1 00:00:57,930 --> 00:01:01,870 This is the story of a film that was never completed. 2 00:01:01,940 --> 00:01:05,740 A film designed to serve as propaganda for the Third Reich... 3 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,500 ...that empire infatuated with a camera... 4 00:01:08,570 --> 00:01:11,740 ..that knew so well to document its own evil... 5 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:16,743 ...passionately, systematically, like no other nation before it. 6 00:01:18,660 --> 00:01:21,164 A full decade after the end of the war... 7 00:01:21,300 --> 00:01:24,340 ...East German archivists began for the first time... 8 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,910 ...to sort through what remained of Hitler's propaganda machine. 9 00:01:29,298 --> 00:01:34,428 Thousands of films discovered in the exact location in which they had been stashed. 10 00:01:34,595 --> 00:01:37,890 A concrete vault hidden in a forest. 11 00:01:39,433 --> 00:01:43,510 It is also there that one lone copy of a film was found. 12 00:01:43,570 --> 00:01:48,066 Over one hour long, with no soundtrack, no opening or closing credits. 13 00:01:48,170 --> 00:01:52,112 Only a brief title: The Ghetto. 14 00:02:03,540 --> 00:02:05,000 It was a rough first draft... 15 00:02:05,070 --> 00:02:09,340 ...of the longest Nazi propaganda film ever shot inside the Warsaw Ghetto. 16 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:14,340 The largest of the Jewish ghettos established by the Nazis in occupied Poland. 17 00:02:16,850 --> 00:02:20,870 The silent footage juxtaposed meticulously staged scenes... 18 00:02:20,940 --> 00:02:24,640 ...in which Jews are shown enjoying a life of luxury in the Ghetto... 19 00:02:24,700 --> 00:02:28,357 ...with images that required no staging at all. 20 00:02:39,490 --> 00:02:44,915 Why was the film crew sent to film the Ghetto shortly before it would be wiped out? 21 00:02:44,970 --> 00:02:49,711 And why was work on the film cut short in the early stages of editing? 22 00:02:52,050 --> 00:02:54,633 In the absence of a final version of the film... 23 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,303 ...the intention of the propagandists can never be determined. 24 00:02:59,346 --> 00:03:01,205 One can only surmise. 25 00:03:04,142 --> 00:03:07,938 Ironically, after the war, this film commissioned by the Nazis... 26 00:03:08,060 --> 00:03:11,984 ...turned into a trustworthy document for any filmmaker or museum... 27 00:03:12,110 --> 00:03:17,155 ...seeking to show what really happened to tell the untellable. 28 00:03:21,577 --> 00:03:23,996 The cinematic deception was forgotten... 29 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:29,251 ...and the black-and-white images were engraved in memory as historical truth. 30 00:03:34,670 --> 00:03:38,343 From the frenzy of propaganda, the images alone remain... 31 00:03:38,470 --> 00:03:41,221 ...concealing many layers of reality. 32 00:05:46,763 --> 00:05:50,809 May 1942, the Warsaw Ghetto. 33 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:56,064 Two and a half years have passed since the Ghetto was established. 34 00:05:56,190 --> 00:06:00,310 And in three months, many of those we see here will be sent to their death. 35 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:07,510 Here are images in which these people are still fighting for their lives. 36 00:06:16,070 --> 00:06:20,380 What the film doesn't tell is that nearly half a million Jews were trapped here... 37 00:06:20,460 --> 00:06:23,675 ...in a walled-in area of less than three square miles... 38 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,595 ...in conditions of unparalleled overcrowding... 39 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,170 ...plagued by hunger and typhus. 40 00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:33,644 The Ghetto housed not only the many Jews of Warsaw... 41 00:06:33,730 --> 00:06:38,815 ...but also thousands of Jewish refugees deported from all corners of the Reich... 42 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:44,112 ...with no possessions, no language, no chance to survive. 43 00:06:53,630 --> 00:06:56,917 Those who were caught smuggling food or attempting to escape... 44 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,470 ...were immediately captured and shot. 45 00:07:05,380 --> 00:07:09,721 And, as in every other ghetto, here, too, the Nazis had set up a Judenrat. 46 00:07:09,850 --> 00:07:13,900 A Jewish council appointing as its head Adam Czerniakow... 47 00:07:13,970 --> 00:07:16,228 ...whose job was to manage for them from inside... 48 00:07:16,350 --> 00:07:21,340 ...what has essentially become the holding pen before the final destination. 49 00:07:22,070 --> 00:07:25,910 As he fought a losing battle to save all he possibly could... 50 00:07:25,970 --> 00:07:29,116 ...Czerniakow insisted on documenting the events of his life... 51 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:34,663 ...day by day, with urgency, in nine diary notebooks. 52 00:07:34,730 --> 00:07:37,000 And even as time was running out... 53 00:07:37,070 --> 00:07:41,040 ...he made a point of writing extensively about the shooting of this film... 54 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:46,884 ...and of his part in it, an actor playing himself, unaware how his role will end. 55 00:07:51,388 --> 00:07:55,893 May 3, 1942... 56 00:07:57,190 --> 00:08:01,170 ...at 10 A.M, the propaganda crew arrived. 