The Relief of Belsen
Encyclopedia
The Relief of Belsen is a feature-length drama that was first shown on Channel 4
in the United Kingdom
on 15 October 2007. It depicts events that unfolded at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
following the liberation of the camp by British troops in April 1945. Written by Justin Hardy and Peter Guinness
, it nevertheless cites its sources from eye witness accounts of people who were there at the time. These accounts are referred to throughout the film. It was directed by Justin Hardy, and produced in association with the Wellcome Trust
.
camp; however the full enormity of the purpose of the camp is soon revealed. A bemused Derek Sington (Tobias Menzies
) tells the Rabbi
"I'm afraid it's mainly your crowd". Soon they realise that three quarters of the camp inmates are Jewish women and children from all over Eastern Europe.
Brigadier Glyn Hughes
(played by Corin Redgrave
) tells his men that typhus
is the main concern, and that this will be dealt with by Lt Col James Johnston, a highly respected officer who has performed heroic deeds in the past. Secretly, however, as revealed by his private memoir, "Johnny" as he is known, has terrible misgivings about the task in hand. There are some 40 thousand prisoners living in two hundred huts, in the most terrible conditions imaginable. The men cannot comprehend what they have stumbled upon.
As the days pass, more and more inmates die, from typhus and starvation. The British army have arranged a truce with the Germans to try and contain the spreading infection; eventually Johnston (Iain Glen) forces the SS to remove the corpses for burial.They continue to use the German nurses for the treatment of the typhus patients. The Rabbi, Leslie Hardman
, is desperate to help the inmates, but when he smuggles totally inappropriate food to them, he does more harm than good, and many die. The rations they are being given are not working either, and despite managing to control the typhus, hundreds are dying every day. Johnston and his officers risk being overwhelmed by the situation. Polish doctor Ada Bimko (Frog Stone) tells Johnston and Gonin of the horrors of the holocaust.
An English nurse, Jean MacFarlane (Jemma Redgrave
) arrives. She is inexperienced, and at first Johnston dismisses her. However, she shows strength of character and supports Johnston when he starts to crumble.
Eventually, after a raid on the hospital by the Luftwaffe
, Gonin challenges Johnston's competence, calling him a "pen-pusher", but he has loyal friends who point to his past bravery. Medical students arrive at the camp to feed the inmates a special "Bengal Famine mixture" that has been sent over from India. Despite initial failure, the women slowly take the mixture, and progress is finally made. As Gonin, initially hostile, tells a despairing Johnston "It's the little things that matter here". A shipment of lipstick
is flown in to Johnston's disgust, but the women are thrilled, and he realises then how important it is for them to feel like women again after the degradation they have suffered. Despite several setbacks many inmates are fit enough to prepare to leave the camp, and the women are kitted out in second hand clothes from a makeshift "shop" called "Harrods
".
is seen both in the drama and in the BBC report he gave in 1945. Johnston and Sington watch footage of a tractor scooping up corpses ready for burial, and Johnston tells Sington "I don't think people are going to want to see this." But Sington disagrees. He tells Johnston "I think people should see this."
The film ends with a condensed account of the lives of the main characters after they left Belsen. We are told that they all kept in contact through the years, and all were deeply affected by their experience there.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 15 October 2007. It depicts events that unfolded at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
following the liberation of the camp by British troops in April 1945. Written by Justin Hardy and Peter Guinness
Peter Guinness (writer)
Peter Guinness is a British television writer. His credits include The Relief of Belsen .-External links:...
, it nevertheless cites its sources from eye witness accounts of people who were there at the time. These accounts are referred to throughout the film. It was directed by Justin Hardy, and produced in association with the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
.
Plot
An ambulance crew are diverted away from the front in Northern Germany to help with an unfolding medical emergency at Belsen. At first, Lt Col Mervyn Gonin thinks it is a prisoner of warPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp; however the full enormity of the purpose of the camp is soon revealed. A bemused Derek Sington (Tobias Menzies
Tobias Menzies
Tobias Menzies is an English stage, television, and film actor, best known for his role as Brutus in the 2005/2007 TV series Rome.-Early years:...
