A Film Unfinished

I saw this documentary in the move theater, and I thought it was incredible. It is a must-see for anyone interested in the Holocaust.

In 1942, the Nazis began making a documentary film about life in the Warsaw Ghetto. They captured the sheer horror and misery of daily life in the ghetto. But they also staged scenes to make the Jews look venal, corrupt, decadent, and cold-hearted. The Nazis would round up people on the street and make them gorge themselves at lavish feasts while beggars looked on. The Nazis made pedestrians walk over/past corpses lying on the sidewalk. The Nazis staged scenes of vamps preparing for a night out and nude co-ed bathing. The Nazis arranged a carefully choreographed meeting of Jewish Council chairman Adam Czerniakow and orthodox rabbis. It was all filmed for their documentary. But Nazis also filmed multiple takes of staged scenes and unfiltered images of daily life in the ghetto as it really was.

"A Film Unfinished" effectively shows the entire Nazi documentary as well as the outtakes. Moreover, the scenes from the Nazi documentary are juxtaposed with commentary from eyewitnesses who saw the filming or participated in it. They explain exactly what the Nazis were up to in staging and filming these scenes. As a result, the viewer sees still-shocking footage of life in the ghetto and gains insight into how the Nazis managed life in the ghetto to further degrade the Jews and to present them in an unfavorable light for propaganda purposes.

Because the Nazis' documentary was never fully edited and released, "A Film Unfinished" -- presenting the Nazis' film and historical commentary on it -- may be the most accurate cinemagraphic record of ghetto life.

"A Film Unfinished" is a documentary of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 just prior to the Nazi's start of the "resettlement" of Jews from Warsaw to concentration camps and a "better life." This documentary by Yael Hersonski, is composed of raw footage found untouched in an East German archive after World War II with a simple label "Ghetto." "A Film Unfinished" is a powerful and moving historical account of how the Third Reich used staged scenes of Jews in Warsaw for propaganda purposes. The film's narration describes how the scenes were orchestrated by the Nazis, using the threat of beatings to coerce Jews to look shameless (forced mixed-sex nude bathing), callous (passing bodies on the street uncaringly), licentious (filming Jews enjoying lavish meals while they were actually starving), and as though life was acceptable and pleasurable in the ghetto.

Who could be fooled by this deception? Apparently many were because the Third Reich machinery was a master of propaganda and used many other edited films to vilify the Jew and hide the depravity they subjected them.

However, watch this film and look at the eyes of those being filmed. It is there that this raw footage reveals the anguish and terror felt by those being told how to appear before the camera. One can see the hopelessness as many of them stare at the cameras or off into an unknowable distance.

By including the multiple takes of many scenes from the raw footage, often with other Nazi cameramen inadvertently filmed, we can see the intentional deception being perpetrated.

Along with the narration the documentary has interspersed film clips of individuals who survived the Warsaw Ghetto of 1942. As they watch the survivors give comments on the horror from their past and the film. At times watching them is very painful. But then, their presence in this documentary gives tribute and significance to those who faced the dreadfulness of Nazism against the Jews.

This film is not only for those interested in the Holocaust, this is a film all humanity should view to see how propaganda has been and still can be used by the media or governments to deceive and sway citizens opinions to fit one's own need. Many of those on the film lost their lives latter at concentration and forced labor camps. This documentary shows we should not have short memories when it comes to history.
I recommend this DVD; everyone should view it no matter how many stars it receives and decide for themselves.

"A Film Unfinished," a documentary by Yael Hersonski, features 60 minutes of raw film found undisturbed in an East German archive at the end of World War II.

Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May, 1942, and labeled simply as "Ghetto," this footage became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record of the Warsaw Ghetto. However, the later discovery of a long-missing reel, including multiple takes and cameramen staging scenes, complicated earlier interpretations of the footage.

"A Film Unfinished" presents the raw footage in its entirety, carefully noting fictionalized sequences (including a staged dinner party) falsely showing "the good life" enjoyed by Jewish urbanites, and probing deep into the making of the infamous Nazi propaganda film.

Included are an interview with author/film researcher Adrian Wood and a study guide.