57 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,119 They started to take pictures in my office. 58 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:20,876 First, they staged a scene of rabbis and petitioners entering my office, etc. 59 00:08:26,630 --> 00:08:30,219 Then they removed all the paintings and charts... 60 00:08:31,180 --> 00:08:37,440 ...and brought in a nine armed candlestick with all the candles lit. 61 00:09:00,830 --> 00:09:05,796 May 7, 1942... 62 00:09:06,670 --> 00:09:09,800 ...on the streets, they are filming Jews. 63 00:09:18,335 --> 00:09:19,903 Oh God! 64 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:43,340 What if I see someone I know? 65 00:10:36,170 --> 00:10:43,101 I keep thinking that among all these people, I might see my mother walking. 66 00:10:50,340 --> 00:10:57,491 Leszno, the main street, was full of traffic. 67 00:10:57,910 --> 00:11:05,290 I remember that once they filmed people. 68 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,627 Germans would often show up. 69 00:11:08,750 --> 00:11:12,339 Usually for unpleasant reasons and usually shooting. 70 00:11:12,460 --> 00:11:19,550 So, when they were filming, it was much more positive. 71 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:25,769 Anyhow, it was never good news when Germans showed up. 72 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,655 By this time in the Ghetto, I was independent. 73 00:11:36,900 --> 00:11:39,992 I was already 8 or 9 years old. 74 00:11:43,410 --> 00:11:47,291 My mother let me play in the courtyard... 75 00:11:48,270 --> 00:11:52,540 ...and I went to all sorts of places by myself. 76 00:11:53,714 --> 00:11:57,810 So, yes, I saw them filming. 77 00:12:04,810 --> 00:12:12,357 They filmed beggars and all sorts of passersby. 78 00:12:12,570 --> 00:12:17,863 At the time, I didn't realize that they had deliberate intentions. 79 00:12:17,950 --> 00:12:20,340 But of course they did. 80 00:12:30,417 --> 00:12:35,047 May 14, 1942... 81 00:12:37,070 --> 00:12:39,927 ...the film crew is still very much in evidence. 82 00:12:40,470 --> 00:12:43,889 They are filming both the luxury and the extreme poverty. 83 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:53,380 When I returned home at 4 o'clock, I found uniformed filmmakers, etc. 84 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:01,170 They decided to film in our apartment. 85 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:08,413 I requested that a couple be engaged as actors. 86 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,840 They placed a sign on the door with something written on it. 87 00:13:23,260 --> 00:13:27,933 Two women and a male "lover" were brought to the apartment... 88 00:13:31,370 --> 00:13:33,540 ...and they started filming. 89 00:13:49,450 --> 00:13:56,545 In the meantime, an old Jew with a Vandyke beard was seized on the street. 90 00:13:56,750 --> 00:14:04,344 He sat in my apartment for hours, but his photogenic qualities were not used. 91 00:14:05,260 --> 00:14:09,266 I can imagine what happened when he returned home... 92 00:14:09,350 --> 00:14:13,187 ...and tried to tell his wife that he had earned nothing... 93 00:14:13,310 --> 00:14:17,110 ...while waiting for three hours to be a "star." 94 00:14:17,940 --> 00:14:22,654 I wonder whether I will ever meet you, my professional colleague. 95 00:14:22,860 --> 00:14:26,658 Did we not both miss our destiny? 96 00:14:57,810 --> 00:14:59,570 What on earth? 97 00:15:00,780 --> 00:15:03,670 Where did one ever see a flower? 98 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,115 We would have eaten the flower. 99 00:15:08,970 --> 00:15:21,255 Who could stay in their private apartment with their furniture and their teapot? Who? 100 00:15:22,700 --> 00:15:28,178 Only the privileged, like Czerniakow. 101 00:15:30,500 --> 00:15:37,060 Jewish families weren't allowed to live in more than one room. 102 00:15:37,190 --> 00:15:47,490 So, we took all the belongings we still had and squeezed into one room. 103 00:15:47,610 --> 00:15:51,700 At the same time, a family we had never met before... 104 00:15:51,770 --> 00:15:56,080 ...suddenly took over my parent's bedroom. 105 00:16:18,570 --> 00:16:24,276 When they reduced the area of the Ghetto, we got expelled from our home... 106 00:16:25,170 --> 00:16:28,989 ...and we had to find a new place to live within two days. 107 00:16:29,070 --> 00:16:33,827 We found a place and started to take our belongings there. 108 00:16:33,950 --> 00:16:36,810 We were given a room and a kitchen. 109 00:16:38,140 --> 00:16:46,089 And my father hired a man who had a cart with no horse. 110 00:16:58,850 --> 00:17:04,858 Once, as we were pushing the cart, loaded with our possessions back and forth... 111 00:17:04,980 --> 00:17:08,640 ...we saw them filming near 'Femina'. 112 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:20,415 When we realized that we were in their way, my father got scared and let go of the reins. 113 00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:24,253 The German jumped on him and beat him... 114 00:17:24,380 --> 00:17:31,426 ...until he fell down and the cart rolled away. I started screaming like crazy. 115 00:17:31,550 --> 00:17:33,804 My father was lying on the ground. 116 00:17:33,930 --> 00:17:39,393 "Stop screaming," He said, "Or they'll beat you too!" 117 00:17:40,270 --> 00:17:45,566 I put my hand over my mouth and stopped screaming... 