LinhCelluloid Future Glimpse - Holocaust Horrors
January 1st 2009 12:21
Many of the following films are yet to screen in Australia, yet there appears to be a theme, a storyline or historical setting that link them.
The upcoming films seem to feature, to some extent, elements of the Holocaust, Nazism or World War II.
Perhaps it’s a phase Hollywood is experiencing and one which is likely to be revisited many times in the future. Or maybe it’s to remind us of the atrocities committed against humanity (although there are some who believe the Holocaust never happened) and to forgive but never forget.
There may be some querulous viewers complaining “not another Holocaust movie!” (perhaps the same who groan “not another 9/11 movie!”).
Even so, some of these films are worth a look.
Valkyrie -
What: A group of high-ranking German officers, led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, hatch a plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize control of the government from the Nazis.
Who: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, Stephen Fry, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard.
When: 22 January 2009 (in Australia).
The Reader –
What: A teenage boy falls in love with a mysterious woman twice his age during post -World War II in Berlin and meets her a decade later defending herself at a war crimes trial.
Who: Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, David Kross, and Lena Olin.
When: 19 February 2009 (in Australia).
Defiance –
What: Based on the true story of the Bielski brothers about three Belorussian Jews and petty criminals who helped keep alive over a thousand Jews during a 4 year period in World War II while fighting the Nazis.
Who: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos and Mia Wasikowska.
When: 26 February 2009 (in Australia).
Good –
What: Examines how a literary professor named John Halder who is a good and decent individual, finds himself reluctantly drawn into the Nazi party after several high-ranking officials take an interest in his work advocating compassionate euthanasia.
Who: Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Steven Mackintosh and Mark Strong.
When: 23 April 2009 (in Australia).
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas –
What: A heart-wrenching Holocaust film based on John Boyne’s novel, about a young German boy named Bruno and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy named Shmuel.
Who: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Amber Beattie, Sheila Hancock and Richard Johnson.
When: 23 April 2009 (in Australia).
The upcoming films seem to feature, to some extent, elements of the Holocaust, Nazism or World War II.
Perhaps it’s a phase Hollywood is experiencing and one which is likely to be revisited many times in the future. Or maybe it’s to remind us of the atrocities committed against humanity (although there are some who believe the Holocaust never happened) and to forgive but never forget.
There may be some querulous viewers complaining “not another Holocaust movie!” (perhaps the same who groan “not another 9/11 movie!”).
Even so, some of these films are worth a look.
Valkyrie -
What: A group of high-ranking German officers, led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, hatch a plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize control of the government from the Nazis.
Who: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, Stephen Fry, Tom Wilkinson and Eddie Izzard.
When: 22 January 2009 (in Australia).
The Reader –
What: A teenage boy falls in love with a mysterious woman twice his age during post -World War II in Berlin and meets her a decade later defending herself at a war crimes trial.
Who: Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, David Kross, and Lena Olin.
When: 19 February 2009 (in Australia).
Defiance –
What: Based on the true story of the Bielski brothers about three Belorussian Jews and petty criminals who helped keep alive over a thousand Jews during a 4 year period in World War II while fighting the Nazis.
Who: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos and Mia Wasikowska.
When: 26 February 2009 (in Australia).
Good –
What: Examines how a literary professor named John Halder who is a good and decent individual, finds himself reluctantly drawn into the Nazi party after several high-ranking officials take an interest in his work advocating compassionate euthanasia.
Who: Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Steven Mackintosh and Mark Strong.
When: 23 April 2009 (in Australia).
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas –
What: A heart-wrenching Holocaust film based on John Boyne’s novel, about a young German boy named Bruno and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy named Shmuel.
Who: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Amber Beattie, Sheila Hancock and Richard Johnson.
When: 23 April 2009 (in Australia).
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Comment by Michelle Sweeney
Competition Queen
Comment by Linh
Celluloid Fun
It's strange how there is such an influx of Holocaust films this year.
I would also like to see The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, as well as The Reader. I haven't read either of the books upon which the films were based.
Thanks for dropping by.
Cheers!