Underrated Showcase Sundays: The Round Up

Around nine months ago, I had to do some research into the Holocaust, which in turn led to filing through a whole lot of movies on the matter. There was one that particularly interested me: Sarah's Key. What interested me about this one was that it showed an event known as the Vel' d'Hiv Round Up, which occurred in Paris in 1942. This wasn't Germany's doing - it was the French who executed this. What happened was the French decided to take action against the Jews, so they set out to arrest over 20,000 of them one morning. They managed to get just over 13,000, since many Jews were hidden by families in Paris. For the 13,000 that did get arrested, though, they were sent to the Vélodrome d'Hiver - a bicycle veledrome, where there was no bathroom facilities and only one running tap. They were sent there with strict instructions on what they could take (very little), and had to stay in there for three days. After that, they were sent to another camp, before they were deported to Auschwitz. Why am I giving you this history lesson? Because this is the story that is told in the French film The Round Up, which is little seen outside of it's home country.

Classic - The Pianist

Roman Polanski was a Holocaust survivor. In 1993, he turned down the opportunity to direct Schindler's List, because at the time he felt he was not ready to confront that subject. In 2002, however, Polanski decided to film his Holocaust themed movie, one called The Pianist, which was based on an incredible true story of survival amongst all of that horror. While this film is completely taken from the autobiography that Wladyslaw Szpilman wrote about his experiences, you can also see that there might be parallels between that story and Polanski's own. Szpilman no doubt survived thanks to the goodwill of non-Jews and just a little bit of luck, and without that, Polanski wouldn't be around blessing us all with his amazing gift of film-making. The fact that this was made by someone who had been there and had witnessed all of that going on made this film the harrowing, realistic experience it was. It's impossible not to admire Polanski's strength here...while we never visit a concentration camp, we see Jews doing anything they can to avoid their inevitable death. This film is all about Jews, not the evil bastards who discriminated against them.

There's no real 'plot' in this movie, so to speak. It is mainly just about a Jewish pianist, Wladysaw Szpilman (played by Adrien Brody) who was a part of a particularly well-off family. Of course, come the war, the family were sent first to the Warsaw Ghetto, and then off to the concentration camps. Wladysaw, however, was pushed out of the line by a family acquaintance, and instead of going to a concentration camp, he depended on a few non-Jews to help him along. From then on, it's just the story of his survival, which makes for a truly remarkable and interesting two and a half hours.

Through these two and half hours, you see a lot of horror. You see Jews being shot willy-nilly: whether it be for 'target practice' or just because they're running down the street like they were told to do. You see Jews being burned. You see - one of the moments when I completely lost it with this movie - a man in a wheelchair being thrown off a balcony. All of these things were treated as observations by Polanski, instead of being given what I like to call a 'glossy touch'. This is the kind of thing that can be found in many Hollywood depictions of the War/Holocaust, where the deaths of Jews always feel glorified and quite staged, at some points, mainly because they are trying so hard to make the audience feel like crap. Polanski, however, doesn't have to try. He knows what he saw all those years ago, and doesn't feel the need to glorify it in any way. His efforts are as realistic as hell, which is why he deserved the Best Director Oscar so much.

Another component in this movie which seems completely realistic is the jaw-dropping performance from Adrien Brody. For most of the film, he has to carry the film himself as he doesn't interact with anyone for large patches of it. It is rare for an actor to ever succeed in having the films best interests set squarely on their shoulders, but Brody does amazingly in his role. What is even more amazing, though, is the way he transforms with his character. At the start we are introduced to this charming man, who, without the war, would have gone on to be a successful and wealthy musician. Then we see a man who is not living in the best of conditions in a labour camp, but is personally helping to smuggle in weapons for a Jewish uprising. The worst of it, and the best display of Brody's commitment and talent is when he fades away to almost nothing. He is barely anything but a skeleton with an overgrown beard...and yet, even when his spirit should be broken, he just keeps on going. Brody, who I imagine hadn't been in such a weakened state in his life before, is just so goddamn believable it hurts to watch him. And trust me, I felt his performance in my bones. I don't think a performance has ever had that effect on me before.

The Pianist is a film which can easily involve the viewer. Instead of watching on while a helpless Jew just tries to survive, I felt like I was a helpless Jew trying to survive. This is told mostly from a Jew's perspective, and the fact that it only focuses on one Jew, it's a lot easier to believe in the tale of survival. While it may not have a plot, or narrative structure, it serves as a testimony to all of us that our lives, no matter how hard they seem, do not suck. That good luck and good people do exist out there. People may leave you, but there's always a way through. And, the main one is that help can come from the person you least expect it to come from. There's sheer inspiration in The Pianist which I do not think can be rivaled by anything else I've seen. Never before has a movie taken me in so much and feel everything it has to offer. So what I have to say is, thank you, Mr. Polanski, for making such a masterpiece of a film.

