 |
The film Europa, Europa
tells the enduring tale of Solomon Perel, a young Jewish boy who escapes Nazi’s
“final solution” by posing as a German in the Hitler Youth Academy. This movie, though
loosely based on a true story, portrays an accurate description of harsh life
and rights denied during this time, from the starving Jewish prisoners living
in the unsanitary ghettos to German citizens living comfortably in middle class
homes, therefore opening my eyes to many truths I never realized before.
The Nazi regime
revoked many fundamental rights from the Jewish population, such as the right to
privacy. The movie begins with the officers painting the Star of David on the
store window of the shoe store that Perel’s family owns, admitting their
religion to anti-semitic community. That night, Kristallnacht occurs, resulting in
the death of Solomon’s sister and thus nullifying Jewish’s right of protection
of life. Likewise, the Jewish practices of circumcision lead many officers to
publicly strip a man’s lower garments to verify his response of being non-Jewish.
Solomon fears this humiliation once he sees an elderly man taken away with his
pants still sitting around his ankles, much to the amusement of the Nazis and
to the horror of the audience, including myself. Most likely, the Nazis drag
this man, along with any other Jewish refugees, to the ghettos, which denies food,
employment, or any chance of survival.
 |
| The barbed wire surrounding a Jewish ghetto. |
The Nazi government
often surrounded ghettos with barbed wire and guards; public transportation contained
painted windows to conceal these horrendous living conditions to German
civilians. This prevents Solomon to search for his family in these slums; when
he attempts to open a window to breathe some fresh air, the presiding officer laughs.
This implies that the racist German population believed that Jews were fifthly animals,
therefore denying these people the right to being human. They even tried to
prove that Jews possess physical qualities that demonstrate their animalistic,
unintelligent nature through racial science. These outrages efforts brought me
to denial: I couldn't believe the measures the Nazis took to humiliate the
Jews! Ironically, much to my humor, the professor fails to prove that Solomon
was a Jew when he measures his skull in a class presentation.
 |
| According the Nazi racial science, the nose must be around 2.83 centimeters wide to belong to the Aryan race. |
This film, however,
successfully presents that not all Germans shares the same views as history
often paints to today’s generation. During the time in the army and school,
soldiers and students treat Solomon with respect, often acknowledging his
bravery in the war and willingly welcome him as a friend. Some Germans, like Robert and
Leni’s mother accept and vow to keep Solomon safe when he confesses his secret.
Both reveal that not all Germans believe in the Nazi propaganda; Leni’s mother
even cries at the transformation of her daughter when she decides to donate her
child to the Lebensborn program. This scene forced me to understand that the
Hitler regime horrified most Germans, especially the older generations, but
kept quiet in fear of prosecution and thus decided to follow orders with no
questions asked. It then made me question my previous beliefs about the ruthless
army eager to dominate Europe: perhaps, I wondered, they conquered others in
order to protect themselves? Maybe they were scared, like the Jews, of being humiliated
and inferior in the eyes of other nations, just like after WWI? The Nazi government
also managed to steal the civilian population’s freedom of speech as well as
the right to know the government’s activity, such as the existence of
concentration camps. Solomon believes, like his commanding officers, that the
government plan to relocate the Jewish population to Madagascar until the Soviet
leaders show him pictures showing the horrifying truth.
The Soviets, though aggressively
strive to defeat Hitler, also denied their people rights, such as freedom of
religion. At an orphanage, when a few students attempt to resist the regime by proclaiming
the existence of a superior being, the leaders derail their argument by
dropping candles to young children when they ask Stalin to give them candles; before,
the young degenerates plead to God for the same miracle, but with no response.
If not for the German planes bombing the school, the instructors would have
most likely punish these students. Additionally, they encouraged discrimination
to anyone who belonged in the bourgeoisie class; the school almost denies
Solomon entrance to the Komsomol when they discover that his parents own a store.
Overall, I like the movie for doubting my previous beliefs
about Nazi Germany, as well as providing an underdog story that weaves together the
miracle of overcoming the odds (e.g. bombing of the station that sent for his
official papers), but at the same time humanize the character by seeing him
break down many times due to fear and isolation. The movie is a must see for
all who wants not only the truth during WWII, but for people who want to see a
story of survival and perseverance when surrounded by enemies who are just as
confuse and lost as the main character.
 |
| Today, Solomon Perel often travels across Europe to tell about his unbelievable experiences. The movie is based on his book, Ich war Hitlerjunge Salomon (I Was Hitler Youth Salomon). |
Sources:
Europa, Europa directed by Agnieszka Holland; based on the true story of Solomon Perel
Pictures:
Movie Title: http://www.awardsdaily.com/FYC/1991/europaeuropa01.jpg
Ghettos: http://i2.obozrevatel.ua/10/1233610/330x220_344070.jpg
Racial Science: http://bradnehring.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/1617-31203-a-eugenics-1933.jpg
Solomon Perel: http://fotos01.laprovincia.es/fotos/noticias/646x260/2011-10-11_IMG_2011-10-03_23.15.37__5846032.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment