'Sarah's Key' Review: another Holocaust movie, but with a fresh heart

Sarah's Key (2010)

Directed by: Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, Michel Duchaussoy

Based on the much-loved novel by Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah’s Key is a French drama that swings between 1940s Paris and the modern day to weave the tale of a young Jewish girl persecuted in the Vel’ d’Hiv, and the woman who finds herself obsessed with her story.

Ordered by the Nazis to reduce the Jewish population in occupied France in 1942, the French authorities went on a mass arrest; imprisoning thousands of French Jews in a Parisian velodrome under inhuman conditions. In Tatiana de Rosney’s fictional tale Sarah’s Key a 10-year-old girl named Sarah attempts to save her younger brother Michel before she is taken away; locking him in the closet and making him promise not to leave until she returns. When the prisoners are moved to concentration camps and split up, Sarah realises she must escape if she is to be in with a chance of freeing Michel.

Meanwhile in the present, an American journalist names Julia Jarmond (the ever-glorious Kristin Scott-Thomas) is beginning to research a piece surrounding the inhuman events of 1940s Paris. When she and her husband inherit a small flat in the city itself, she soon finds herself woven into young Sarah's story, unable and unwilling to free herself from it for reasons she can't decipher.

Sarah’s Key could easily be yet another WW2 movie, lost among the brilliance of such releases asThe Pianist, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and Schindler’s list, yet it manages to feel relevant and fresh. For a start, the Nazis are not the explicit enemy, and even though it is the French authorities that round up the Jews, even they are not the focus. The spotlight, rather, is on history; the past ebbing into the present, and how it is that those we have never known can change who we are. That being said, there are several moments that send shivers through your body, akin to looking at the piles of shoes gathered from Auschwitz victims or the miles of white headstones that mark the WWI battlefields. The unimaginable scale of the Vel’D’Hiv brought vividly to the screen, but first and foremost Sarah’s Key serves the needs of its story rather than of its emotive context – and is all the better for it.

Scott Thomas is in her element as Julia, and carries the present-day section of the movie strongly. She is let down by those let’s-get-the-history-straight moments in her editor’s office and those token we’re-young-and-ignorant characters that supposedly exist in order to conveniently fill in a historically-clueless audience. Ok, those scenes may be necessary (I’d never heard the details of the Vel’ d’Hiv) but sadly the script is never quite strong enough to do away with the faint air of pragmatism.

As for the young French actress, Mélusine Mayance, her performance as the determined and intelligent Sarah is beautiful and believable. She must quickly learn about the nature of her surroundings in order to make her ruthless return journey to Paris. As she grows into an adult, haunted by her past, that heightened misery never leaves her character – and this air is something that connects her to the equally determined twenty-first century Julia.

In a way that is necessary for films that deal with tragedy, Gilles Paquet-Brenner is unafraid of bringing the brutality of the events of the Holocaust to the forefront. It risks cliché but with sensitive acting and an absorbing storyline that weaves the past and the present so successfully,Sarah’s Key is far more than just a history lesson.

Also posted on Best For Film - http://bestforfilm.com/film-reviews/drama/sarahs-key/

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Sarah's Key'.

A Twenty-First Century Fable

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

Whenever I describe this book to people, I always find myself using the same words - "Oh, it's such a cute story", which, for a story about the Holocaust, might come as a surprise. Somehow though, it just is.

This book follows nine-year-old Bruno as he is forced to leave his luxury home in Berlin and move to 'Out-With' (one of many puns easily understood by an older reader). Driven by boredom from the lack of friends and activities in his new house, Bruno begins exploring. From his bedroom window he can see thousands of people dressed in striped pyjamas, so one day he walks along the fence that separates them, only to come across Schmuel. Despite being divided by a barrier of metal and barbed wire, the two boys befriend each other, oblivious to their differences and brought together by their own unhappiness.

Although this book is a children's book, it seems to rely on the reader's understanding of Auschwitz and the Holocaust in order to be fully appreciated. In this sense I believe it appeals to an older audience, as I imagine nine-year-olds of the modern day would read this novel with the same confusion that Bruno feels, and the ending especially would invite many hard-to-answer questions.

Bruno narrates the story, and tells it with the blissful ignorance of his age. He is naive of the horrors of World War Two, and ironically feels it's utterly unfair that Schmuel gets to be on his side of the fence where there are plenty of people to play with. The language that Boyne uses to depict this child's world and his thought processes is delightful and believable, and it is almost comforting to know that Bruno's worst problems are boredom and an annoying sister.