THE VERDICT: One of the best Holocaust themed films, which never fails to involve the viewer and has an absolutely amazing performance from Adrien Brody.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD - Sarah's Key

People asked me what I did in the school holidays. My answer? "Oh, I just watched five movies on the Holocaust..." It got to my head a little bit. Now, I'm weirdly interested in everything that went on through this truly horrible, what-the-hell moments in our history. Amongst my Holocaust viewing selection were only the very best...my new favourite movie Schindler's List (I made my mum sit down and watch it this time), the brilliant French short film Night & Fog, the surprisingly happy Life is Beautiful and Roman Polanski's amazing tale of survival The Pianist. As I said, only the very best. But one film that, while not as good as any of those other films, stuck with me for quite some time was Sarah's Key, a French/American adaption starring the seemingly ageless Kristin Scott Thomas. Yes, you need to see it.

So, our age defying Kristin Scott Thomas is but a small part of this movie depicting yet another event in the Holocaust. She plays Julia Jarmond, who is American but lives in France (in present times), being a journalist. One of the stories she is currently covering is to do with the notorious Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942 - where many Jews were sent to stay in a velodrome in inhumane conditions before being sent to concentration camps. The movie delves into that story, this time following a young Jewish girl named Sarah (Mélusine Mayance), who is sent to this velodrome with her mother and father. Knowing that the police were going to take her away, she locks her brother Michel in a closet and tells him to await her return. As Sarah and her family are forced to stay in the velodrome for a few days, later being transferred to a transit camp and then being separated as her parents are forced to go to concentration camps, she tries desperately to get back to her brother. What does this have to do with Julia Jarmond? She's just moved into the house where Sarah's key could have unlocked her brothers freedom.

Sarah's Key ultimately falters with it's weak dramatic side in the modern part of the story, dealing with abortions, divorce and everything in between...but that's no matter. Its through this modern period that the audience can be schooled on not only an infamous part of the Holocaust, but also see the effects this kind of trauma has on a person, especially seeing as Sarah's future son had no idea about what really happened to his mother back in those times. Yes, the film is definitely at it's best when it is recounting Sarah's struggle to get back to her brother, and then showing her decline as her past all becomes too much for her. The portrayal of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup (something I didn't know about until watching this film - again, I lost my faith in humanity) is quite short in comparison to the rest of Sarah's story, but it still manages to hit to brutal chord. From the moment you see someone jumping to their death from one of the higher levels of the velodrome, all memory of the joyous opening scene - Sarah and Michel laughing and playing - is gone.

You could say that many of Sarah's Key's flaws are covered up by the genuine shock of what happens in the movie, mainly because the scars of the war never really heal. But does it really matter when the film manages to handle a young girl's traumatizing experience and tale of survival with gentle restrain? No. Truth is, Sarah's Key is a masterpiece in handling the resounding effects of such an experience on a person. Luckily, these resounding effects reach all the way into the weakened modern part of the film, with it's devastating twist on the 'you-think-you-knew-someone-but-really-you-didn't' story. In short, I absolutely loved Sarah's Key, for it's perfections and imperfections. Kristin Scott Thomas is ever reliable in her mostly investigative role which does have her in action a lot, finding all of these links to Sarah, and also dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. Young Mélusine Mayance was brilliant too, showing genuine fear and heart with her difficult role. The cinematography was as beautiful as ever. This is a film which I really have to recommend...while it may not be as great as the likes of Schindler's List or The Pianist, it definitely has a lot of heart, which gets it through.

THE VERDICT: A shocking and traumatizing account of the notorious Vel d'Hiv Roundup and it's resounding effects, Sarah's Key is a beautiful and stirring film. If a little let down by it's weak modern half, the film is backed by a brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

The Art of Inspiration: Schindler's List

I must admit, I hate watching movies in class. Everyone usually groans when the teacher announces what we are going to watch, and therefore everyone watches the movie with this instilled hate, which means they refuse to like it. Mind you, the kinds of movies we watch at school are very standard...ones I can remember watching since I started high school are Wild Child, Avatar, Forrest Gump and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (now that one was awesome). Anyway, for drama we are doing some scenes from 'The Diary of Anne Frank'. First off, we watched the 1959 version of the movie (which was good). After we finished that, we got into a bit of a discussion about the Holocaust, before me and the teacher started telling everyone about Schindler's List. The next day I brought the movie in for all of us to watch, just so we could get a better understanding of the Holocaust. Let's just say, this is probably the best movie I've watched at school. Even though I've already seen it, I felt that this time I got a better handle on it.

"Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire."

Schindler's List is the story of a man who didn't care much for anything but money and power, but then he came to change his mind when he saw first-hand what was really happening to these Jews. Now this might seem like your average inspirational flick that has so much hope in it you feel on top of the moon while watching it. But for one thing, we all know the Holocaust wasn't a very hopeful time at all. For the most part, we know the inspiration is there, but there it isn't that so-happy-you-feel-sick sort of inspiration. Instead, the movie is just so horrible to watch that you feel sick, with the greater good of a human making this an unforgettable experience.

