The Portraitist
Encyclopedia
The Portraitist is a 2005 Polish television documentary film
about the life and work of Wilhelm Brasse
, the famous "photographer of Auschwitz", made for TVP1, Poland, which first aired in its "Proud to Present" series on January 1, 2006. It also premiered at the Polish Film Festival, at the West London Synagogue
, in London, on March 19, 2007.
, his home town in southern Poland, Wilhelm Brasse was captured at the Polish-Hungarian border and deported to KL Auschwitz-Birkenau
, as prisoner number 3444. Trained before the beginning of World War II as a portrait photographer at his aunt's studio, he was ordered by his SS
supervisors to photograph "what they told him to photograph: prisoners' work, criminal medical experiments, portraits of the prisoners for the files." Brasse has estimated that he took about 40,000 to 50,000 "identity pictures" from 1940 until 1945, before being forcibly moved to another concentration camp in Austria, where he was liberated by the American forces in May 1945.
While all of Brasse's photographs are not extant, 40,000 that did survive are kept in archives, with some on display, at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
, and at Yad Vashem
, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, Israel
's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust
, and some of the Auschwitz-Birkinau State Museum archival photographs and related iconography are presented visually in the film, with narration through interviews with Brasse.
in 1940, at the age of 23, he was forced to take "identity pictures" of between approximately 40,000 to 50,000 other inmates between 1940 and 1945. With "courage and skill", documenting "cruelty which goes beyond all words ... for future generations", after his liberation at the end of World War II, Brasse "could not continue with his profession" and would never take another photograph.
In Portrecista Brasse relates the "story behind some pictures in the [Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum] archives that he remembers taking," which is "illustrated with archive stock and iconography."
, starring Wilhelm Brasse (as himself), was first shown in the "Proud to Present" series on the Polish television station TVP1 on January 24, 2006, and then was shown at the Warsaw International Film Festival
's "Jewish Motives" division, where it won the Grand Prix "Golden Phoenix of Warsaw" and at the 46th Kraków Film Festival
, where it won the National Competition Silver "Lajkonik". Its English premiere as The Portraitist was at the Polish Film Festival, at West London Synagogue, in London, on March 19, 2007, with a second screening by popular demand, on April 22, 2007, and, after the premiere, the audience participated in a "Q&A" with Dobrowolski and Brasse.
It was also screened at other Polish film festivals throughout Europe and film festivals in North America and garnered some additional awards.
Previewing the film, in his April 2007 profile of Brasse, "Returning to Auschwitz: Photographs from Hell", Keane writes: "Brasse has left us with a powerful legacy in images. Because of them we can see the victims of the Holocaust as human and not statistics. ... The photographs are the work of a man who fought to keep his humanity alive in a place of unimaginable evil."
The film program of Contact 2008, the Toronto Photography Festival, held throughout the month of May, in Toronto
, Canada, where The Portraitist was shown on May 10, says that "Brasse tells his story with chilling simplicity and haunting detail", noting that "Some images may disturb."
In reviewing the Contact 2008 screening, Fran Schechter observes that "Director Ireneusz Dobrowolski mixes the recollections of the now elderly survivor [Wilhelm Brasse] with a gallery of mug shot
s and SS
portraits and wartime film footage of ghettos and concentration camps." Schechter notes: "Any Holocaust
testimony has an impact", but adds: "this film could have delved deeper into the question of why the Nazis made photographs and other documentation of people they considered expendable", and is left wondering: "Were they proud of their savage efficiency, or using photography to normalize their actions?" Such questions lead to another controversial subject: "the roots of Nazi psychology", the title of a 2000 book by Jay Y. Gonen.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the life and work of Wilhelm Brasse
Wilhelm Brasse
Wilhelm Brasse is a Pole of Mixed Austrian-Polish descent who became known as the "famous photographer of Auschwitz"; his life and work are the subject of the 2005 Polish television documentary film The Portraitist , which first aired in the "Proud to Present" series on the Polish TVP1 on January...
