible things his father does. Ahead of him awaits a lot of terrible discoveries that will forever change his worldview.
"Son of Saul"
As we said earlier, films about the Holocaust are shot not only in America, but also in many other countries of the world. "Son of Saul" - a rare representative of Hungarian cinema, received worldwide publicity and got to the largest festivals in the world. In particular, “Son of Saul” received an Oscar in the nomination “Best Foreign Language Film”. A well-deserved victory.
The film tells the story of a man named Saul. He is one of the many prisoners of a terrible place called Auschwitz. It was there that the most terrible death camp was located, in which the Jews were burned. The main character is a man whose task was to escort prisoners on the last journey. But his responsibilities do not end there. Then Saul was forced to clear all traces of the presence of prisoners in the camp. In one of the dead, he recognizes his son. And then he decides, by all means, to bury him according to all the laws of his religion. Will the main character do this?
Book Thief
A rather atypical film, which is an adaptation of the book of the same name, which has become a bestseller. The plot focuses on a young nine-year-old girl living in Germany. She is forced to exist in a world full of violence. Truly terrifying things happen around: murders, persecution of Jews, confrontation between fascists and anti-fascists ... all this turned the girl’s life into a real nightmare. In the end, she found solace in reading books in which life was much more colorful and happy. To get a new book, she begins to engage in theft. But will reading help forget the whole nightmare happening in the world?
"Paradise"
Russian films about the Holocaust are also worthy of attention. "Paradise" - a picture taken by the outstanding director Andrei Konchalovsky. Despite his considerable age and long career, he continues to please us with extremely original and atypical films for Russian cinema. We have long been accustomed to the fact that if a war film was shot by a Russian director, then he will invariably narrate the Great Patriotic War. But Konchalovsky decided to go against the usual foundations and made the first Russian film about the Holocaust. The leading role was brilliantly played by his beautiful wife.
The plot focuses on a young girl who is a teacher at a local French school. She is already observing enough of all the horror that is happening in the world. And one day she decided to help several Jews escape death. As was often the case in those years, the Germans raided residential quarters and searched apartments without a drop of embarrassment, hoping to find hiding Jews. As a result, the main character is also taken to a concentration camp, in which a real nightmare awaits her. Will she be able to escape from there and save her life?
List of Documentary Works
In feature films, stories are often embellished and softer. In documentary works you will not meet this. Everything is told in them with the maximum certainty, so we suggest that you also turn your attention to these films.
"Night and Fog"
Alain Rene is a famous French director who has shot a considerable number of classic films. The most popular work of the director is considered to be “Night and Fog” - a documentary film about the Holocaust, which should be watched by every connoisseur of our past.
"Shoa"
“Shoa” is a monumental nine-hour documentary about the Holocaust, the production of which was spent a considerable amount of time and effort. It talks about the persecution of Jews during World War II. The film touches on many other important topics that are simply impossible to ignore.
Reviews from critics and viewers
Films about the Holocaust, the list of which is not limited only to those described in the article, have always been popular with both viewers and critics. That is why they found a response, and also collected solid money at the box office. All of the above films are considered masterpieces in many respects. Spectators and critics unanimously noted the beautiful plot, and the unsurpassed play of the actors, and the musical accompaniment. However, many people conscientiously worked on their creation. Everyone needs to be given their due, as now we have the opportunity to enjoy wonderful feature films and find out the details of those terrible times from documentaries. Some of them carry a deep idea, while others have a non-standard approach to certain concepts. So you will definitely not be disappointed after watching.