At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who has scraped together every cent he has so he can go to a fancy restaurant and dine with some fellow members of the Nazi Party, eventually bribing them to sponsor his business: a factory which makes cookware for the army. Here we see the Schindler who wants money, and wants it bad. Once he has it, he uses it to send lavish gifts to some powerful figures in the SS. The best thing is that he hires Jews to do all of the work at his factory, who come at very cheap rates. So here Oskar is, well on the road to having more power and money than he has ever had before, taking advantage of everybody's vulnerability during the war: the Nazi's because they want to be lavished more than anything and the Jews because they just want to stay alive as long as possible.

Schindler's big introduction is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful things that I've ever seen. The camera goes around him as he navigates his way around the club, looking even more suave thanks to the carefully placed smoke coming from his cigarette and his appearance in black and white. I reckon this is the moment when I just fell completely in love with Liam Neeson. His presence in this film is compelling. From the start, you can't tell whether this guy is capable of so much good. He just weasels his way to the top, without little thought for anyone else. But there's that scene where he rides up to watch the liquidation of the ghetto in Krakow, and he sees the iconic little girl in the red coat, that he is compelled to make a change.

Schindler makes a change, by hiring these Jews to work for him, basically saving them all from being gassed. He makes a list of all the Jews he needs as 'essential services', which means they shouldn't be put on the trains to Auschwitz. Along with saving almost 1,200 lives, he also refused to contribute to killing in the war by producing faulty ammunition. While the guy was a truly inspirational figure for the things he did, he wasn't the kind of guy who was filled with positivity and spread glitter around everywhere because he was God. He only really cared about money all along, he did dodgy dealings with the black-market and he slept with countless women even though he was married. When sorting the good guys from bad, Schindler will always be at the top of the good guys list, but there are those flaws there to remind us that he is only human, not God. Even though he achieved so much, Schindler felt overwhelming guilt by the end of this movie, because he felt that he could have saved more Jews by selling his possessions to buy them. The scene where he is thanked by the Jews with a ring and a letter describing his actions and he breaks down was beautifully played by Neeson. He felt that he could have done more, even though he had done more than enough. Which was the moment when this film became truly inspirational, and when Schindler is established as a wholly good guy.

Along with the beauty and horror of this story, another thing which I absolutely loved about Schindler's List was the performance from Ralph Fiennes as SS-Lieutenant Amon Goeth. Our class all pretty much agreed that he was a hell of a good-looking man but he was a complete psycho. The best thing about his performance was the fact that when there was a close-up of him, you'd look into his eyes and it was like he was nothing. It was like he was empty, drained of life, drained of any humanism. He just kills because he feels he has to. He doesn't get joy out of shooting a whole lot of Jews - he gets joy out of feeling like he has some sort of authority over everyone else. I'm sure he didn't just wake up and decide to shoot someone from his balcony because he wanted to kill someone - he did it so everyone knew that he was around. He wanted everything to go his way, because he was in power.

So what if he didn't feel anything? He was little more than a boy getting a gun and being told to kill the people who remotely pissed him off. But he didn't kill Helen Hirsch (Embeth Davidtz) - he beat her because he cared about her, and that was his way of showing power around someone he felt any sort of emotion for. I liked how when he went down to the cellar and found Helen down there, he started off talking to her all edgy, like a boy with a crush. This was a completely different side to him which Helen didn't buy because she knew first-hand how horrible he really was, which in turn, made him go back to his usual self. It is hard to play someone so empty and power-hungry at the same time, which is why I loved Fiennes' performance so much. It is probably the best male performance that I have ever seen.

To me, Schindler's List is a perfect film. The black-and-white cinematography was absolutely impeccable, and made the movie far better. With colour, the film may have become dated and would have lost most of it's haunting vibe. However, thanks to the black-and-white this is a timeless classic, perfectly capturing the story. Steven Spielberg's direction adds a lot of humanism, and definitely puts most of his other films to shame. Everything technical is brilliant in this film...so carefully crafted. The performances from the entire cast are all heartfelt, even the ones from the several secondary cast members who played many of the Schindler Jews. Ben Kingsley has a particularly restrained performance as Schindler's accountant Itzhak Stern, which I found to be quite poetic for some strange reason. It has a brilliant mix between good and bad; showing many scenes encapsulating the horrors of the Holocaust without portraying the Jews as exactly what the Nazi's thought of them: helpless animals. Instead, many of them are given true identities, and you feel their fear and eventual gratitude.

At the end you see the real Schindler Jews coming to put stones on his grave, there is no doubt that it will fill you up with hope and inspiration. These people went through hell, but they survived thanks to a man who had enough compassion to give some people a chance at life that they had the right to have. He saw above what many other people saw. He even saw above what he really wanted to gain in life. His life after the war wasn't brilliant either, as he still had to hide from the many people who disagreed with his actions, and he failed at marriage and attempting to make good business. He later died without any money. But thanks to this film, no one can forget what a good influence he had on the future of the Jewish people. He left 1,200 people to continue on for generations and generations. He wasn't a completely good person, but he was a human, and he saw other humans for what they were. And that, to me, is why this film is so inspirational.

What are your thoughts on Schindler's List? Is it one of the greatest movies ever made? Did you find it inspirational?