The Treatment of the Holocaust essays

The Treatment of the Holocaust essays The Treatment of the Holocaust in Films Films concerning the holocaust used comedy and aesthetics in order to exhibit social problems and send an antifascist message. In response to Germanys inhumane actions during the World Wars, the German Nazi party was satirized in several films. Often, these films focus on the effects of current organizational and socio-political structures on the working man and exaggerate the control of the Dictator. In times of war, people may benefit from the humor in these films, as they can distract them from their hardships. Additionally, this type of film allows the filmmaker to express the side of the story that the government ignores. The Great Dictator, To Be or Not To Be, and Seven Beauties, contain aesthetic elements that can affect the emotions of the viewer. The Great Dictator was written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in 1940. From the start of the film, the socio-political satire begins with the following text: "This is a story of a period between two world wars an interim in which Insanity cut loose, Liberty took a nose dive, and Humanity was kicked around somewhat". When he wrote the screenplay for this film, Chaplin had no idea what kind of atrocities would be committed by the Nazis; therefore, the issue of the Holocaust was not treated quite as sensitively as it would be in years to come. The most memorable scene depicts Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin), kicking a balloon-like globe around his office gently and beautifully; after a few minutes of lovely musical accompaniment, Hynkel (a characterization of Hitler) pops the globe and is left with nothing but ripped plastic. Chaplin also plays the role of a little Jewish barber who gets sent to a concentration camp. The camp is not representative of what we now know had been going on; the concentration camp was actually portrayed to be nothing more than crammed, poverty-stricken, living. The similar physiq...