Francisco Boix: Der Fotograf von Mauthausen

Based on real events about Francesc Boix (1920-1951) , a notorious Spanish man , he was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and photographer who was imprisoned in the Mauthausen concentration camp. At the Nuremberg and Dachau trials he presented photographs that played a role in the conviction of Nazi war criminals.

This is an exciting and moving biography about the camp concentration inmate Frances Boix , containg emotion , chills , thrills and astonishing images . Concerning the brutal existence of the inmates who lived in the camp of Mauthausen, where between others there are the soldiers who fought and lost in the Spanish Civil War, exiled from Spain by General Franco after winning the war . Mario Casas gives an acceptable acting as the Republican communist in the Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria who attempts to save the evidences of the cruel horrors committed inside its walls. He is well accompanied by a good support cast , such as : Alain Hernández , Richard van Weyden , Stefan Weinert , Nikola Stojanovic, Salazar , Franc Reyes , and Macarena Gómez . Futhermore , adequate and atmospheric Cinematography by Aitor Mantxola . And sensitive , appropriate musical score by Diego Navarro. The film was professionally made by Mar Targarona , though it has some flaws and gaps . She is a notorious producer , including titles as Orfanato, El habitante incierto, X3PD, Vivancos, Quien mato a Bambi , Las manos del pianista and El cuerpo directed by Oriol Paulo. Mar has directed a few films such as : ¨Secuestro¨ and this ¨Boix photographer of Mauthausen¨ and series as ¨Muere mi vida¨ and ¨Abuela de verano¨ . Rating 6.5/10 . Well worth watching

Based on actual events about Frances Boix : A Spanish republican who was exiled in France in 1939. He was recruited by the French Foreign Legion and French Army and captured in 1940 by the Germans. Boix, like over 7,000 Spaniards, was an inmate in the Mauthausen concentration camp between January 1941 and May 1945. From the end of August 1941 he worked in the Erkennungsdienst, the photography department of the camp administration, taking ID photos of inmates and documenting events in the camp. He was able to hide and preserve until liberation about 20,000 negatives taken by the SS head of the department, Paul Ricken , as well as by himself. On January 28 and 29, 1946 at the Nuremberg trial (International Military Tribunal), Boix was called by the French prosecution to show photographs taken by the SS in Mauthausen. Those photos depicted the conditions in which the prisoners lived and were murdered in that camp. They were also proof that the camp was known and visited by high leaders of the Third Reich, such as Ernst Kaltenbrunner, who appeared visiting both the Mauthausen camp proper, and the Wienergraben quarry adjacent to the camp. In April 1946 Boix was again a witness, this time in the American military trial that took place in Dachau against 61 accused from the Mauthausen camp. Between 1945 and 1951 Boix worked as a photo reporter in the French press,particularly for a newspaper associated with the French Communist Party. He died in Paris on 7 July 1951 from kidney failure at age 31.

Along with "Schindler's List," this is a stark, brutal re-enactment of actual events in possibly the most brutal and horrendous of all the concentration camps, Mauthausen. The film faithfully chronicles a true story... perhaps too faithfully for the faint of heart to watch. This finely acted film, which must have been excruciating for the actors to work on, is a must-see for its historical value, not for casual amusement (there's nothing amusing about sadism, unless you're a Nazi). The recreation of scenes the real photographer captured is amazing for their detailed accuracy, and the film brilliantly brings the images, originally captured in black and white, to life. I rated this film an "8", which I deem a very high rating, only because production values were not of top-notch calibre... but, then, they really didn't need to be for this film. The setting, along with the acting, was perfectly believable as is, and you'll be sucked into a nightmare as soon as the film begins... and stay there until the last few minutes. That alone makes this film a huge success.

About some very brave people at a horrible time in our history

It's so important that risk they took to document for all time what happened at Mauthausen is told to the world.

Excellent excellent excellent, this is a must see movie, on the scale of large budget Hollywood flicks, with a limited budget. It will move you, and remember based on true account and pictures.

While it can sometimes get very chessy and the low budget is aparent, this is still a interesting story with a very unique point of view and capable actors. Give it a watch if it sounds good to you! You won't be dissapointed.