Le Dernier Témoignage

The last living Nazi's, some of which are still in denial, others/most are proud to have fought in the war, most are ashamed of the murders and one or two who are not ... I was left with a lump in my throat.

The masses of people can commit horrific atrocities when such acts reach a level of acceptability. Who among us has the courage to say no? The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately evil...

This is yet another documentary about The Holocaust (or The Shoah) but VERY different from all or most of the rest that exist. This one isn't about before, during or right after the event. This one is held in this century, interviewing the few people left that where there all those decades ago. It goes deep into how young people were compelled to be part of the Nazi party and how they were made not to care what was happening to the Jews all around them. One may call it the behind the scenes psyche of Hitler's army, which was made to be very powerful and compelling for anyone to at least consider joining them.

It's shocking to hear that, in the 21st century, some people still deny part or all of this time in history but, personally, made me think about where I would've stood had I been in the shoes of those young people. I know most educated people, including myself, want to believe they would have been on the side defending the Jews but after watching this, it's not so clear to me anymore.

The only thing I would have done differently or added is the explanation of all the terms that are mentioned but aren't translated: Mein Kampf, Kristallnacht, different titles of people, etc.

Excellent documentary. It's affirmed what I always wondered - How did they not know? They did know. Maybe not at first or until after witnessing one incident or another, but by slow degrees they knew what was happening to the Jews. As one man said after Hitler took power many from the intellectual leadership who opposed him were murdered & the rest were fearful for our own lives. It's easy for us to judge them, to say I would have done etc. Would I risk/ sacrifice the lives of our loved ones to save a neighbor? I'd like to think so, but I fear I would not have done much.

If you want to understand the motivation of middle-ranking perpetrators of the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes then this is an accessible route. An invaluable educational resource which deserves to be seen widely.