118 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:52,614 ...and the Germans left us alone and continued filming. 119 00:17:52,740 --> 00:18:05,127 I looked up and saw two men, standing by a camera tripod. 120 00:18:06,380 --> 00:18:09,050 They were filming outside. 121 00:18:51,260 --> 00:18:53,430 The Ghetto was not a comfortable work environment... 122 00:18:53,510 --> 00:18:58,138 ...for the S.S. officers who carried out its step-by-step destruction. 123 00:18:58,260 --> 00:19:01,225 They set up their headquarters outside the Ghetto walls... 124 00:19:01,350 --> 00:19:05,604 ...in the Bruhl Palace, located in the Aryan part of Warsaw. 125 00:19:07,650 --> 00:19:14,071 In May 1942, their commander was the young Kommissar S.S. Officer Heinz Auerswald... 126 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,840 ...who submitted to his superiors weekly reports. 127 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,285 He described the developments in the Ghetto... 128 00:19:20,370 --> 00:19:24,164 ...including executions he himself had ordered, in the passive voice... 129 00:19:24,290 --> 00:19:27,470 ...as though these things happened by themselves. 130 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:32,130 Weekly Report, May 5, 1942. 131 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,761 The filming currently underway in the Ghetto continues... 132 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:40,590 ...despite the lack of cooperation by the inhabitants. 133 00:19:43,730 --> 00:19:53,735 During the filming in the Ghetto, there was an upheaval in the Jewish prison. 134 00:19:57,570 --> 00:20:04,204 When the film crew showed up with representatives of the Jewish Council... 135 00:20:04,390 --> 00:20:08,458 ...panic broke out among the prisoners. 136 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:25,559 Those imprisoned for leaving the Ghetto illegally were convinced... 137 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,090 ...that they were about to be executed. 138 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:36,490 Women and children fainted. 139 00:20:38,950 --> 00:20:45,913 Everyone calmed down only after the real purpose of the visit became clear. 140 00:21:29,660 --> 00:21:34,127 May 19, 1942... 141 00:21:37,130 --> 00:21:40,843 ...waiting for Auerswald's phone call about the film. 142 00:21:45,060 --> 00:21:48,800 In the afternoon, a hall was prepared for filming... 143 00:21:48,860 --> 00:21:54,810 ...where a ball with champagne is to be held tomorrow at 8:30 P.M. 144 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,070 'The Ladies' are to wear evening dresses. 145 00:22:01,700 --> 00:22:07,995 A messenger arrived with instructions that I am to play the role of the host. 146 00:22:12,420 --> 00:22:18,200 I called Auerswald, who forbade me to perform. 147 00:22:18,590 --> 00:22:21,633 He said that I should be at the community center at 7:30... 148 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:25,179 ...as something might still change. 149 00:22:25,300 --> 00:22:29,975 This means that the matter has not yet been settled. 150 00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:35,314 Will I have the strength to acquit myself honorably from this affair? 151 00:22:39,610 --> 00:22:47,576 Later I saw a hearse full of flowers taken from the cemetery to the ballroom. 152 00:22:52,330 --> 00:22:56,168 The city is full of rumors about deportations. 153 00:22:56,500 --> 00:22:59,922 They are talking about tens of thousands. 154 00:23:01,030 --> 00:23:10,474 Purposeful work under such conditions is admirable, and yet we do it every day. 155 00:24:08,370 --> 00:24:12,077 For years, researchers tried to discover who had made this film... 156 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,123 ...but none of the files, not one of the documents they uncovered... 157 00:24:16,248 --> 00:24:18,400 ...could solve the mystery. 158 00:24:18,660 --> 00:24:24,840 Only later, in the 1960s, a lead was discovered in the Warsaw City Archives. 159 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:30,304 It was a German entry permit to the Ghetto, issued at the time of the shooting of the film. 160 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:33,230 A single document that disclosed one name... 161 00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:38,400 ...Willy Wist, along with his profession: Cameraman. 162 00:24:39,188 --> 00:24:41,930 Willy Wist, who gave up filming right after the war... 163 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:46,403 ...and became a scrap-metal merchant, took great pains to cover his tracks... 164 00:24:46,430 --> 00:24:49,823 ...burning copies of films he had shot during the war. 165 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:55,287 Of all those involved, he was the only one to be exposed. 166 00:24:57,831 --> 00:25:02,570 Years later, when the German courts began to prosecute local war criminals... 167 00:25:02,630 --> 00:25:06,370 ...including the lawyer, former S.S Kommissar of the Warsaw Ghetto... 168 00:25:06,430 --> 00:25:10,928 ...Heinz Auerswald, Wist was among those called on to testify. 169 00:25:14,890 --> 00:25:19,230 Court transcripts record exactly what he was asked and what he replied... 170 00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:24,191 ...providing for the first time a point of view of the man behind the camera. 