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And the long answer: As you won’t learn from sentimental garbage like La Vita e Bella and Schindler's List, the Nazi insanity had its roots, ironically enough, in sentimental garbage; only back then this garbage didn’t take the form of movies, it took the form of the kitsch ersatz tragedies of Wagner. (“Everything was going to be so nice then those nasty little dwarves, i.e., money-grubbing Jews, came and spoiled it for the big blond Germans.”) Melodrama is a fine thing in its place - I enjoy the odd telenovella myself, but transferring the rigid good guy/bad guy paradigm to historical situations is a big fat disaster. The ease with which the Germans were able to see themselves as the good guys in a big stupid melodrama with the Jews as the evil villains, had something to do with the fact that they had been conditioned to do so by historical melodramas.
Keep in mind that "Holocaust" movies are not made to educate, they're made to make money. They certainly wouldn’t succeed in making money if they taught the lesson that really needs to be taught - that most of the German's weren't comic book villains but an all too normal combination of ignorance and selfishness exacerbated by self-righteousness (they were the heroes of the drama after all) and feelings of persecution - feelings that will be amply represented in any movie audience in any theater in the world. None of us are very far from falling over the moral precipice especially when we are acting in groups; and when it comes to sins of omission – not speaking up when we should – well, we fall off that cliff every day. But to point this out in a movie would be highly unflattering to an audience – we all love to think that in World War II, in that most garish of clashes between good and evil, we would have been on the side of the angels – and if the moral choices of World War II had been as simple as they are depicted in these movies, well then yes, with the exception of a few sadists, we would have been.
But we know better from our immediate past how most of us would have behaved had we been Germans of the war generation: When faced with the prospect of our "War of Liberation" in Iraq most Americans reacted with support or indifference. In the end the war finally became generally unpopular, not because people thought it was wrong, but because people thought that it wasn’t working. Yet this is an unnecessary war that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, possibly over a million. The everyday Germans who didn't resist Hitler at least had the excuse that resistance meant possible torture and death - here in the US the worst thing that has routinely happened to demonstrators against the Iraq War is arrest and a few hours detention. In some cases people have been denied their medications while detained; or maybe, in a few cases, been put on the no-fly list. Unjust, unpleasant, inconvenient; but I think we can all agree, not quite the equivalent of what the Germans faced.
We found out how much worse than useless all these movies were with Iraq War where the pro-war crowd very effectively harnessed the Casablanca mystique: When oh when was the US sleeping giant going to wake up and righteously rid the world of this awful bully? When’s Humphrey Bogart going to do something dammit!
Britney Spears had her own little “good German” moment in Iraq in Michael Moore’s 9/11 were she’s shown telling Moore in a sulky no-nothing teenager cadence that we should support the President on the war because, you know, he’s the president. Maybe she should be cast in this movie as a German saying that we have to support Hitler’s invasion of Poland because, you know, he’s like the Fuehrer. Somehow I don’t think that line is going to be in the script.
Maybe we should stop making flattering little morality tales out of the suffering of people who died three generations ago and pay a little closer attention to the people who are suffering and dying today. Put Britney Spears in a movie about a shallow narcissitic girl who does nothing to bring war criminals to justice. I might even see that.
Therefore no one born after 1984 will ever see 'Schindler' or 'Life' and certainly not read Spiegelman's 'Maus'. Jeez, Maus isn't even in color and it was made back when their parents were still having sex - YUCK!
Yes, the marketing department has issued their ruling. It has been decided that the only hope any WWII film has to be marketed to the Only Demographic That Matters is to have someone like Britney star in it.
This movie isn't aimed at us old people (over 25)!
okay... he has a whole different kind of 'ick' factor and it has nothing to do with being gay.
Anyway the article quotes one person from a regional Jewish council. If there were more groups showing outrage, then it should be more newsworthy..
Kevin Federline: vicious concentration camp guard.
Preston Spears-Federline and Jaden Spears-Federline: two of a crowd children led into "crematorium."
Jamie-Lynn Spears: young mother who loses her child to disease in transit.
Think about how you would feel if Britney were cast in a movie about the Stonewall riots.
You would roll your eyes, and go, "just fracking beautiful," in a sarcastic manner, like I am.
Something struck me when I was reading your blog. Last year, during my first year teaching (5th grade), some of my students had to read Number the Stars. Two of the kids in that group told me that their parents had told them the holocaust never happened, and the rest of the group had never heard of it. I was mortified to say the least! We definitely seem to be losing a lot of important history - one of the bets ways to ensure we repeat it.
In other words, Jewish writers, blond (American) WASPs in the part.
The time-traveling, teen back to Concentration Camp movie you're thinking about starred Kirstin Dunst.
Okay, alright already, Dunst can, at least, act and there are blond Jews -- but trailer park Britney is more than a bit of a stretch, you must admit.
And that stunt casting could seriously ruin a dramatic film, but this article also has all the earmarks of a stunt piece, manufacturing an item and then manufacturing the outrage, so it's a toss up.
Her basic persona/image is, for lack of a better descriptive, one of a sexual nature so I can understand the objection.
As a Native American I sure as hell wouldn't want her in any movie regarding my heritage. But that's just me.
Don't misunderstand me, I like her music but she has had a lot of negative publicity and made a lot of bad choices. I am not against her because she is not Jewish but rather the stigma attached to her persona. And again, these are just my thoughts on the matter.
She did just turn her life around and is at the age when a lot of people grow out of that fucked up post-teen phase. I don't like her, but I don't care if she makes a bad movie. That being said, I don't care if she doesn't either. lol. I'm just for giving people an opportunity to prove themselves if they ask for it.
