TV: The Relief of Belsen

Kyt · 15-10-2007, 05:15 AM

RadioTimes Reviews

Quote:

The Relief of Belsen
Monday 15 October
9:00pm - 11:05pm
Channel 4

When Allied troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945 they found the ground scattered with unburied corpses. There were 40,000 remaining prisoners crammed into 200 huts; half were dying, either from starvation or from a raging typhus epidemic. Wisely, the makers of this high-minded drama haven't tried to re-create any of this, although we see harrowing archive footage. Instead, the film focuses on the story of those whose job it was to alleviate the horror - army doctors and nurses faced with a huge challenge: creating the largest hospital in Europe out of nothing. On the minus side this means a lot of scenes where men in khaki stand around lecturing each other or striking moral postures ("It's my men going to those godforsaken huts every day!" etc). On the plus side, we get a sense of the agonising choices they had to make: with 900 people dying every day, who do you save first? A quality cast put in strong performances, and although the shooting style tries to ape documentary, it always feels like drama. Just as well: any more real, and it might be unwatchable.

I wonder whether this is based on After Daybreak - The Liberation Of Belsen, 1945, which is mainly the story of the medical personnel who were involved from the moment of liberation onwards? An excellent, though harrowing, book.

spidge · 15-10-2007, 05:26 AM

The horrors these people saw must have haunted them for the rest of their lives.

Kyt · 15-10-2007, 05:28 AM

Yes. A number of the veterans were interviewed for the book. Even after all these years one could feel the emotions.

morse1001 · 15-10-2007, 07:46 AM

It should be an interesting programme, I have my video set to record it!

51highland · 15-10-2007, 10:11 AM

Read Sappers post here. Horrendous.!!!!!
http://www.*******.com/forum/general...ef-belsen.html

Kitty · 15-10-2007, 10:35 AM

My grandfather had to take a lorry in a week after its liberation. He would never even talk about it, and if Belsen was so much as mentioned he would go into a rage.

spidge · 15-10-2007, 10:45 AM

I have a vision however being there then would be too much for me.

Antipodean Andy · 15-10-2007, 11:25 AM

I can only envision it by the few photos I've seen and the moving footage shot for Band of Brothers.

morse1001 · 15-10-2007, 11:27 AM

I have a copy of the white paper issued giving a report of a visit of MPs to the Buckenwald camp. It makes grim reading

sgt petts · 24-10-2007, 10:45 PM

Mum recorded it fo me, so I will watch it soon.

I watched the Piano Player last week, very sad and destressing.
They poor chap in the wheel chair!!!