171 00:25:26,860 --> 00:25:30,364 Herr Wist, the court would like to know... 172 00:25:30,572 --> 00:25:33,033 ...whether you were ever assigned to the Warsaw Ghetto during the war. 173 00:25:33,162 --> 00:25:34,329 Yes. 174 00:25:35,330 --> 00:25:40,958 In 1942, I was sent there from Berlin with three other reporters... 175 00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:43,460 ...cameramen and photographers. 176 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,160 We were stationed in Warsaw. 177 00:25:46,230 --> 00:25:50,170 I worked there as a cameraman. 178 00:25:50,470 --> 00:25:52,594 When exactly was this? 179 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:59,893 Probably in the winter of 41-42. 180 00:26:00,660 --> 00:26:06,775 Herr Wist, allow me to refresh your memory. 181 00:26:07,070 --> 00:26:09,730 This is your entry permit to Warsaw. 182 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:26,753 It is probably true that I was in Warsaw in May 1942. 183 00:26:27,546 --> 00:26:31,008 I most likely said winter because... 184 00:26:32,090 --> 00:26:37,270 ...I remember being in Warsaw... 185 00:26:37,330 --> 00:26:41,393 ...when nature was still hibernating. 186 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:48,901 Did you or your colleagues have any idea what awaited you in the Warsaw Ghetto? 187 00:26:49,500 --> 00:26:56,074 On our way to Warsaw, we cameramen had no idea what awaited us there. 188 00:26:56,370 --> 00:27:03,081 Like many times before, we were simply told curtly that we should film there. 189 00:27:35,530 --> 00:27:42,870 I clearly remember filming trade on the streets. 190 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:45,958 We also filmed... 191 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:49,169 ...street scenes... 192 00:27:49,670 --> 00:27:54,591 ...and overcrowded houses. 193 00:27:56,300 --> 00:28:04,852 In this context, I remember being told to film... 194 00:28:05,770 --> 00:28:11,900 ...a large pile of feces in the courtyard of one of the buildings. 195 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:23,287 I remember thinking to myself that either because of the winter... 196 00:28:23,410 --> 00:28:27,530 ...or because of the overcrowding... 197 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,200 ...the sanitary installations had stopped working. 198 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:53,317 Do you see the garbage? 199 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,570 People would throw their garbage out of their windows... 200 00:28:56,700 --> 00:29:00,407 ...because they were too weak to go downstairs. 201 00:29:03,950 --> 00:29:09,625 Hungry people become apathetic. They don't care anymore. 202 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,655 The piles of garbage are real. 203 00:29:58,465 --> 00:30:02,420 I was ten years old at the time. 204 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:07,891 I was actually the dominant figure of my family. 205 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:16,066 Mother would send me to the Warsaw municipal garbage dump... 206 00:30:16,150 --> 00:30:22,489 ...and when I'd return home, I saw how they were eating what I had brought. 207 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:49,641 May 5, 1942... 208 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:55,290 ...in the afternoon, the filmmakers were busy... 209 00:30:55,350 --> 00:30:58,692 ...in the bedroom of Zabludowsky's neighbors. 210 00:30:59,150 --> 00:31:04,520 They brought in a woman who had to put on lipstick in front of a mirror. 211 00:31:25,140 --> 00:31:29,950 In addition to all this, there are persistent rumors about deportations... 212 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:37,564 ...which appear not to be unfounded. 213 00:31:38,860 --> 00:31:44,530 Kommissar Auerswald ordered us to provide a contingent of 900 people... 214 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,367 ...to leave tomorrow for an unknown camp. 215 00:31:57,460 --> 00:32:03,298 Have you met the Kommissar in charge of the Jewish quarter, Dr. Auerswald? 216 00:32:03,470 --> 00:32:08,595 I am not familiar with this name. I had nothing to do with his department. 217 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:16,979 Herr Wist, could you tell us, to the best of your knowledge... 218 00:32:17,104 --> 00:32:19,350 ...whether the purpose of the film was ever mentioned? 219 00:32:19,690 --> 00:32:26,280 I never knew what the purpose of the films we shot was. 220 00:32:27,450 --> 00:32:32,327 However, it was absolutely clear to me that they were intended for propaganda... 221 00:32:32,450 --> 00:32:35,020 ...particularly because we were focusing on the extreme differences... 222 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:38,917 ...between the rich and the poor Jews. 223 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,361 Oy, I remember that woman. 224 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:17,748 She used to walk around with her baby in her arms... 225 00:33:18,750 --> 00:33:25,130 ...screaming, and asking for a piece of bread. 226 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,101 I was 13 years old. 227 00:33:39,190 --> 00:33:43,982 I used to smuggle Kosher meat into the Warsaw Ghetto... 228 00:33:44,110 --> 00:33:50,447 ...by tram, through houses near the Ghetto borders through holes in the wall. 229 00:33:52,570 --> 00:33:58,497 I was always on the move, so I saw everything that was going on. 230 00:34:08,470 --> 00:34:10,840 They filmed all the time. 231 00:34:20,350 --> 00:34:26,191 For example, they brought geese to the market... 