The Last Days (1998)
Five Jewish Hungarians, now U.S. citizens, tell their stories: before March, 1944, when Nazis began to exterminate Hungarian Jews, months in concentration camps, and visiting childhood homes more than 50 years later. An historian, a Sonderkommando, a doctor who experimented on Auschwitz prisoners, and US soldiers who were part of the liberation in April, 1945.
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You won't be disappointed!
Memorable, crazy movie
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
The Last Days (1998) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Haunting, depressing and hard to watch documentary from director James Moll has five Hungarian Jews talking about their time before, during and after being placed in concentration camps at the end of WWII as Hitler was in the last days of murdering as many people as he could. THE LAST DAYS picked up the Best Documentary Oscar and there's no question that it's a very powerful movie, perfectly put together to show the horrors of these camps. Through the interviews and archival footage, most people will probably want to avoid this film simply because of how graphic the photos are and there's no question that it's incredibly depressing. Yes, there's a bit a hope thrown in for the inspiration to survive but this really doesn't take away the haunting images that we're shown. There are several times throughout the film that the five people break down crying while telling their stories and it really makes you wonder what it would be like having to go through life with these graphic images constantly in your head. Seeing people shot, burned to death, melt down into skeletons and worse is just something that no one should have to go through life witnessing and then having to live with. Another interesting segment deals with the eventual rescue by the American troops. We get to see some interviews with those troops and hearing their stories of being shocked were also very heartbreaking. I thought director Moll did a terrific job at taking all the stories and editing them together just as if the story was being told by one person. THE LAST DAYS isn't an easy film to watch as some of the images are just horrible but for history buffs it's a must see.
This movie was amazing. I was shocked at the fact that the one doctor was acquitted from Auschwitz because he was "nice". That was a little odd. This documentary takes the stories of the HUNGARIAN survivors and walks them back through the camp. There was a scene where one of the women sees the latrine. She gets upset. They also talk about how they would throw the dead bodies into fire pits and use the fat from the bodies as fuel to keep the bodies burning. What a horrible and unspeakable time. That one black man get my praise for killing the German soldier when he was spat on. So much hate was going on in that time. So much hate.
I've seen a lot of documentaries about Holocaust (few dozen of them - thanks to the excellent Minuteman library network of greater Boston). This documentary is one of the best I've ever seen. I am still searching for an answer how such a horrible crime could be committed by a man.Watching this documentary is a very emotional and unforgettable experience.
This documentary based on the stories of Holocaust survivors should be required viewing for all schools. It lets you see how evil men can be, and how the human spirit can overcome anything. Its relevance only increases for us in light of September 11th. You will have a hard time not giving up tears for this piece of art.