of movies and camps...

July 26th 2008.

It was a pleasant Saturday morning. A few of us friends took a RE to München from Stuttgart. I hadn't even thought, that I would see the world as it were 63 years ago. We boarded an S-bahn from München in the direction of Peterhaüsen, alighted at Dachau Bahnhof, and boarded the bus to Dachau. It was here, that I was exposed to a piece of the most dreaded chapter in World History.

The entrance was a huge one, but fully barricaded. There was only a small gate through which people could enter one at a time. Entering inside, I found the place nothing special. There were a few buildings along, and lots of empty space. We started with our guided tour, and our Ms.Guide (I don't remember her name any more... but she was a studentin of History.) walked us through the "Biggest Concentration Camp" of the Nazi Regime. After seeing the Military office chambers, we moved on to look at the "Elite Prisoners' " cells, and from there on to one of the 2 existing barracks of the originally constructed 12 of them. After this, she took us across to the "Gas Chambers", the end of world for the unfortunate millions, esp. Jews in Europa, who were caught, and put into these concentration camps. That day, I only heard what Nazi cruelty meant. (Well, in today's world, there are many more of such "Nazis", but that doesn't matter now.)

Today, I literally saw it all when I played "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas". 8 year old Bruno, moves to the countryside because of his father's duties as a soldier. Being an adventurous kid, he starts to roam around the place, and encounters a Nazi Concentration Camp. There he meets another jewish boy Shummel, a name he's never heard of, who's of just about the same age. Their friendship leads them to another adventure. Shummel has lost his father. Bruno along with Shummel, decides to help him find his father. Bruno's mother, sensing that the place is not the right one for her children, decides to move back to Berlin. But Bruno, having decided to help Shummel., tresspasses into the Concentration camp, and dons the "Striped Pyjamas" like Shummel has always, and the 2 set out to search Shummel's father. As the two are on the lookout, they fall into a march of all the captives. They are taken to one of those cells, where they are told it is only for a Shower. As the two boys enter the shower room, darkness engrosses the chamber from all sides, but Bruno holds Shummel's hands tight assuring him of finding his father. This movie is one of the very few, that I would watch a second, a third... an umpteenth time, without being bored. The story originally by Irish writer Johm Boyne, is a splendidly woven story. Cruelty is not shown as cruel. It always enrobes itself in those more dearly abstracts like friendship, and love. Looking forward to reading the book.

For me, this movie stands out in its own wayz, though not a very pompuous one. Watch it if you get another oppurtunity.