232 00:34:26,270 --> 00:34:33,699 ...to prove that Jews were living in reasonable conditions. 233 00:34:37,494 --> 00:34:39,955 This is horse meat. 234 00:34:40,620 --> 00:34:44,710 Not everyone could afford it. 235 00:35:02,060 --> 00:35:05,480 People who had goods or money... 236 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:09,776 ...were able to buy food up until the very end... 237 00:35:09,860 --> 00:35:12,905 ...albeit at exorbitant prices. 238 00:35:13,910 --> 00:35:21,455 There were 20, or possibly 50 people who could afford it. 239 00:35:21,580 --> 00:35:25,959 However, most people had nothing to eat... 240 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:31,256 ...nothing to wear, or to heat with because they had sold everything. 241 00:35:31,460 --> 00:35:34,218 They were waiting to die. 242 00:35:41,020 --> 00:35:45,521 People from respectable families... 243 00:35:45,770 --> 00:35:50,400 ...would take their loved ones, who had died, out to the pavement. 244 00:35:50,780 --> 00:36:00,077 In the morning, you woke up to find a corpse every 100 meters. 245 00:36:18,850 --> 00:36:24,518 I was 18 years old and I worked at the post office. 246 00:36:25,100 --> 00:36:29,606 One day I was walking on Leszno Street... 247 00:36:29,730 --> 00:36:35,571 ...when, suddenly, a big jeep with Germans in it... 248 00:36:35,700 --> 00:36:39,241 ...pulled up next to the cafe. 249 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:44,580 A young woman was lying next to the cafe. 250 00:36:44,870 --> 00:36:51,211 Sixty years later, I still remember what she looked like, though not her face. 251 00:36:56,140 --> 00:37:02,097 I could see exactly what they were doing. They didn't touch anyone. 252 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:08,020 They filmed the cafe and the woman and they laughed. 253 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:12,107 She was a young woman. 254 00:37:12,570 --> 00:37:18,655 By then it was obvious who was starving. You could see it on their faces. 255 00:37:39,550 --> 00:37:41,450 Financial Report. 256 00:37:44,020 --> 00:37:48,220 During March 1942, the following were brought in: 257 00:37:53,170 --> 00:37:56,610 2.8 kgs flour per head. 258 00:37:58,190 --> 00:38:02,870 0,199 kg sugar (white and yellow) per head. 259 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,620 1/5 egg per head. 260 00:38:12,210 --> 00:38:16,080 0.93 kg fresh vegetables per head. 261 00:38:17,170 --> 00:38:22,800 0.077 kg salt (white and grey) per head. 262 00:38:23,550 --> 00:38:29,226 Since 1/5th of an egg per month amounts to only 2.4 eggs per year... 263 00:38:29,350 --> 00:38:34,898 ...it is evident that the population resorts to free trade... 264 00:38:34,980 --> 00:38:39,194 ...in order to ensure a minimum level of nourishment. 265 00:39:21,570 --> 00:39:27,451 Smuggling along the Ghetto walls has been greatly reduced lately. 266 00:39:31,038 --> 00:39:36,668 A number of Jews caught smuggling were shot... 267 00:39:37,130 --> 00:39:40,370 ...as a consequence, the smuggling was reduced. 268 00:40:04,930 --> 00:40:08,909 This is Rubinstein! For heaven's sake! 269 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:13,497 "Alle gleich," everyone's equal, he used to yell. 270 00:40:19,419 --> 00:40:22,280 Do you see how people were lying on the street? 271 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:29,290 People lived here. 272 00:40:30,820 --> 00:40:33,290 They lived here until they died. 273 00:40:46,010 --> 00:40:48,740 What's the point of showing this? 274 00:40:50,409 --> 00:40:55,539 To show contrasts? There were many contrasts in the Ghetto. 275 00:40:59,630 --> 00:41:05,450 Many people kept clean and preserved their dignity. 276 00:41:06,030 --> 00:41:10,430 We used to shower and brush our teeth every day. 277 00:41:12,270 --> 00:41:15,430 Our mother took good care of us. 278 00:41:17,670 --> 00:41:20,540 Even though the conditions were impossible. 279 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:34,411 People who are not starving to death don't surrender their humanity. 280 00:41:34,950 --> 00:41:38,665 People made jokes in the Ghetto and laughed. 281 00:41:39,030 --> 00:41:41,720 Sometimes we would even sing. 282 00:41:43,630 --> 00:41:46,030 People did what they could. 283 00:41:47,050 --> 00:41:55,974 That was the tremendous contrast and paradox that the Germans had created. 284 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:36,723 Herr Wist, were you aware of the restlessness among the Jews... 285 00:42:37,224 --> 00:42:42,479 ...when the camera crews showed up accompanied by the SS? 286 00:42:43,490 --> 00:42:49,490 On the one hand, I was unable to have much contact with the Jews... 287 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:54,130 ...because the SS immediately pushed them away. 288 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:59,746 On the other hand, they brought us Jews they deemed appropriate for filming. 289 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:06,795 I do not know which department these SS men belonged to... 290 00:43:06,879 --> 00:43:10,924 ...or who their commander was. 291 00:43:16,190 --> 00:43:23,770 I'd like to point out that the Jews were frightened of the SS. 292 00:43:28,770 --> 00:43:32,860 There were no incidents during the filming. 293 00:44:56,405 --> 00:44:59,720 While the Nazis recorded their own version of history... 