, the famous "photographer of Auschwitz", made for TVP1, Poland, which first aired in its "Proud to Present" series on January 1, 2006. It also premiered at the Polish Film Festival, at the West London Synagogue
West London Synagogue
The West London Synagogue of British Jews was established on 15 April 1840. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the United Kingdom and the oldest Reform synagogue in the UK.-History:...
, in London, on March 19, 2007.
Background
In August 1940, when he was 23, after fleeing the Nazi occupation of ŻywiecZywiec
Żywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....
, his home town in southern Poland, Wilhelm Brasse was captured at the Polish-Hungarian border and deported to KL Auschwitz-Birkenau
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, as prisoner number 3444. Trained before the beginning of World War II as a portrait photographer at his aunt's studio, he was ordered by his SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
supervisors to photograph "what they told him to photograph: prisoners' work, criminal medical experiments, portraits of the prisoners for the files." Brasse has estimated that he took about 40,000 to 50,000 "identity pictures" from 1940 until 1945, before being forcibly moved to another concentration camp in Austria, where he was liberated by the American forces in May 1945.
While all of Brasse's photographs are not extant, 40,000 that did survive are kept in archives, with some on display, at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, and at Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and some of the Auschwitz-Birkinau State Museum archival photographs and related iconography are presented visually in the film, with narration through interviews with Brasse.
Synopsis
Portrecista (The Portraitist) examines the life and work of Wilhelm Brasse, who had been trained as a portrait photographer at his aunt's studio prior to World War II and passionately loved taking photographs. After his capture and imprisonment by the Nazis at Auschwitz concentration campAuschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
in 1940, at the age of 23, he was forced to take "identity pictures" of between approximately 40,000 to 50,000 other inmates between 1940 and 1945. With "courage and skill", documenting "cruelty which goes beyond all words ... for future generations", after his liberation at the end of World War II, Brasse "could not continue with his profession" and would never take another photograph.
In Portrecista Brasse relates the "story behind some pictures in the [Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum] archives that he remembers taking," which is "illustrated with archive stock and iconography."
Production details and screenings
Written, directed, and edited by Irek Dobrowolski, produced by Anna Dobrowolska for TVP1, Poland, and filmed by cinematographer Jacek Taszakowski, this documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, starring Wilhelm Brasse (as himself), was first shown in the "Proud to Present" series on the Polish television station TVP1 on January 24, 2006, and then was shown at the Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw International Film Festival , also known as the Warsaw FilmFest, is a film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 1985....
's "Jewish Motives" division, where it won the Grand Prix "Golden Phoenix of Warsaw" and at the 46th Kraków Film Festival
Kraków Film Festival
The Kraków Film Festival is one of Europe's oldest events dedicated to documentary, animation and other short film forms. It has been organised year after year since 1961....
, where it won the National Competition Silver "Lajkonik". Its English premiere as The Portraitist was at the Polish Film Festival, at West London Synagogue, in London, on March 19, 2007, with a second screening by popular demand, on April 22, 2007, and, after the premiere, the audience participated in a "Q&A" with Dobrowolski and Brasse.
It was also screened at other Polish film festivals throughout Europe and film festivals in North America and garnered some additional awards.
Selected critical responses
In her 2004 book Photographing the Holocaust: Interpreting the Evidence, published a year before the release of this film, Auschwitz historian Janina Struk recounts "the history of the use and abuse of Holocaust photographs", asking "whether or not these images can serve as 'evidence', as true representations of the events they depict." Struk's viewpoint is controversial and provocatively illustrates different ways in which film reviewers and other audience member may approach and understand this documentary about "the portraitist" of Auschwitz.Previewing the film, in his April 2007 profile of Brasse, "Returning to Auschwitz: Photographs from Hell", Keane writes: "Brasse has left us with a powerful legacy in images. Because of them we can see the victims of the Holocaust as human and not statistics. ... The photographs are the work of a man who fought to keep his humanity alive in a place of unimaginable evil."
The film program of Contact 2008, the Toronto Photography Festival, held throughout the month of May, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada, where The Portraitist was shown on May 10, says that "Brasse tells his story with chilling simplicity and haunting detail", noting that "Some images may disturb."
