Tag Archive: Come And See


Son Of Saul: humanity vs barbarism

Filed under: Movies — 1 Comment
July 16, 2018

SON OF SAUL directed by Lázió Nemes (Hungary. 2015)
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How much of the horror of the holocaust can you stand to watch?

Newsreel footage can turn us all into passive voyeurs to humankind’s capacity for evil. On the other hand, however noble the intentions, turning history into cinema can reduce Nazi atrocities into entertainment.

Lázió Nemes’ remarkable debut avoids both pitfalls. You are never in any doubt about the barbarism at the heart of the story but the camera never dwells on the details. Continue reading →

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WAITING FOR THE MAN

Filed under: Italy, Movies, Politics — 1 Comment
December 3, 2012

L’UOMO CHE VERRA’ directed by Giorgio Diritti (Italy, 2009)

http://www.slowcult.com/wp-content/gallery//2010/02/luomo-1.jpgIt would have been easy to dramatise the tragic real life events at Marzobotta near Bologna in a sensationalist and exploitative manner, transforming human tragedy into crass entertainment. Instead, the story of the victims is handled with great sensitivity and humanity without glossing over the full-scale of the atrocity.

In 1944, Nazi soldiers massacred 770 people in this small farming community, an act of barbarism that beggars belief. It illustrates that Hitler’s executioners did not confine themselves to the slaughter of Jews but were prepared to slaughter any who dared stand in opposition to Fascism.

Diritti doesn’t claim that his cinematic rendering is historically accurate and it even includes the usual disclaimer at the end that any similarity with  persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. Continue reading →

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