294 00:44:59,790 --> 00:45:03,120 ...Jews were risking their lives by creating in secret... 295 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:09,042 ...their own chronicle of life in the Ghetto, using pen and paper instead of a camera. 296 00:45:10,210 --> 00:45:12,470 Historian Emanuel Ringelblum... 297 00:45:12,540 --> 00:45:16,570 ...courageous enough at the war's outset to predict how it would end... 298 00:45:16,640 --> 00:45:20,340 ...had begun organizing a vast underground archive... 299 00:45:20,410 --> 00:45:23,348 ...documenting the daily struggle and annihilation... 300 00:45:23,432 --> 00:45:27,269 ...of one of Europe's largest Jewish communities. 301 00:45:27,310 --> 00:45:30,314 Recognizing that a scholarly narrative could never capture... 302 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:32,680 ...the many facets of this tragedy... 303 00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:37,720 ...he called on anyone capable of resistance to keep a personal journal. 304 00:45:37,790 --> 00:45:40,790 Right up to his final days in his place of hiding... 305 00:45:40,860 --> 00:45:44,660 ...he carried out the task of compiling dozens of individual voices... 306 00:45:44,730 --> 00:45:49,041 ...into a multilayered portrait, the final portrait. 307 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:55,910 Everyone wrote: journalists, writers, teachers, public figures... 308 00:45:55,980 --> 00:45:58,717 ...the young and even children. 309 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:04,848 Everyone was aware of the value of the work being done... 310 00:46:04,930 --> 00:46:09,760 ...and its importance for future generations. 311 00:46:10,670 --> 00:46:15,870 Our guiding principle was that the work should be multifaceted. 312 00:46:15,950 --> 00:46:19,710 Our second principle was objectivity. 313 00:46:20,030 --> 00:46:28,455 We aspired to present the whole truth, as bitter as it may be. 314 00:46:57,490 --> 00:47:02,823 Some of my friends who know about my secret diary... 315 00:47:03,030 --> 00:47:06,520 ...have suggested that, given their despair, I should stop writing. 316 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:12,000 "Why are you doing this? What for? Will you ever publish it?" 317 00:47:12,070 --> 00:47:16,370 "Will your words ever reach the ears of future generations?" 318 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:20,310 Nevertheless, I don't listen to them. 319 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:23,040 I feel that continuing the diary... 320 00:47:23,110 --> 00:47:27,570 ...until I am no longer physically and emotionally capable... 321 00:47:27,650 --> 00:47:31,420 ...is a historical mission that must not be underestimated. 322 00:47:31,490 --> 00:47:34,390 My powers of creation have not yet been silenced... 323 00:47:34,460 --> 00:47:39,359 ...even though I haven't eaten anything in five days. 324 00:48:11,030 --> 00:48:14,269 They continue filming everything inside the Ghetto. 325 00:48:19,270 --> 00:48:22,653 All the scenes are being staged. 326 00:48:34,540 --> 00:48:38,120 On Smocza Street, they assembled a crowd of Jews... 327 00:48:38,190 --> 00:48:43,257 ...and ordered the Jewish policemen to disperse them. 328 00:48:51,680 --> 00:48:55,102 To achieve a more 'Natural' effect... 329 00:48:55,230 --> 00:49:00,732 ...guns were fired in the air to induce people to flee in panic. 330 00:49:52,330 --> 00:49:54,320 Forty-five years passed from the moment... 331 00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:57,590 ...the unfinished propaganda film was discovered... 332 00:49:57,670 --> 00:50:01,919 ...until chance revealed another film reel, containing outtakes... 333 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:06,507 ...frames from the raw footage left on the cutting-room floor. 334 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:10,240 Images that were never meant to be seen... 335 00:50:10,310 --> 00:50:14,940 ...now revealed repeated attempts to stage moments over and over again... 336 00:50:15,020 --> 00:50:17,710 ...until a take seemed credible enough. 337 00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:52,636 They reveal the multiple angles from which these scenes were filmed... 338 00:50:52,720 --> 00:50:54,850 ...as well as the cameramen themselves... 339 00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:58,308 ...inadvertently captured in one another's lens. 340 00:51:12,530 --> 00:51:18,540 Do you know who told you and the other reporters what to film? 341 00:51:19,580 --> 00:51:25,550 We were brought to the various locations by a man wearing an SA... 342 00:51:25,670 --> 00:51:29,256 ...or brown party uniform. 343 00:51:29,923 --> 00:51:34,845 We called him 'Goldpheasant'. 344 00:51:35,890 --> 00:51:38,974 Can you recall his name and rank? 345 00:51:39,600 --> 00:51:42,686 I have no idea what his name was. 346 00:51:42,810 --> 00:51:51,236 Judging from his appearance, he must have held an important position. 347 00:51:51,570 --> 00:51:57,910 I believe he was in charge of propaganda matters in Warsaw. 348 00:51:58,410 --> 00:52:01,455 Could you describe what kind of contact you had... 349 00:52:01,540 --> 00:52:03,916 ...with this so called 'Goldpheasant'? 350 00:52:04,250 --> 00:52:08,962 'Goldpheasant' sent us... 351 00:52:10,100 --> 00:52:15,370 ...to various scenes or groups of people. 352 00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:22,400 He never gave us any explanation concerning the meaning of our filming. 