Response-A Film Unfinished

Response Essay

“A Film Unfinished”

            “A Film Unfinished” is about the Warsaw ghetto. The Nazis filmed the ghetto and tried to make the life of the Jew look good. In the process of doing so they filmed what was exactly happening and the graphic mistreatment of Jews. The film was never finished and years later we found these films in a bunker in Germany. It was hard watching some of the film not so much of the violence but just the thought of people treating other people like that. I’ve seen plenty of gore and plenty of nasty cruel things out there so watching this wasn’t too bad. What was bad was knowing that it actually happened. Every time I think of the holocaust I just think, “How could this happen to such a large group of people.”

            While doing the survivor testimonies, I came across a guy who was in the Warsaw ghetto and he said this was like heaven compared to the concentration camp because he still had his family. I watched that film and although it was terrible, the treatment they received in the ghetto wasn’t nearly as bad as certain other places. They had their family with them in the ghetto which if that was me I think I’d be counting my blessings. The biggest complications in the ghetto were food and space. They fit 250,000 people into a square three miles which is just absolutely insane. I could deal with the space issues but not having enough food would be my fear and biggest problem.

            Yes a film unfinished is hard to watch but nothing compare to what was happening at Treblinka or Auschwitz. I think the most heartbreaking seen was the dead children just lying in the street. That’s what would get me if I lived in the Warsaw ghetto. Another thing that would be hard, especially as a parent would be seeing my kids hungry and withering away. Something good about the ghetto is they were able to secretly practice their religion which is everything to the Jews. There were some things not too bad about being in the ghetto but then again it’s definitely not any way someone wants to live life.