(Up to: On Watching )

OK, so I was up til 5.30am, got about 6 hours sleep (which isn't too bad, I guess), then went and saw this film. Whoo.

For me, the things of interest in it weren't really related to the film as such - indeed, it's hard to criticise such a piece when it's based on the autobiography of the main character, set against the entire second world war. A film that tells a "true" story (subject to cinema tweaking for maximal emotional effect, naturally) with the express intent of getting across not only the story, but also the period and history within which it is set cannot be easily considered as simply a piece of cinematic work. Thus, personally I came to realise that I was concentrating on much of the aspects of the second world war, of which I know absolutely nothing about.

Over the three hours, I mentally distinguished between three particular types of "interest" the story held. The first part of the film concentrated on the gradual imposement of the fascist ideology on the Polish Jews - their objectification, their segregation, their transportation, but most importantly the techniques used to enforce all of this. I intend to read more on the early stages of this period (as there is plenty of discourse on the subject... %), but from this film, it seems that there were two effects that the armed forces were after.

1. . The dehumanisation of a people, i.e. the attribution of a particular point of view to a generalised categorisation, and the binding of a judgement to the same. It makes sense that this aspersion be attached, implied, to justify actions so far, and further actions based on this generalisation.

2. . The control of a segregated people, i.e. the methods used to keep them from thinking, uprising, arguing, et al. What struck me was the efficacy of the Nazi's approach, and the efficient instillation of control through very basic, but highly organised systems. For instance, the film never show people being taken off and being tortured, or being beaten and left barely alive as a "lesson to others " - punishments are, above all, as quick as they can be, whilst imposing a vague form of violent fear on those watching. The example that springs to mind is the random choosing of people form a line to be shot, and then the sequential execution of these people, the twist being that before the final death, the presiding officer runs out of pistol bullets, and calmly reloads before eventually firing. This scene combines the three elements that make for a ruthless system of control - randomness of choice, ruthlessness of dispatch (there is no "Ready, steady..."), and the use of psychological fear.

Furthermore, the advancement of encaging techniques and segregation is carried out with a liberal mix of the continual giving of some sort of hope of survival at the end of it all, a masking of the eliminative motivations behind everything.

It is this combination, of viscious willing and confusion, that goes towards ensuring that people are still aware of their own survivalm their own existence, and yet maintaining a state of dismal suffering of the present. Without hope or some kind of belief, threats of death by themselves hold little sway, and persons may become erratic. A retained fear of death and struggle for life makes techniques of power far more efficient.

The second part began to show the interaction between the segregated areas, the opinions cast upon Jews, the fascist attitude, and the general population of the rest of Poland, those outside of the walls. This was interesting from a control point of view as a second part of the equation need to keep order. Those not being supressed must have no reason to argue with the status quo, via a duality of ideology and subliminal fear. This is the part that is most relevant to today's societies, and their attitudes towards opposition, enemies, captured forces et al, and I think that many of the systems seen in this film, used in the middle of last century, prevail today, although they are understandably more insidious and subtle today than they were then.

The third part was less to do with the background, and is quite separate to the above points, and is simply the amazing piano playing. How good the actual person was in real life, I have no idea as yet.

(See also: Society And Control )