) tells the Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
"I'm afraid it's mainly your crowd". Soon they realise that three quarters of the camp inmates are Jewish women and children from all over Eastern Europe.
Brigadier Glyn Hughes
Hugh Llewellyn Glyn Hughes
Brigadier Hugh Llewellyn Glyn Hughes CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MC, MRCS was a British military officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps and later medical administrator, educationalist and sports administrator...
(played by Corin Redgrave
Corin Redgrave
Corin William Redgrave was an English actor and political activist.-Early life:Redgrave was born in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson...
) tells his men that typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
is the main concern, and that this will be dealt with by Lt Col James Johnston, a highly respected officer who has performed heroic deeds in the past. Secretly, however, as revealed by his private memoir, "Johnny" as he is known, has terrible misgivings about the task in hand. There are some 40 thousand prisoners living in two hundred huts, in the most terrible conditions imaginable. The men cannot comprehend what they have stumbled upon.
As the days pass, more and more inmates die, from typhus and starvation. The British army have arranged a truce with the Germans to try and contain the spreading infection; eventually Johnston (Iain Glen) forces the SS to remove the corpses for burial.They continue to use the German nurses for the treatment of the typhus patients. The Rabbi, Leslie Hardman
Leslie Hardman
Reverend Leslie Henry Hardman MBE, HCF, , was an Orthodox Rabbi and the first Jewish British Army Chaplain to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, an experience "that made him a public figure, both within his community and outside it".-Early life:Hardman was born in Glynneath, Wales to a Polish...
, is desperate to help the inmates, but when he smuggles totally inappropriate food to them, he does more harm than good, and many die. The rations they are being given are not working either, and despite managing to control the typhus, hundreds are dying every day. Johnston and his officers risk being overwhelmed by the situation. Polish doctor Ada Bimko (Frog Stone) tells Johnston and Gonin of the horrors of the holocaust.
An English nurse, Jean MacFarlane (Jemma Redgrave
Jemma Redgrave
Jemma Redgrave is a fourth-generation English actress of the Redgrave family.-Early life/family:Born in London as Jemima Rebecca Redgrave, she is the daughter of the late actor Corin Redgrave and his first wife, the late Deirdre Hamilton-Hill, a former fashion model. They divorced when Jemma was...
) arrives. She is inexperienced, and at first Johnston dismisses her. However, she shows strength of character and supports Johnston when he starts to crumble.
Eventually, after a raid on the hospital by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, Gonin challenges Johnston's competence, calling him a "pen-pusher", but he has loyal friends who point to his past bravery. Medical students arrive at the camp to feed the inmates a special "Bengal Famine mixture" that has been sent over from India. Despite initial failure, the women slowly take the mixture, and progress is finally made. As Gonin, initially hostile, tells a despairing Johnston "It's the little things that matter here". A shipment of lipstick
Lipstick
Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that applies color, texture, and protection to the lips. Many varieties of lipstick are known. As with most other types of makeup, lipstick is typically, but not exclusively, worn by women...
is flown in to Johnston's disgust, but the women are thrilled, and he realises then how important it is for them to feel like women again after the degradation they have suffered. Despite several setbacks many inmates are fit enough to prepare to leave the camp, and the women are kitted out in second hand clothes from a makeshift "shop" called "Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
".
Themes
Throughout the film, original footage is seamlessly interspersed with the dramatisation. Richard DimblebyRichard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby CBE was an English journalist and broadcaster widely acknowledged as one of the greatest figures in British broadcasting history.-Early life:...
is seen both in the drama and in the BBC report he gave in 1945. Johnston and Sington watch footage of a tractor scooping up corpses ready for burial, and Johnston tells Sington "I don't think people are going to want to see this." But Sington disagrees. He tells Johnston "I think people should see this."
The film ends with a condensed account of the lives of the main characters after they left Belsen. We are told that they all kept in contact through the years, and all were deeply affected by their experience there.
See also
- Emmanuel FisherEmmanuel FisherEmmanuel Fisher was a British composer and conductor who was best known for leading the London Jewish Male Choir for 21 years....
, British composer whose humanitarian rescue work was dramatized in this film