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Comment on A Moving Story by Pervin

Pervin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:58:13 +0000

Bunny, for me, watching Valkyrie and Inglorious ******** recently, refreshed memories of the time when I would feverishly devour books on the Nazi regime and the Holocaust . I too, am obsessed and fascinated about the infamous era, maybe because it challenges my innate understanding of the goodness of mankind. The turn of events during this time made one wonder about the presence of God in our lives. Reading those books depicting the Nazis’ devious atrocities and inhuman evility, was mind-numbing and eerie but even so, I’d beseech the local Librarywallah to invest in more books of that category.
Even today, this genre of books and movies remains an all-time favourite, with me. Certainly, The Lives of Others is a fine film but my heart beats for Life is Beautiful.
Daniel Silva’s written a couple of good spy thrillers, based on the Nazi times. Have you read them?
A wonderful post, as usual.

Comment on A Moving Story by Vasu

Vasu — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:01 +0000

“That is why it is necessary to keep these memories alive, so that never again one human being treats another so brutally”

That’s a pretty powerful statement.

It takes a mature society to preserve such monuments from your history, when you consider how terrible the history ahs been. I think it is in stark contrast with our approach of burying everything under the carpet and pretending nothing ever happened.

Cheers!
Vasu

http://vasusworld.wordpress.com/

Comment on A Moving Story by Cols

Cols — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:39:27 +0000

I remember this film.. One of my all time favourites too.. and after I saw it I made it my mission to get as many of my friends to see it as I could… I don’t think The Reader is half as thought provoking by the way… its just too clever Hollywood… and too pat at the end… Also I have to say… some comments do make me go: tap, tap, tap

Comment on A Moving Story by Vasu

Vasu — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:38:55 +0000

Good post…just to clarify for those who have not seen the film, this film (Das Leben Der Anderen aka The lives of others) is NOT ABOUT the Nazi regime, WWII, or Hitler, or the holocaust.

This is a film on the communist controlled East Berlin. During that time, monitoring of cultural performers / groups / writers in East Berlin, by Stasi was a norm. Stasi was the communist GDR’s state police that had complete authority over East Berlin.

There’s lots more to German history than Hitler, just as there is much more to Indian history than our independence movement!

There have been German films on the WWII and nazi regime, of which Der Vorleser (The Reader), and Der Untergang (The downfall), are my personal favorites.

Cheers!
Vasu

http://vasusworld.wordpress.com/

Comment on A Moving Story by Akhilesh

Akhilesh — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:57:26 +0000

Blog on Political Correctness ! That would be interesting. And indeed timely too. We let many things pass, or let them go on as usual, although knowing them to be patently wrong - so as not to sound politically incorrect.

Political correctness, bordering on the obnoxious and inhibiting free thought ,needs to be struck down - and who better than you to strike them down with just a “wave of a finger”.

Infact my won blog ( on which I write very very intermittently, unfortunately) is titled “Politically Incorrect”.
So you can count on some help from me too, howsoever little.

So, will await !

Comment on A Moving Story by Kushal

Kushal — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:55:28 +0000

Hmm. Yes, quite correct. Thanks for showing me this. I must now pay more attention to how I write so that little or nothing can be taken out of context. After all, what I write is usually in the public domain. Quite a tricky problem.

And yes, you’ve made your point about quotes being taken out of context. I will put up a (somewhat weak) argument however: Politicians also must learn to write speeches in a way that makes dropping context almost impossible. And in an age of live broadcasts, they must come across as more responsible people. And that’s across the board - no digs at particular parties and politicians here.

Now musing on a blogpost on political correctness. Hmm.

Comment on A Moving Story by Ruchi

Ruchi — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:47:14 +0000

Just a suggestion. Pl watch Chunking Express (a chinese movie) and Children of Heaven (an iranian flick). i feel that you may be able to watch it in one go.

Comment on A Moving Story by Akhilesh

Akhilesh — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:43:59 +0000

Quote :
“I have been strangely fascinated by Germany ever since I learned about the Holocaust. It’s an awful kind of fascination. I don’t know how or when it began………..if there’s a book or a movie or a documentary about Germany, I will read it or watch it. It’s almost unhealthy, this fascination, but I can’t seem to control it”

Favourite journalistic trick. Quote lines as per convinience and just see how the meaning changes !! Feel some sympathies now, for becharaa politicians, who complaint ever so often, that they have been quoted out of context? I am sure you would similarly complain too

Comment on A Moving Story by Kushal

Kushal — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:29:45 +0000

I’ve read about it, I’ve watched re-enactments of it, I’ve seen clips of the actual thing in documentaries, but there is no way I can understand it, Sujata. It just haunts me. I can NOT understand how people can do these things to people.

Comment on A Moving Story by Sujata Anandan

Sujata Anandan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:58:25 +0000

Haven’t seen his movie but I was at both Auschwitz and Buchenwald — which have been turned into museums — after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They have preserved those concentation camps down to blood-stained bandages, tin cups and spoons of the prisoners, the tiled blocks where they were torutred, their bunkers and you can still almost smell the pain and fear of all those years ago when you walk into the gates. When I asked the curator of Buchenwald why they had simply not razed down the site and destroyed the painful past he said, “Because we must not forget the bestiality these people were capable of. They admired Goethe, they adored Michelangelo, they dined out on the best wines, wearing the finest clothes and yet they did to fellow human beings what one animal will not do to another. That is why it is necessary to keep these memories alive, so that never again one human being treats another so brutally.”

I still get the chills thinking about it, Bunny.