In reviewing the Contact 2008 screening, Fran Schechter observes that "Director Ireneusz Dobrowolski mixes the recollections of the now elderly survivor [Wilhelm Brasse] with a gallery of mug shot
Mug shot
A mug shot, mugshot or booking photograph, is a photographic portrait taken after one is arrested. The purpose of the mug shot is to allow law enforcement to have a photographic record of the arrested individual to allow for identification by victims and investigators. Most mug shots are two-part,...
s and SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
portraits and wartime film footage of ghettos and concentration camps." Schechter notes: "Any Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
testimony has an impact", but adds: "this film could have delved deeper into the question of why the Nazis made photographs and other documentation of people they considered expendable", and is left wondering: "Were they proud of their savage efficiency, or using photography to normalize their actions?" Such questions lead to another controversial subject: "the roots of Nazi psychology", the title of a 2000 book by Jay Y. Gonen.
See also
- Czesława Kwoka
- Expulsion of Poles by GermanyExpulsion of Poles by GermanyThe Expulsion of Poles by Germany was a prolonged anti-Polish campaign of ethnic cleansing by violent and terror-inspiring means lasting nearly a century. It began with the concept of Pan-Germanism developed in early 19th century and continued in the racial policy of Nazi Germany asserting the...
- The HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
- Kidnapping of Polish children by Nazi GermanyKidnapping of Polish children by Nazi GermanyKidnapping of Eastern European children by Nazi Germany , part of the Generalplan Ost , involved taking children from Eastern Europe and moving them to Nazi Germany for the purpose of Germanization, or conversion into Germans....
- Nazi crimes against ethnic PolesNazi crimes against ethnic PolesIn addition to about 2.9 million Polish Jews , about 2.8 million non-Jewish Polish citizens perished during the course of the war...
- NazismNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
External links
- Archives. United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
(USHMM). (Description of all its archives, including: "A combined catalog of published materials available in the Museum's Library, and unpublished archival materials available in the Museum's Archives. The published materials include books, serials, videos, CDs and other media. The unpublished archival materials include microfilm and microfiche, paper collections, photographs, music, and video and audio tapes." Among "unpublished" photographs in the USHMM searchable online Photo Archives are some of Wilhelm Brasse's "identification photographs", featured online with identification of Brasse as the photographer, credit to the "National Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum", identification of individual donors, and/or USHMM copyright notices. Visitors to the site who download any of these archived photographs are directed to contact the USHMM in writing for terms and conditions of use.) - Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Poland. English version. (Includes Centre for Education About Auschwitz and the Holocaust.) Further reference: "Technical page", with credits and copyright notice, pertaining to the official Website and official publications of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
- "Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Publications: Albums, Catalogues". (English version; also available in Polish and German.)
- International Tracing Service – "The International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad ArolsenBad ArolsenBad Arolsen is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and then until 1929 as the capital of the Waldeck Free State...
serves victims of Nazi persecutions and their families by documenting their fate through the archives it manages. The ITS preserves these historic records and makes them available for research." (Opened to the public in November 2007.) - Photographs of Wilhelm Brasse on the occasion of "Ein Gespräch mit Erich Hackl, Wilhelm Brasse und Ireneusz Dobrowolski" ("An interview with Erich Hackl, Wilhelm Brasse and Ireneusz Dobrowolski"), moderated by Jacek St. Buras, about The Portraitist, October 20, 2006, featured in Deutschsprachige Gegenwartsliteratur in Polen at kroki.pl (Reihe Schritte/Kroki). (Text and captions in German.)
- "Portraitist" ("Portrecista") – Official Webpage of Rekontrplan Film Group (Distributor). Adobe FlashAdobe FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
content, including video clipVideo clipVideo clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
. (Access: >Productions>Documentaries>Portraitist). Television documentary film produced for TVP1, "a television channel owned by TVP (Telewizja Polska S.A.)" [Updated "Events/News" re: screenings at Polish film festivals and awards also on site.] (English and Polish language options.) (Original language of film: Polish. With English subtitles.) - "Resources & Collections: About the Photo Archive" at Yad VashemYad VashemYad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
.