353 00:52:22,480 --> 00:52:26,350 He simply said that he wanted us to film this or that. 354 00:52:32,860 --> 00:52:36,450 As far as I could tell, he knew nothing about film. 355 00:52:36,530 --> 00:52:42,955 We constantly had to point out that under the given light conditions... 356 00:52:43,080 --> 00:52:46,340 ...we couldn't deliver reasonable pictures. 357 00:53:04,230 --> 00:53:08,520 We didn't have a chance to express ourselves. 358 00:53:08,980 --> 00:53:14,027 We were sent by 'Goldpheasant'... 359 00:53:14,400 --> 00:53:21,326 ...to locations, to people, or groups of people. 360 00:53:23,610 --> 00:53:27,040 You were not given a chance to express yourselves freely? 361 00:53:27,374 --> 00:53:28,600 No, we were not. 362 00:53:30,544 --> 00:53:36,258 I know for a fact that the film was processed in Berlin. 363 00:53:36,840 --> 00:53:40,971 We were never told what happened with it after that. 364 00:54:18,990 --> 00:54:23,222 Today they set up a film session in Szulc's restaurant. 365 00:54:29,340 --> 00:54:38,195 They rounded up well dressed, typical Jews... 366 00:54:41,750 --> 00:54:45,480 ...seated them at the tables, and ordered that they be served... 367 00:54:45,550 --> 00:54:48,850 ...at the expense of the Jewish community... 368 00:54:49,120 --> 00:54:55,379 ...fish, geese, liquor, pastries and other delicacies. 369 00:54:58,970 --> 00:55:03,428 The Jews ate and the Germans filmed. 370 00:55:11,180 --> 00:55:15,210 It is not hard to imagine the motivation behind this. 371 00:55:16,820 --> 00:55:21,120 Let the world see the paradise in which the Jews are living. 372 00:55:28,430 --> 00:55:34,293 These despicable scenes went on for hours. 373 00:55:56,430 --> 00:56:01,153 Yesterday morning, the Germans took all the waitresses outside. 374 00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:04,770 The girls were lined up on the street... 375 00:56:04,830 --> 00:56:08,994 ...and were instructed to look happy and attractive. 376 00:56:09,970 --> 00:56:14,380 At the same time, they grabbed beggar children... 377 00:56:14,540 --> 00:56:18,712 ...and told them to walk by the elegant waitresses... 378 00:56:18,810 --> 00:56:23,410 ...with their hands out, into which nothing was put. 379 00:56:24,820 --> 00:56:29,450 This was recorded on film, to show that while the Jews live in luxury... 380 00:56:29,530 --> 00:56:32,220 ...they share nothing with the hungry. 381 00:56:43,360 --> 00:56:51,411 My mother also wore her beautiful coat, maybe even a hat. So what? 382 00:56:53,580 --> 00:56:57,640 Does that mean that life goes on as usual? 383 00:57:02,360 --> 00:57:06,390 After the filming, these people vanished... 384 00:57:06,460 --> 00:57:13,130 ...after being loaded onto trucks or caught in some other way. 385 00:57:13,430 --> 00:57:21,400 Perhaps they believed that being filmed would save them, but no way! 386 00:57:24,410 --> 00:57:28,574 Their fate was the same as everyone else's. 387 00:57:37,960 --> 00:57:41,753 Weekly Report, May 19, 1942. 388 00:57:44,090 --> 00:57:50,846 There are rumors that gas was used for the first time in this war on the German side. 389 00:57:51,140 --> 00:57:56,185 Rumors about new resettlements from Warsaw have been circulating for days... 390 00:57:56,270 --> 00:57:58,840 ...and have created an enormous panic. 391 00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:04,735 As usual, the 'Rumor makers' know from a 'reliable source'... 392 00:58:04,820 --> 00:58:10,449 ...that the German authorities intend to resettle the Jews of Warsaw in the East. 393 00:58:22,640 --> 00:58:28,130 The next morning at 8 A.M, all the actors were ordered to appear... 394 00:58:28,210 --> 00:58:31,110 ...at the New Azazel Theater. 395 00:58:31,980 --> 00:58:38,018 During the rehearsals with the actors on the stage... 396 00:58:38,140 --> 00:58:41,897 ...a group of soldiers picked up people. 397 00:58:43,490 --> 00:58:46,235 People started running and panic ensued... 398 00:58:46,320 --> 00:58:52,074 ...in the midst of which the Germans treated everyone to heavy beatings. 399 00:59:07,550 --> 00:59:11,750 Since no one knew why they were being held there... 400 00:59:11,820 --> 00:59:14,620 ...you could hear the sighs and groans... 401 00:59:14,690 --> 00:59:20,310 ...of the children who were picked up together with their parents. 402 00:59:27,970 --> 00:59:36,702 After each actor finished his part, the audience had to yell "Bravo!" 403 00:59:37,447 --> 00:59:42,416 The audience in the theater was held... 404 00:59:42,791 --> 00:59:46,620 ...until the filming was finished at 8 P.M... 405 00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:53,220 ...without food or any opportunity to take care of their bodily needs. 406 00:59:54,760 --> 00:59:59,030 When an actor sang happy songs... 407 00:59:59,180 --> 01:00:02,940 ...the audience was ordered to roar with laughter. 408 01:00:03,100 --> 01:00:08,970 Woe to anyone who didn't laugh properly. 409 01:00:09,045 --> 01:00:12,777 His fate was doomed. 410 01:00:12,950 --> 01:00:18,327 They laughed as they had never laughed before. 411 01:00:27,294 --> 01:00:35,886 The Germans ordered all the actors to overact as much as possible. 412 01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:51,860 David Seiderman sang 'My Yiddisher Mame'. 413 01:00:51,990 --> 01:00:58,992 Ruth Zandberg, who accompanied him on the piano, wept bitterly. 414 01:00:59,080 --> 01:01:07,376 Her mother, Yiddish actress Zusha Zandberg, had just died of typhus. 