Some have criticised the plausibility of the story, saying that Bruno, as the Commandant's son, was unlikely to have escaped the indoctrination of the Hitler Youth and Nazi propaganda. However, the beauty of this book lies in Bruno's innocence, and it makes the ending far more harrowing and hard-hitting. In fact, the little boy is taught the history of the 'Fatherland', but thoughts of exploring and meeting his new friend occupy his mind and he seems to resist the Nazi sentiments, unlike his sister.

Ultimately, this book is a perfect read -it is quick, interesting and (I have to resist writing the word 'cute' here) enjoyable. The childlike nature of the writing disguises the deeper, 'grown-up' issues that surround the Holocaust, but it is written in such a way as to make them recognisable. I would warn against children under the age of 12 reading it, purely because, despite being from a child's perspective, it needs an older mind, and a background knowledge of the Second World War to perceive the real morals of the story. Nevertheless, it is well worth reading as a shocking fable of the modern day.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'.

A Touching Tale of Trauma

Kindertransport - Diane Samuels

Performed by Progress Theatre in Reading (27/10/08)

For the first production I have seen by Progress Theatre, Kindertransport definitely formed a brilliant first impression of their work.  From the innovative set design to the stunningly convincing characters, I enjoyed every aspect of this performance.

Kindertransport tells the traumatic tale of Eva Schlesinger, evacuated from Germany just months before the outbreak of the Second World War.  As a Jewish girl in a Nazi stronghold, her parents send her to England to live a safer life away from her home.  Parallel to this is the story of Lil, Evelyn and Faith; three generations of women, who forty years or so after the war, are struggling with similar issues surrounding identity, love and loss.

However, the first thing that struck me about the theatre was how remarkably small it was.  It had a quaint appearance with a pleasant community feel, but a small space like that is bound to present difficulties.  It’s fair to say that the company did a good job of overcoming them in creating some challenging locations, and the simplistic set design combined with the action onstage did enough to create two very different yet connected worlds.

Eva’s world is one of sadness and fear, but the director did manage to balance the tone of the performance to uplift the audience from time to time.  The actress playing Lil (Liz Carroll) often brought us some light relief with her quirky British humour.  The only male in the cast, Steve Webb, who performed five roles, also delivered cheeky comedy to a good reception; a deep contrast to his more fearful characters, the Nazi official and the Ratcatcher, with which he showed great diversity as an actor.

One scene that particularly affected me in a more tragic way was one in which Eva (Sadie James) leaves her mother (Laura Lewis) when she departs on the train to England.  Director Lesley McEwan’s decision to stage Helga, Eva’s mother, behind the child meant that the audience could see her hauntingly grievous expressions.  The silent mouthing of the words, “I love you”, accompanied with chilling slow motion waves effectively created that horrible moment when a mother is separated from her child.

Sadie’s performance is also worth particular praise.  Not only did the young actress have to learn her lines, but some of them were in German, and she had never learnt the language prior to the production.  Sadie also made the development in her character extremely clear; from the young, confused German girl, to the more mature Eva, losing her staccato English for a more natural Manchester accent.

Yet, it goes without saying that all the actors showed tremendous talent, and it was clear that a lot of hard work and effort had gone into making this performance a success – it was not in vain.  Even when the unexpected sound effect of nearby fireworks repeatedly interrupted the show, the actors continued without faltering.  It was definitely a successful tribute to the real ‘Kinder’ transported to England before the war, on whose experiences this play is based.  Finally, if future productions continue to be of this standard, then I will certainly support Progress Theatre for some time to come.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Kindertransport".

A State of Mind

Regeneration - Pat Barker

There's something I like about Pat Barker - she is linked to two other women I'm quite fond of. First there's Angela Carter - she actually encouraged Barker to concentrate on her writing when she was in her early twenties. The second is Sarah Daniels, a playwright who adapted Barker's novel, Blow Your House Down, for the stage in 1994. Both of these writers have been introduced to me through my A Level studies and I have come to admire the way in which they approach feminist issues.