But I reiterate, the holocaust is no place for the likes of Britney as she is now. Let her do her Silkwood and Mask. Let her make something of herself other than a joke. Then she can do something about the holocaust. But not now.
Ms. Spears may have the skill and talent to pull something like this off. I haven't seen anything that she has already been in so I cannot say. Unfortunately, we being the humans we are, have a tendency to associate an individual's public persona and past history(good or bad) with any future endeavors.
I still wouldn't want to see her in a movie about the Trail of Tears, Anna Mae Aquash, or Wounded Knee, but then again, that's just me.
:)
Awwwww, hell naw! Dat beeyotch can't act!!!
<EG>
Rumour had it that Klemperer was personally responsible for the dimension of Klink that he is a complete buffoon whose schemes never NEVER work out. That was his personal revenge for forcing his family to flee Germany in the 30s.
Totally fascinating man, actually. I wish he'd been gay! LOL
Eminem has certainly made anti gay comments.
Plus which, it's not clear that her character is jewish or not. Inter-religious marriages do happen, and jewish culture groups don't get to say that they deserve no screen time.
It's about gravity, seriousness and respect. All qualities which Ms. Spears lacks in abundance. If she wants to climb out of the land of air-headed bimbos and garner some respect, that's fine. Remake 'Silkwood' for gosh sake. Or Dead Poets' Society. Hey just try to do one serious dramatic role and don't totally fuck it up. Just don't try to remake your public image on the backs of millions of dead people.
As one writer above noted, this story may be entirely untrue or blown of proportion. If that's true, I'm sorry. But this commentary applies to any unserious person who decides to do a holocaust picture. Sorry, the deaths of millions is not your ticket to respectability.
Having said that, and reading some of the comment son this thread (including my own snarkiness), I think what would worry someone like Knoblauch, more than the possibility of Spears being in a movie like this, is the reaction of rotten little bastards like us. Making snide comments about her while in a movie that takes place in Nazi Germany can easily translate into people making fun of the Holocaust, imagining her singing "If You Seek Amy" in front of people lined up for the gas showers thinking it's a wet t-shirt contest and the like. The perception of Spears as a ditz means people wouldn't take the project seriously, even if she wound up putting forth a good performance.
But then again, they worried the same way about Jerry Lewis making "The Day the Clown Cried" and look how well THAT turned out...oh, wait...never mind...
Yes, this casting is absurd, but no, it shouldn't have to be "cleared" with anyone just because its about the Holocaust. People are free to make really really bad movies about sensitive subjects if they so wish. Besides, no one is going to be nominating this for an Academy Award. Its not going to be up there with "Life is Beautiful". The movie will fade into obscurity like all bad movies do.........
I'm with you on the movie. It may end up being fluff, but it will educate and the positives probably outweigh the negatives.
The main 'problem' is that it's Britney Spears who they believe will bring mockery to the Holocaust. Regardless, it should be up to the movie-going audience to decide if it's their cup of tea or not and not some groups who want to poo-poo it.
I see the same fate for Ms. Spears. But hey, good luck with the kiddies! If it gets them some interest in anything historical, that's a good thing in my eyes.
I think John is right on. Anything which can even pique the interest of a younger person is worthy.
Now if she makes a movie about going back in time to find the Holocaust didn't happen, I'd be pissed.
So until then, as Bill Cosby would say... "have a Coke and a smile and STFU."
...while drugging young women and sexually assaulting them.
http://www.imnotobsessed.com/2006/11/08/bill-co...
I agree with your angle regarding getting the younger set to learn history. Frankly, the plot sounds atrocious and I am sure she won't knock over any critics with her performance, but I still think the woman quoted was being over-the-top with her comments.
As a Jew I just somehow feel a little creepy about Britney Spears being an advocate for my history. I would object as much to say, Ashton Kutcher or Paris Hilton doing the same thing.
But overall I don't object that much. Just... eww.
You know, it feels a bit like when Tom Cruise decided that the way to get street cred after all the crazy was to play the guy that tried to kill Hitler. Sorry Tom: Fail!
As a jew i am more insulted at the jewish religion's (and every other religions") homophobic activities, than I am about a no talent bimbo playing a serious role in a serious movie.
If the filmakers are stupid enough (or smart enought) to think that casting Britney spears in this type of project will be profitable for them, then so be it. As a consumer, every member of the council has the right not to purchase a ticket. However, who are they to decide how a for profit corporation choses to attempt to create a movie project?
Seems as though all these religious groups (and republican parties) need to spend more time deciding who they are and what they want their message to be
Maybe Britney will also have her own "Love Theme" like Celine Dion - except it'll be a dance remix, with malnourished and beaten backup dancers in the music video.
I wrote about the Holocaust because I felt it critical to discount Holocaust deniers. These mendacious historical revisers desire only one thing - to finish that which Hitler began with the Jewish people. There are many vulnerable individuals whose weak minds can be turned into hatred of minorities. It happened in 20th Century Europe. It can happen again. If we had learned from the Holocaust, we would not have witnessed Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda or Darfur. Prejudice continues. Someone has to stop the blind hatred.
"Jacob's Courage" is a tender coming of age love story of two young adults living in Salzburg at the time when the Nazi war machine enters Austria. This historical novel presents accurate scenes and situations of Jews in ghettos and concentration camps, with particular attention to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. It explores the dazzling beauty of passionate love and enduring bravery in a lurid world where the innocent are murdered. From despair, to unforgettable moments of chaste beauty, "Jacob’s Courage" examines a constellation of emotions during a time of incomprehensible brutality.
The worst characterization of the human experience is revealed through religious, ethnic, gender or racial prejudice. Only when we learn to value the differences among us will humankind move forward into a bright future. If we fail to learn this lesson, only darkness remains for our progeny.