Nowhere in Africa (2001)
(AKA Nirgendwo in Afrika)
Shanghai
Ghetto (2002)
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (2002)
(AKA Im toten Winkel: Hitlers Sekretarin)
Holocaust films continue to pour
out of the filmmaking community at a rampant pace.
With Steven Spielberg establishing a museum of the
filmed history of the survivors and interest from
an audience that never seems to wane, the plethora
of stories reaching the screen surrounding the experience
of the entire world during that time seems unstoppable.
Last year's Best Picture Oscar went to a Holocaust
film, "The Pianist,"
which told the true story of the Holocaust through
the perspective of one Polish Jew. The Best Foreign
Film Oscar went to a somewhat fictional film on the
same subject which still seemed light years away from
it's peer, "Nowhere in Africa." These two diverse
yet similar films are just the surface of the amazing
amount of material coming out on film that relates
to the topic.
Summer, 2003, in Austin and the
amount of films about the Holocaust coming to our
arthouse, the Dobie, reflects this wide amount of
emerging material. In less than a month, the Dobie
premiered three films on the subject, the aforementioned
narrative German film, "Nowhere in Africa," and two
documentaries of the same genre, "Blind Spot: Hitler's
Secretary" and "Shanghai Ghetto."
It seems odd that a fictionalized
account of the stories of Jewish people who fled the
country would need to be made. But one assumes while
watching "Nowhere in Africa" that the events unfolding
before them are based on reality. The young German
girl, Regina, who acts as our narrator weaves a story
about how she and her parents immigrated to Nairobi
in the late 30's to avoid the inequities and the racism
becoming more and more apparent during the rise of
the Nazi regime. The tale seems so honest and realistic
that one has to believe in the truth of it. No mention
during the proceedings proclaims that the story is
based on a true story; it doesn't have to. (Research
later reveals that it is indeed based on a somewhat
autobiographical novel by Stefanie Zweig.)
Truthful accounts of another kind
are presented in "Shanghai Ghetto" and "Blind Spot"
but without any cinematic flair or the pretense of
a narrative account. Both are just your typical straightforward
documented account of survivors of the Nazi's regime.
They are diverse stories, however, as one comes from
one who knew Hitler somewhat personally and the others
are accounts of Jews who fled to Shanghai around the
same time as the events in "Africa" are unfolding.
Unfortunately, "Shaghai Ghetto"
seems to be aimed at school children. It has a twenty
minute history lesson at its beginning that explains
what anyone over 15 already knows about the insurgence
of anti-Semitism during the Nazi rise to power. This
labored and simple explanation of the situation really
detracts from the film for older, more knowledgeable,
viewers and makes us practically sigh with the manner
in which we are seemingly being treated as idiots.
"Nowhere" suffers from a similar
problem in its set-up but this is more acceptable
as the film gradually begins to win us over with its
beautiful locals, its engrossing story, its unique
plot and its complex characters. "Shanghai" suffers
in comparison because after its simplistic set-up,
there is only a mildly interesting history lesson
about why Shanghai was a destination for immigrating
Jews. After this unusual history lesson, which exposes
a little known fact about some of those who fled Germany,
the film degrades into typical and uninteresting storytelling.
The talking head interviews and standard insertion
of historical photographs rarely leaps out and grabs
us. It's a shame too, because this should be an interesting
and important historical document. The children, at
which this film is apparently aimed, in the audience
will surely be fast asleep 30 minutes into the film.
Not so with "Blind Spot." Although
a simple talking documentary like "Shanghai," "Blind
Spot" has a much more interesting and dominating presence,
Traudl Humps Junge, an elderly woman who, as a 20-something
office worker, became the private secretary of Adolph
Hitler. Frau Junge spent time in the bunker with Hitler
and was actually there when he committed suicide.
She has been silent for almost 60 years but now opens
her mouth and unloads all the trauma and drama of
what she experienced in a verbose and commanding way.
Rarely has a documentary subject been as fascinating.
Oft times, Frau Junge seems as forceful
and as impassioned as the man she reveals to be both
a father figure and a monster. Junge's fascinating
anecdotes and psychoanalytical discourse on her own
backgrounds and feelings about Hitler never fail to
engage and awe. This is a devastating film, one that
often reminds one of "The Wonderful Horrible Life
of Leni Riefenstahl" in its presentation of someone
who has a past to answer for. Frau Junge, like Riefenstahl,
cites ignorance and being swept away in national pride
as her reasons for contributing part of her life to
Hitler and the Nazi party. But Junge's explanation
and her burgeoning regret make her story far more
believable and acceptable. It is a fascinating film
and its subject is captivating.
While "Shanghai Ghetto" never becomes
very interesting and "Blind Spot" is immediately captivating,
"Nowhere in Africa" requires a little patience to
begin to get interesting. By 30 minutes into the film,
the piece has really begun to gain momentum. Soon
sexuality, nudity, violence and drama will enter the
already engrossing visual sense of the film. This
seeming fish-out-of-water travelogue gives way to
a highly absorbing drama as seen through the eyes
of a family struggling to survive in a world which
is worlds away from the one they came from. The arc
of the characters, particularly the female one of
mother and daughter are simply amazing. This film
slowly and skillfully grabs the viewer and immerses
them in a story that is as compelling and dramatic
as it is unique.
As with any film, it is characters
that truly make the piece worth watching. In documentaries,
these are the often the interviewees, in narrative,
the characters as performed by actors. In the case
of "Nowhere," the characters are rich and diverse
and unique and eventually win us over to caring deeply
about them. Juliane Kohler is simply marvelous as
Jettel, a spoiled woman of wealth and leisure who
finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage in the
African wilderness. Kohler undergoes a remarkable
arc as she evolves into a woman who learns to survive
using her intelligence and her sexuality to not only
achieve her goals but also to fulfill herself as a
woman. The role of Jettel might have come across as
harsh or unlikeable in the portrayal by a less talented
actress but Kohler makes the woman complex, flawed,
and, most importantly, soft enough to be sympathetic
yet hard enough to be believable when she undergoes
her transformation. This is a remarkable performance
and one that should remembered and honored.