Regeneration, however, is not a feminist novel. Quite the opposite, it focuses on the experiences of young men during the First World War. The scene is Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh, a hosptial for soldiers suffering from mental trauma owing to the war. Rivers is the psychiatrist there and through him the reader gathers an insight into the shattering effects that the Western Front has on soldiers' minds. There are also other viewpoints - Billy Prior, a patient in the hospital and Siegfried Sassoon, the renowned war poet.

The insight to Sassoon's time at Craiglockhart is fictional, though based on true events. Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart after having written a declaration against the continuation of the war in 1917 - although he was not mad, his acquaintance and fellow poet, Robert Graves, claimed he was mentally unstable to avoid him being Court Martialled. Through Barker's portrayal, it is interesting to see how a mentally fit man copes with being surrounded by the mentally ill.

Interestingly, this is not a war novel of battlefront - there is little gore, little rattle of the guns but much more comfort with clean sheets and a basic bedroom. Nevertheless, Barker does not omit the fear and terror from her novel. Some men constantly envisage the blood and perverse dismemberment of friends, others are reminded of the taste of rotting flesh and vomit uncontrolably. Some can't speak, others can't move but rather than focus on the immediate horror of war, Barker looks at the broader picture. The effects of war were often permanent - even those not admitted to a psychiatric hospital were scarred for life by the things they had witnessed. And that is the true horror of war.

Typically, Barker includes the corruption of innocence, the destruction of youth and her disapproval of the Home Front and authorities - Prior's parents lack support and gratitude for their son's sacrifice, Prior also embarks on some uncomfortable sexual journeys with a girl from outside the hospital. Most shocking of all is that, despite the traumatising emotional journey these soldiers go on, the "Board" sends them right back to the source of their troubles once they have sufficiently "recovered". Barker constantly wants the reader to ask 'Why?' The same question we've been asking ourselves since it happened. Why did they have to go? Why did they have to endure those conditions? Why did war turn to slaughter?

This book does not have a complex storyline and the beginning and end rest on Sassoon's stay in the hospital. It is mainly a portrayal of the horror of war through its characters - the character of Rivers enables us to see more deeply into the minds of soldiers in such a way that one hardly dares imagine what it was really like. So, if you're interested in the First World War and particularly its literature, this book (plus the next two in the series) is definitely one to try.
Ultimately, we should all simply seek to learn from writers such as Barker, Sassoon and Graves. But, what a shame - we haven't.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Regeneration".

"The Greatest War Novel of All Time"

All Quiet on the Western Front -Erich Maria Remarque

"To no man does the earth mean so much as to the soldier" - one quote from the whole novel that sticks in my mind. Studying the First World War through Wilfred Owen and Sebastian Faulks, through my history lessons (and a free DVD Dad got with the Daily Mail) I have come to understand that the earth, Mother Nature, is a soldier's best friend. I chose to write my coursework on the subject and I have discovered an immense interest that has led in turn to a deep respect for nature and the poor soldiers of World War One. Just think: the only stable things in your life are the steady rumble of guns and the contaminated earth beneath your feet. How can anyone love that slow, sticky earth that slows you down, gets inside your skin and spits with gunfire? Because, when you finally die, she is your only loyal companion.

Remarque (originally Erich Paul Remark) was born in Germany and conscripted into the army in 1917, aged just 18. After being wounded five times, the final shrapnel wound caused such serious damage that he spent the rest of the war in a military hospital. With first hand knowledge, Remarque has written a fantastic fictional novel from the perspective of a 20 year-old German boy named Paul Bäumer. Paul volunteers to join the German army with his classmates and the book follows the course of the war and the subtle reduction of the group's number. It is a realistic novel that is straight to the point about conveying the horror of war.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the German perspective - I have never before read about the war from any perspective other than that of the British soldier. In British books, the German soldiers live comfortable and securely at the Western front and so they do in this book. Often Bäumer and his friends feast off goose, roast pork and on one occasion, lobster! The length of time that the German soldiers seem to stay at the front also seems significantly less than that of the British soldiers and the level of organisation and regulation seems much higher. However, ultimately, the situation is the same - Paul faces injury, death and inhumanity on a massive scale, on a daily basis.

