Thursday, December 10, 1998
‘Long Way Home’ deftly handles Holocaust horrors
FILM: Stark documentary accurately shows plight, hope of
European Jews
By Rebecca Cohen
Daily Bruin Contributor
Skeletal and emaciated, they can hardly carry their own body
weight. As victims of WWII, the prisoners of the concentration
camps are unrecognizable. With haunted eyes and sunken cheeks, they
look almost ghost-like.
In one particularly arresting scene from the Academy
Award-winning documentary "The Long Way Home," the Nazi soldiers
come to visit one of the camps. The camp’s prisoners are relieved
to see them, thinking maybe they have brought food or other much
needed amenities.
The prisoners crowd the barbed-wire fences that tower over them,
their eyes pleading for help, for mercy.
As they come upon the camp’s prisoners, the soldiers’ stoic,
coldly proud expressions turn to disgust and horror. One by one
they begin to double over, vomiting uncontrollably. The sight of
the concentration camp victims has made them physically ill.
As they realize it is their own appearance that has made the
soldiers sick, the prisoners back away from the fence, stunned.
Until this moment they had not truly realized the transformation
they had been through.
When the soldier’s leave, they leave more than just the stench
of vomit behind them. Having seen themselves through the eyes of
the soldiers, the prisoners begin to look at each other with the
same panic and disbelief. They cannot believe what has become of
them.
Beautifully shot in black and white, "The Long Way Home’s"
cinematography artfully parallels the loss and emptiness the
prisoners must have felt – the color having been drained from their
lives.
The Holocaust is a very hard subject for many people to talk
about. It is a part of our history that we almost wish we could
forget because of the pain the memories of it continue to
cause.
While some people insist that the Holocaust never happened,
others are tired of hearing about it. But the indisputable fact is
the Holocaust wiped 6 million Jews off the face of the earth.
That’s 6 million people who, like you and me, had families whom
they loved and who loved them. They had jobs they were passionate
about, dreams to be fulfilled and families to raise.
Maybe one of these people was destined to be the next Albert
Einstein or Marilyn Monroe. Maybe their grandchild would have
discovered a cure for AIDS. The sad fact is, no one will ever
know.
The truth can be painful and disillusioning. We habitually try
to gloss over it, or, as is the case with most movies,
"Hollywoodize" it. The subject of the Holocaust has been portrayed
in many movies, most notably "Schindler’s List." And while
"Schindler’s List" was an extremely well-written, sensitive film,
it still contained many Hollywood undertones.
A more accurate representation of the Holocaust and its
far-reaching impact can be found in "The Long Way Home." Produced
by Rabbi Marvin Hier and Richard Trank and directed by Mark
Jonathan Harris, "The Long Way Home" presents the history of
European Jews after the destruction caused by WWII and prior to the
founding of the state of Israel.
It narrates the story of the horrific plight of the unfortunate
individuals who found themselves trapped amid the brutality of the
war. Separated from loved ones and forced into concentration camps,
these victims of the war were tortured and starved. Forced into
slave labor and given only bread and water to eat, these victims
grew weak and hopeless.
Although some survivors were finally freed, they were quickly
herded into new refugee camps. At the same time, Jewish settlers in
Palestine tried to aid their friends and loved ones in spite of
British immigration laws.
The images in the documentary are terribly disturbing. The
film’s overall message, however, is one of hope and perseverance.
Also, the soothing sound of Morgan Freeman’s narration serves to
calm the nerves and allows the film’s points and historical facts
to be clearly heard.
With such a powerful subject to cover, "The Long Way Home" asks
its viewers to taste the bitterness of reality. And while this
isn’t an easy thing to do, the knowledge one gains is
irreplaceable.
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