The last stage (1948)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The last stage |
| Original title | Ostatni etap |
| Country of production | Poland |
| original language | Polish , German , Russian |
| Publishing year | 1948 |
| length | 104 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Wanda Jakubowska |
| script | Wanda Jakubowska Gerda Schneider |
| production | Przedsiębiorstwo Państwowe Film Polski |
| camera | Boris Monastyrsky |
| cut | Lidia Pstrokońska |
| occupation | |
| |
The last stage is a Polish feature film from 1948. It is the first feature film by the documentary filmmaker Wanda Jakubowska and the first feature film in film history to deal with life in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp . Wanda Jakubowska survived several years in prison in Auschwitz until it was liberated by the Red Army . The script is based on her experiences and those of other women.
action
The film tells the fate of several women in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. In the sick camp, women form a small cell of resistance fighters. The Polish Jew Marta Weiss comes with her family to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp and works as a translator for the camp commandant while her family is murdered. Marta helps other inmates and is involved in the small resistance group. Helena hides the French prisoner Michèle in the infirmary. Eugenia is a Russian doctor who helps the sick and is tortured and murdered on suspicion of resistance. The German communist Anna also defends herself against the sadistic doctors in the sick camp and is detained in a bunker for this. Shortly before the extermination camp was liberated by the Red Army, Marta tried to escape from the camp, was caught and sentenced to death. The Red Army finally liberates the camp. The film ends with the words of the dying Marta to the Russian soldiers: "Do not allow Auschwitz to repeat itself!"
background
The film uses original documentary footage shot by Red Army film officers. In some cases, former inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau play both prisoners and their tormentors. A special feature of this film is the fact that although all the actors are Polish, those who play German guards also speak German. This represented additional work during the shoot, but it makes the atmosphere of the film more authentic. The shooting took place in 1947 on the original locations. The film had its world premiere on March 28, 1948. Wanda Jakubowska's assistant director was the later star director Jerzy Kawalerowicz .
Reviews
“A harrowing feature film in which the director also tells of her own fate. With its mixture of game scenes and documentary material, the film is still a startling document today. "
Awards
The film won the main prize at the first Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1948 . In 1950 the film received a nomination for the British Film Academy Award for Best Picture.
Films with the same title
Two other films have the same title:
- 1934: The Last Stage (Le grand jeu) - Director: Jacques Feyder
- 1953: The last stage (Le grand jeu) - Director: Robert Siodmak
Remarks
- ^ A German concentration camp survivor, see Bruno Baum , Resistance in Auschwitz, Kongress, Berlin 1962, p. 81
- ↑ The last stage. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 9, 2017 .