Three things struck me about this novel: the feeling of comradeship, the brutality of the German forces and the subtle style of Remarque. Comradeship is a huge theme in this book, but the relationships that Paul has with his classmates appear closer than the relationship between two lovers. It becomes most apparent when Paul visits his family whilst on leave; the tone of the book becomes cold as the reader senses the isolation that the soldier feels from life at home. The brutality of the German forces is something unusual and it led me to feel much less sympathy for the ruthless soldiers; there are descriptions of a German counter attack on the French in which they stab the fleeing backs of enemy forces and chase them back into their own trench. This inhumane description probably matches the actions of the British but never before have I read about the ruthless murders of Germans at British hands. It was an honest and brave subject to include - probably giving more reason for Hitler to ban the text in the 1930s.

Finally, Remarque's subtle style; the way he writes is impressive and almost beautiful. I only became aware of it in the final chapters of the novel when I suddenly realised that Germany had gone from being a triumphant force feasting on succulent meat every night to a weak, deteriorating minute force. We see this gradual change in the character of Paul and in the final pages the reader slowly and sadly realises he has become the last surviving member of his class.

However, I don't want to be misleading; Remarque goes out of his way to convey the horrific, brutal truth about war, about men who "run with both their feet cut off", "without mouths, without jaws, without faces". The detachment from normal civilian life, the psychological effects of the guns and the comradeship are all included as in every good war novel; this is, without a doubt, a stunning account of war. However, the greatest war novel of all time? It is debatable. Admittedly, I don't know whether I have encountered a better one (not one from an author who saw the events with his own eyes) but the fact that it is a translation sometimes makes it hard to comprehend. Ultimately, I would like to read more of this genre before making such a definite judgement on a literary position so high.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "All Quiet on the Western Front".

Fact in Fiction

Hitler's Canary - Sandi Toksvig

I like to read a variety of books just to get a taste of every kind of writing. It's entertaining, exciting and, in my opinion, helps shape a good writer. This book indeed is very different. Based on the experiences of the author's father in World War Two, it does not take place on the Western Front or in Britain or France like typical war novels - this is a story of a young boy on his home soil in Denmark. A little bit of fact, with a little bit of fiction.

Hitler's Canary, written from the point of view of a thirteen-year old boy, portrays the effect of the Second World War on Denmark. Unlike Birdsong, this novel does not follow the life of a soldier but a boy called Bamse's outlook on how the war affects his country, his family, his friends and even himself. Not too much gore, a little terror and a lot of of bravery.

The novel is written for a young audience, between the ages of 10 and 14, but can easily be enjoyed by all. It is a fairly light-hearted tale of adventure packed with some good ol' 'lessons to be learnt'. However, don't be fooled into thinking that Toksvig treats the war as a simple adventure to be enjoyed - far from it. She successfully writes in a style that children will enjoy whilst still emphasising that the war was a very serious thing; "It wasn't funny at all."

It is also interesting to read about the war from the point of view of a child, something not often read about or experienced (except perhaps in the famous diaries of Anne Frank). However, totally different from the diaries of the young Jewish girl, Hitler's Canary shows how this young boy got involved in the protection of the Danish Jews by being part of the resistance. Yet, the beginning of the book, (when Bamse is only ten) shows that at first the war was too big an issue to understand and undoubtedly, children were unsure how to react if foreign soldiers occupied their cities. Nevertheless, this book shows that children of all ages were affected and had a difficult time all of their own.

Bamse, the main character of the story, has to struggle to keep up with the antics of his older brother, a freedom fighter in the resistance. As well as this, he wants to keep his more docile father happy by not upsetting the Germans and carrying on as normal. In addition to this is the need to please his best friend, "one of the most daring boys in Denmark", a Jewish boy. Naturally, he has the age-old dilemmas that all children suffer at some stage; please your friends or your family? Not always easy to please both. However, a particular highlight of this book for me is the constant fear this young boy reminds himself of and the courage he always finds and never credits himself for.

Toksvig cleverly covers all aspects of the occupation; the soldiers' tendency to take and use whatever facilities they want; the bravery of ordinary citizens in smuggling the Jews out of danger; the fear felt by the Jews in occupied countries. Yet, her style is very simple and entertaining to keep her young audience interested. I particularly liked the hooks she used at the end of some chapters. "it would also be her last", begs the simple question - why? Toksvig uses similar one-liners to keep her reader reading.

