Initially an ardent admirer of Adolf Hitler, Wilm Hosenfeld became aware of the Third Reich’s relentless brutality when he, a captain in the German army, was stationed in Poland. Witnessing Nazis’ the inhumanity changed Hosenfeld from an enemy occupier to a rescuer. Includes historical maps, as well as a glossary, timeline, character list, and a full index.

Tells the life story of the German army captain who began as a strong supporter of Hitler and changed to a rescuer of Jews and others after witnessing Nazi brutalities.

"Mostly unknown until immortalized in the Oscar-winning film The Pianist, Wilm Hosenfeld, a former ardent supporter of Adolf Hitler, changed from enemy occupier to rescuer"--

The “striking” holocaust memoir that that inspired the Oscar-winning film “conveys with exceptional immediacy . . . the author’s desperate fight for survival” (Kirkus Reviews). On September 23, 1939, Wladyslaw Szpilman played Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor live on the radio as shells exploded outside—so loudly that he couldn’t hear his piano. It was the last live music broadcast from Warsaw: That day, a German bomb hit the station, and Polish Radio went off the air. Though he lost his entire family, Szpilman survived in hiding. In the end, his life was saved by a German officer who heard him play the same Chopin Nocturne on a piano found among the rubble. Written immediately after the war and suppressed for decades, The Pianist is a stunning testament to human endurance and the redemptive power of fellow feeling. “Szpilman’s memoir of life in the Warsaw ghetto is remarkable not only for the heroism of its protagonists but for the author’s lack of bitterness, even optimism, in recounting the events.” —Library Journal “Employing language that has more in common with the understatement of Primo Levi than with the moral urgency of Elie Wiesel, Szpilman is a remarkably lucid observer and chronicler of how, while his family perished, he survived thanks to a combination of resourcefulness and chance.” —Publishers Weekly “[Szpilman’s] account is hair-raising beyond anything Hollywood could invent . . . an altogether unforgettable book.” —The Daily Telegraph “[Szpilman’s] shock and ensuing numbness become ours, so that acts of ordinary kindness or humanity take on an aura of miracle.” —The Observer

Highlights the surprising ways in which the Nazi regime permitted or even fostered aspirations of privacy.

This publication considers how cinema, as a major modern art form, has covered topics relating to the Holocaust in documentaries and fiction, historical reconstructions and more symbolic films, focusing on the question of realism in ethical and artistic terms. It explores a range of issues, including whether cinema is an appropriate method for informing people about the Holocaust compared to other media such as CD-ROMs, video or archive collections; whether it is possible to inform and appeal to the emotions without being explicit; and how the medium can nurture greater sensitivity among increasingly younger audiences which have been inured by the many images of violence conveyed in the media. Films discussed include Schindler's List, Life is Beautiful, The Pianist, Sophie's Choice, Shoah, Au revoir les enfants, The Great Dictator and To Be or Not to Be.

This book serves as a fascinating guide to 100 war films from 1930 to the present. Readers interested in war movies will learn surprising anecdotes about these films and will have all their questions about the films' historical accuracy answered. This cinematic guide to war movies spans 800 years in its analysis of films from those set in the 13th century Scottish Wars of Independence (Braveheart) to those taking place during the 21st-century war in Afghanistan (Lone Survivor). World War II has produced the largest number of war movies and continues to spawn recently released films such as Dunkirk. This book explores those, but also examines films set during such conflicts as the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, World War I, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The book is organized alphabetically by film title, making it easy to navigate. Each entry is divided into five sections: Background (a brief discussion of the film's genesis and financing); Production (information about how, where, and when the film was shot); Synopsis (a detailed plot summary); Reception (how the film did in terms of box office, awards, and reviews) and "Reel History vs. Real History" (a brief analysis of the film's historical accuracy). This book is ideal for readers looking to get a vivid behind-the-scenes look at the greatest war movies ever made.