Meanwhile, Lea Kurka is likewise
remarkable as the young Regina. She works her way
into our heart by providing a wise and vulnerable
child whose inquisitive and loving nature leads her
(and by extension us) into a remarkable loving graceful
state. It seems a shame when, almost 3/4th of the
way into the film, Kurka is abruptly replaced by the
older Karoline Eckertz but this actress assumes the
role with the same charm and aplomb and soon wins
us over as well. Likewise Sidede Onyulo as Owour.
Onyulo provides yet another tolerant, strong and wise
African character but his gentle soul and compassionate
grace make him almost immediately likeable.
The same engrossing nature is apparent
in the main character of "Blind Spot." As the titular
"Hitler's Secretary," Junge seems to reach out and
grab our attention. She has an amazing presence. It's
sad the same cannot be said of the other documentary
in this trio of films. The interviewees in "Shaghai"
do not fare as well as the one presence in "Blind
Spot" or their fabricated counterparts in "Nowhere."
Perhaps this is the fault of the unseen and unheard
interviewers and the editors as it is the subjects.
While their stories are often interesting and different,
the film is not cohesive and the editing is no more
than perfunctory. We are never allowed to really get
into the story. We are never allowed to fully understand
all that is going on in these people's lives. It all
seems too jumpy and disassociated to be very compelling.
And, truth be told, the interviewees here are not
all the most compelling storytellers. It's like one
of those boring old aunts you used to have to listen
to at family reunions when you were a kid. Often the
subjects seem so bored with the topic that they practically
drone on in monotone. Sure, history tellers don't
have to be compelling speakers to make their stories
important. But they do have to be to make a film become
watchable. Another problem with the film is the tepid
and standard narration Martin Landau. One imagines
he read the scripted narration in an hour on a Tuesday
afternoon, grabbed his paycheck and headed to the
nearest strip club. It is that uninvolving.
The filmmakers behind two of these
movies are obviously neophytes. Dana Janklowicz-Mann
and Amir Mann, who made "Shanghai" are simply horrible
filmmakers who happen to be related to a man with
a unique story to tell. The Mann's would have been
wise to gather the material, line up the interviewees
and then hire professionals to film and edit the piece.
Filmmaker Caroline Link, meanwhile, who helms "Nowhere"
often relies too much on camera angles and transitory
effects when they are really unnecessary. The story
she is telling is compelling enough to need little
in the way of devices and Link's attempts to do too
much are often evident in camera placement or effects.
The same cannot be said of "Blind
Spot." If anything, the filmmakers do just enough,
but there could have been more. They have such a compelling
person on screen, however, that discussing such points
are really meaningless. Although the film has only
one person ever on the screen, Frau Junge, and she
is often wearing the same clothing and positioned
as a "talking head," the film never really seems poorly
made. Perhaps the fascinating subject makes more forgivable.
The only time "Blind Spot" seems to slow down or jolts
the viewer is when it unnecessarily shift to images
of Junge watching herself. This is done to show us
that Junge was allowed to watch her interviews on
tape and comment on them afterwards, in case she wanted
to explain something more fully or insert a point
she forgot. Although the filmmakers are right to let
the audience understand this, they set-up the device
a bit too frequently; a couple of times it is done
for seemingly no reason at all.
"Blind Spot" also never relies on
archival footage and rarely on cutaway shots. There
are no pictures of Hitler or Junge in the era that
is being discussed. There are no sidelong glances
into Frau Junge's current life. (We don't see her
relating to the outside world at all, which is appropriate
in the film).
Also, in watching the film, the
stories Junge tells about being so close to the fire
that she did not recognize what was going on, about
being swept up in the emotions and the national pride
of the moment, have an eerie resonance for modern
American viewers. I am, by no means, comparing George
W. to Hitler. But I am saying that it is easy to get
caught up in the momentum of national pride and of
self- righteousness and forget to question things
that are going on in our world. I'm glad I live in
Austin where there are young people and politically
active rebel rousers who question our government and
our president. "Blind Spot" is a staggering reminder
of just how important it is question authority, question
ideals and question our leaders and their actions.
These three films are each very
unique and very important. It is amazing just how
many stories there are to tell. And they continue
to pour out of the hearts of the survivors of the
Holocaust, many who are elderly as they were mere
children at the time. And time is of the essence here.
Those who were children at the time are becoming older
and need to have their stories told before it is too
late. Although "Shaghai Ghetto" is a poorly made film,
it is still essential and important. All three films
shed new light on World War II in their own unique
ways.
So many people. So many stories.
What an amazing world it is we live in. So much sadness.
So much war. So much compassion. So many regrets.
So many struggles. So much history. So much survival.
So much to know. So much to remember... and never
forget.
Notes on Nowhere in Africa:
In German and Swahili with subtitles
and sparse English.
The film won the Academy Award for
Best Foreign Film for 2002.
The film received a domestic art
house distribution staring in March, 2003.
Viewed in Austin in May 2003 at
a press sneak at the Dobie Theater
Notes on Shanghai Ghetto:
Viewed in Austin in May 2003 on
a VHS press screener provided by the Dobie Theater
Notes on Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary:
In German with subtitles.
Directed by Andre Heller and Othmar
Schmiderer.
Frau Junge died of cancer after
the film was completed.
Released to arthouse in the U.S.
beginning in January of 2003.
Viewed in Austin in May 2003 at
the Dobie Theater