I first picked up this book because I thought it had a fun title; 'Hitler's Canary' I later learned was the Allies' name for Denmark in the early stages of the war. I took a closer look and it seemed to be a book aimed more at younger people. But I have a younger brother, and it was on a 3 for 2 offer so I thought 'why not?' On reading the blurb, I saw mentions of the theatre and it got me a little more interested. It turns out that this book, although it has a couple of quotes from the odd Shakespeare play, is not about the theatre, and not entirely about having fun. It is a good way to introduce the terrifying experiences of Nazi occupation in World War Two to children across the globe; it doesn't get too deep, Toksvig shapes it into a digestible adventure story and finally, there's a note at the back giving a few horrifying statistics about the Second World War. Most importantly, they are well selected; they are nearly all about the children, whom, of course, the war affected too.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Hitler's Canary'.

Mission Accomplished

Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

Yesterday afternoon, after much determination, I finally finished reading Birdsong written by Sebastian Faulks. I will assume that many of you have heard of the novel, first published in 1993, or at least of the author as he recently attempted a Bond novel. However, if you haven't heard of Birdsong, here's why it's worth your undivided attention.

First I must confess that the main reason for my reading of this book is because it is part of my A level syllabus and soon I will have to pick it apart and analyse it for coursework. However, I was determined to finish reading it beforehand. I have succeeded, and I can easily admit that the novel is one of the best I have ever read.

Written to reveal the horrors of the First World War on the Western Front, it appears to hold nothing back. If as a reader you like honesty and belief from your authors, then Sebastian Faulks is the man for you. From vivid sex scenes to the vile retrieval of rotten bodies from the battlefield, every sentence, every metaphor, every simile is guaranteed to evoke images previously unimaginable. Some made me feel physically sick, others made me read on in awe, but despite the unpleasant imagery, I didn't want it to end.

The book is well structured; the beginning, set in France, 1910, is designed to prepare the reader for war. Not only does Faulks use clever word association ('battle', 'invade', 'innocent') to subtly convey the idea that war is inevitable, but he also uses nature to describe stagnant, decaying natural scenes, similar to those of the trenches. However, despite his descriptions of peacetime locations being similar to those of the war, there is a clear difference in humanity in pre-war France. The characters live in a well-run, respected, upper class town house, exposed to luxuries such as the choice of "at least a dozen meats". Compared with the then sparsely fed soldiers, forced to live in filth with only the comfort of another man's body to sleep upon, the contrast is severe, enhancing the horrible situations of those involved in war.

The novel follows Stephen Wraysford's journey through war, from 1910 eventually revealing his life up until his death. He is a strange, solitary character, who seems indifferent to emotion. For this reason, his encounters with death, fear, lust and loneliness allow you to imagine how you would feel, had you ever been unlucky enough to be put in Stephen's situations. He is an ordinary character with a disrupted background, yet he almost always appears controlled and secure. His self-control is challenged by the effects of the war and it is interesting to see how the war affected people of all natures through Faulks' characters.

As well as a view on pre-war France and life during the war, Faulks also sets part of his novel in the 1970's, following the life of Stephen's grand-daughter. At first, these sections of the book seemed unnecessary to me, however, it soon becomes clear that the author wants us to see the post-war affects on some people. Through Elizabeth (the grand-daughter) we re-visit some of the British soldiers that Stephen fought alongside, only to discover that, sixty years on, the war hasn't left them. It is a slightly shocking view on the length of devastation the war caused.

If I have any criticism of this book, it is Stephen's final battle of the war. It is not a physical battle, but a battle with life and death. In this final chapter it is clear that the author was faced with two choices; convey the reality of the duration of his task in a believable way and let the character die, or try and convince the readers of the reality and let the character live. Inevitably, from the modern sections of the book, the character lives. Therefore, there are elements of Stephen's battle that become unbelievable, particularly how he manages to live without food or water for around a week having already been suffering from exhaustion, a damaged arm and other psychological effects of the war. Nevertheless, the final chapter is exciting, thrilling and satisfying and I went back and read it again because I couldn't bear for it to finish.

Finally, this novel has been credited by many critics and is obviously a suitable book for A level study. However, I think this book is best enjoyed without having to read into too much depth. So, if you enjoy historical fiction, particularly the type close to the truth, then it is well worth reading Birdsong. It is easy to lose yourself in Faulks' imagery, and I was deeply moved by what was conveyed to me. I grew to love and hate the uncomfortable, unfortunate characters and was horrified in knowing that their lives in war were absolute reality for some men. Now, with no first hand experience of either of the World Wars, I hope nothing so horrendous hits European soil again.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Birdsong'.