The Auschwitz Report

Well, first of all, if you sit down to watch the 2021 movie "The Auschwitz Report" with the hopes of it being a classic World War II movie, then you are in for a rude awakening. This is not a war movie about troops fighting on the land, air or sea, no this is a movie about the two people that managed to escape the horror of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and compile a report about the location and the events that took place there.

"The Auschwitz Report" is a slow paced movie, but it is an entertaining movie nonetheless. However, I doubt that writers Peter Bebjak, Tomás Bombík and Jozef Pastéka's 2021 movie is one that will easily fall into everyone's liking though. And while the movie does take place in one of history's most vile and loathsome places, then director Peter Bebjak actually manages to keep the movie relatively free of the atrocities committed there, but at the same time you know very well about the horrors that took place.

I enjoyed this movie given the historical aspect to the storyline, and also because it was based on actual events.

The movie does have some good acting performances by the cast, though I were only familiar with John Hannah of all the actors and actresses that were in the movie. I will say that actors Noel Czuczor and Peter Ondrejicka definitely carried the movie quite well with their performances.

I suppose that a movie such as this is one that can be difficult for some viewers to sit through.

"The Auschwitz Report" is a movie that you have to watch if you have an interest in World War II, and especially so if you have an interest in the events that took place at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

My rating of "The Auschwitz Report" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Impressive movie about the infamous concentration camp with realist setting , top-notch acting and evocative cinematography. This excellent movie deals with the horror of 1944 in Auschwitz , the infamous extermination center, capturing an insightful portrait of hell and the spiritual experience and focusing the fictionalized story of two prisoners attempting to escape, they are Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler. On 10 April 1944, after meticulous planning, and with the help and resilience of their inmates, they manage to escape. Based on the novel by Wetzler called 'What Dante did not See.' They hide for 3 days and escape once the search for them is over. They'll report their experiences about mass murders, Zyklon B and the astonishing work of the Sonderkommandos by executing the deadly and forced assignments.

A terrific and extraordinary movie dealing with the inferno of the camps of death located in Auschwitz. This is the true story of Freddy and Walter--two young Slovak Jews, who were deported to Auschwitz in 1942. While the inmates they had left behind, courageously stand their ground against Nazi officers, the two men are driven on by the hope that their evidence can save lives. Both of whom give a very good acting with their subjective vision, while the remaining prisoners are submitted to the brutality of a ruthless Nazi officer when he finds out about the escape . Emaciated and hurt, they make their way through the mountains back to Slovakia. With the help of chance encounters, they finally manage to cross the border and meet the resistance, and The Red Cross. They compile a detailed report about the systematic genocide at the camp, however, with Nazi propaganda and international liaisons still in place, their account seems to be too harrowing to believe. The movie gets a breathtaking and exciting getaway and it was well realized, developing compellingly the recreation of the escape from the Nazi Death Camp in Auschwitz.

A good work which is reminiscent in some aspects of that of the Hungarian László Nemes in his amazing ¨Son of Saúl¨. Indeed, Bebjak's directorial ¨The Auschwitz Report¨, also titled ¨Escape from Auschwitz¨, stands out for its conceptual approach. The story, of extraordinary simplicity but with sudden explosion of grisly violence, is at the service of cinema and not the other way around; in this way, the rules of representation are managed by the director, who has control of his proposal, establishing precise parameters that the viewer must absorb to understand the scope of the film. This terrible picture is well set in Auschwitz , it was a painful extermination camp of killing of Jews including children . We see horrors , murders , massacres against the prisoners but from a particular sight point of two escaped inmates.

It is a dark and serious flick co-produced by Slovakia/Czechia/Poland/Germany , a magnificent movie about the brutal existence at concentration camp and subsequent breakout from horrible place . The picture is based on real events , as Auschwitz along with Sobibór , Chelmno , Belzec and Treblinka were five large death camps in the Lublin district of Poland transformed into extermination centers to implement the policy of genocide thought at the Wannsee Conference . All the concentration camps were under the command of SS Odilo Globocnick . There was some minor industrial activity linked to the war effort but the main work was the execution of inmates . Victims were brought to the camp in unventilated transports , and all but a handful were gassed after arrival , the gas chambers could accommodate hundred prisoners at one time , most of their corpses were burned in open pits .

It contains a good though unknown cast - exception for the prestigious British actor John Hanna- giving vigorous performances. Shot on location in Slovakia and at the actual Auschwitz death camp, some of the existing structures were utilized in the production, however, the crematorium had to be recreated since the actual crematoria in Auschwitz were destroyed by the Nazis; the ruins still exist today. The picture was well made by Slovak director Peter Bebjak, whose work is more limited to television series and who has made some feature films, here he manages to consolidate constant originality, thanks to his brilliant direction.

Along with this ¨Escape from Auschwitz¨ (2021) , I would highlight other films about concentration camps that have left an important film footprint: ¨Escape from Sobibor¨ (1987) by Jack Gold, ¨Triumph of the Spirit¨ (1989) by Robert M. Young, ¨The Grey Zone¨(2001), ¨Son of Saul¨ (2015) by Laszlo Nemes and the best ¨The List Schindler¨ (1993) by Steven Spielberg.

This true story is a must see for anyone interested in WW2 history. The writers put a lot of effort to make the story correct. Even when it would result in the movie coming dull at some times. Especially the last 30 minutes of the movie were slowgoing. The part of the movie that covered what happened in the camp was however more than sufficient to still give this movie a 7-star rating.

I wish there were more of these movies that show the horrors that took place during WW2. Especially in the current-day climate of increasing tensions between the "west" and "east", people should know how horrible wars can be.

With an important story to tell and a strong cast "The Auschwitz Report" had the basis for a very good film. However, the many well-crafted scenes in the film never seem to gel as a coherent whole. The main flaws in the film are holes in sections of the script and awkward editing. The build up of tension in the plot seems to go nowhere, leading to a rushed and anti-climatic conclusion. Better films of this genre are "Schindler's List" and "The Counterfeiters".

The viewer knows they have watched something beyond spectacular when, how it is portrayed doesn't mean as much, as the message that is given.

Such a pity that it took over 80 years for this story to come to light however, at least it did; and may the decendents feel proud, for this enlightment.