Language:
English
Year of publication:
2014
Titel der Quelle:
Holocaust Studies
Angaben zur Quelle:
20,3 (2014) 109-136
Keywords:
Jewish children in the Holocaust
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in motion pictures
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Study and teaching
Abstract:
The film "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" [spelled "Pyjamas" in Great Britain] was released in the U.S. by Miramax in 2008. It is based on the book by Irish author John Boyne (2006) and directed by Mark Herman. The story is set in wartime Poland. 8-year-old Bruno, the son of a German commandant of a concentration camp, comes across a fence which separates him from the people on the other side, who are in fact Jewish prisoners. He befriends a boy of his age, wearing striped pajamas, and they meet frequently at the fence. Eventually, Bruno wants to help Shmuel find his father, and so he puts on striped pajamas and enters the camp. The end is tragic, both boys being gassed while Bruno's parents were searching for him; they realize, too late, that he must be in the gas chamber. Recognizing the need to examine students' knowledge of the Holocaust before screening the film in schools, a survey was commissioned by the London Jewish Cultural Centre and Miramax in 2009. 1,200 UK students aged 11-16 were presented with questionnaires. Although that study was seriously flawed in regard to the questions asked, it showed a large extent of ignorance about the Holocaust amongst the students. Describes here another survey carried out in September 2012-January 2013 among 298 respondents aged 13-14 in four schools in Oxfordshire and London, carried out by Gray in order to check if the film is appropriate for use in Holocaust education. Examines many of the students' reactions. Concludes that it is not useful due to historical inaccuracies which generate misconceptions and a skewed moral message in the minds of the students.
DOI:
10.1080/17504902.2014.11435377
URL:
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