Blog

May 20, 2016

Filming History

An aspect of the new exhibition that I am particularly excited about is the use of historical footage.

In the previous exhibition, snippets of footage were interspersed with Survivor testimony, offering historical context and serving to emphasise particular elements of the individual’s narrative.

The new exhibition will elevate film to feature, imbuing the space with movement and acknowledging the importance of historic footage as a tool for understanding.

Like all historical sources, film must be investigated and evaluated carefully. How far do they present an accurate record of an event and how far do they reflect the views of the film-maker?

Julien Bryan films the German invasion of Warsaw in 1939. Image: USHMM

In the case of Holocaust era footage, much was recorded by the Nazis for propaganda purposes. However, it still offers a glimpse into the brutality of life under Nazi rule. What is also remarkable is the amount of colour footage we discovered.  The transition from familiar black and white to the look and feel that we would associate with cinema screens today has often been quite jarring.

In order to develop the four short films– from the Jewish world that was to Liberation, the upgrade team have poured over hundreds of hours of footage and combed through archives around the world.

During a trip to the US, I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to access exclusive materials. What we uncovered there was truly astounding and I have to extend my sincerest gratitude to the USHMM and in particular Bruce Levy, Project Coordinator of the Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive.  This project would not have been possible without their assistance and I commend them on work they do.

We have all read a lot about the Holocaust and seen thousands of images but seeing the events through moving images is a powerful experience.  In a way, that is the greatest challenge and privilege of working with these materials – every time you think you’ve reached the roof, a window or door opens and leads to a whole other story.

Author: Shannon Biederman, Curator