415 01:01:15,691 --> 01:01:19,685 The scope of the film is quite broad. 416 01:01:19,762 --> 01:01:25,727 The filmmakers are interested in ever aspect of Jewish life in the Ghetto. 417 01:01:26,900 --> 01:01:33,485 It isn't hard to guess their intentions for this 'Artistic' project. 418 01:01:34,410 --> 01:01:39,820 They aim to capture very 'objectively'... 419 01:01:40,180 --> 01:01:44,454 ...aspects of the so-called Jewish folk character. 420 01:02:07,480 --> 01:02:12,380 In front of our eyes unfolds the prologue to a great tragedy. 421 01:02:12,448 --> 01:02:17,821 Even though we don't know its name, we can sense what it's about. 422 01:02:17,950 --> 01:02:21,575 The name of the prologue: A Jew film. 423 01:02:23,030 --> 01:02:25,860 A group of artists arrived from Germany... 424 01:02:25,930 --> 01:02:30,300 ...with a list of scenes which the community must prepare for them. 425 01:02:30,366 --> 01:02:35,839 A t that point, even the blind could see where things stood. 426 01:02:41,340 --> 01:02:46,870 The community had to prepare a circumcision ceremony, a wedding... 427 01:02:46,950 --> 01:02:52,620 ...the Sabbath, both in the synagogue and the cemetery, and holidays. 428 01:02:53,190 --> 01:02:57,190 This clearly had one intention... 429 01:02:57,260 --> 01:03:02,860 ...to prove to the 'Righteous gentiles' in Hitler's camp that they are right... 430 01:03:03,120 --> 01:03:07,670 ...that there is only one way to deal with the Jews: Annihilation. 431 01:03:12,410 --> 01:03:15,170 I'd like to read you excerpts from the diary... 432 01:03:15,240 --> 01:03:21,134 ...of the Chairman of the Judenrat, in Warsaw, Adam Czerniakow. 433 01:03:22,184 --> 01:03:28,559 Czerniakow wrote daily entries in his diary mentioning the filming. 434 01:03:29,959 --> 01:03:35,065 The diary of the Chairman of the Judenrat survived? 435 01:03:35,765 --> 01:03:41,830 Yes. I'll read you the following entry from May 1942. 436 01:03:42,114 --> 01:03:45,932 You may interrupt and add details. 437 01:03:46,243 --> 01:03:48,273 Czerniakow writes: 438 01:03:49,945 --> 01:03:54,710 May 12, 1942... 439 01:03:57,150 --> 01:04:01,280 ...yesterday, they filmed a demonstration of a circumcision. 440 01:04:05,730 --> 01:04:12,477 They insisted that the circumcision take place in a private apartmen instead of a hospital. 441 01:04:18,010 --> 01:04:21,987 Since the 'actor' weighs less than 2 kgs... 442 01:04:22,710 --> 01:04:26,880 ...there is a danger that he might not live very long. 443 01:04:34,056 --> 01:04:36,821 I cannot recall this event. 444 01:04:36,892 --> 01:04:41,227 It may have been filmed by other members of the crew. 445 01:04:59,849 --> 01:05:03,786 Babies were born. Woe to those babies. 446 01:05:03,853 --> 01:05:07,756 It was the end for them and the end for their families. 447 01:05:09,758 --> 01:05:13,251 Apparently, my mother also got pregnant. 448 01:05:13,747 --> 01:05:17,733 I remember my mother coming back from somewhere... 449 01:05:17,800 --> 01:05:20,560 ...and lying down in bed for two days. 450 01:05:20,636 --> 01:05:24,049 I guessed that... 451 01:05:25,610 --> 01:05:27,910 ...she must have had an abortion. 452 01:05:27,980 --> 01:05:36,103 And I think to myself how lucky we were, that this happened in the spring of '42. 453 01:05:36,270 --> 01:05:42,317 If it had been three months later, when the deportation started... 454 01:05:43,068 --> 01:05:48,657 ...we might have all been sent to our death because of that baby. 455 01:06:03,145 --> 01:06:06,707 This week they invented a new way to torture us. 456 01:06:07,350 --> 01:06:11,471 First, they rounded up dozens of pretty young women... 457 01:06:11,600 --> 01:06:15,020 ...and brought they to a Jewish ritual bath. 458 01:06:15,270 --> 01:06:20,981 Then, men were rounded up and brought to the same ritual bath. 459 01:06:27,770 --> 01:06:34,369 While one Nazi whipped the heads of those who were captured... 460 01:06:34,703 --> 01:06:40,125 ...his colleague stood in a corner with film equipment. 461 01:06:40,816 --> 01:06:46,215 This is no t slander. Here is the film. 462 01:07:06,508 --> 01:07:08,904 I now recall... 463 01:07:10,160 --> 01:07:17,037 ...that one day we were told to shoot inside a ritual bath. 464 01:07:19,498 --> 01:07:23,794 We were then brought to a rather old building... 465 01:07:24,002 --> 01:07:30,592 ...which had a bath on the ground floor or in the cellar. 466 01:07:42,440 --> 01:07:46,810 Several naked women hesitantly stepped into the bath. 467 01:07:47,880 --> 01:07:51,150 There were about 8 of them. 468 01:07:52,781 --> 01:08:00,664 Standing up to their hips in water. 469 01:08:02,291 --> 01:08:08,255 One was an old Jewish woman, who I believe was also in the water. 470 01:08:09,006 --> 01:08:13,760 She murmured something which I understood to be prayers. 471 01:08:18,781 --> 01:08:25,711 These were women who were somewhat better fed. 472 01:08:27,733 --> 01:08:33,655 It was difficult to film in the bath because we didn't have enough light. 473 01:09:24,540 --> 01:09:27,848 Today the German s set up an original film scene... 474 01:09:27,920 --> 01:09:31,010 ...at the corner of Nowolipki and Smocza Streets. 475 01:09:31,920 --> 01:09:36,844 They used the finest hearse we have... 476 01:09:40,970 --> 01:09:45,100 ...which was taken by the Germans for the purpose of the film. 477 01:09:49,940 --> 01:09:54,319 They want to prove that Jews not only live a comfortable life... 478 01:09:54,440 --> 01:09:59,825 ...but also die with dignity and even get a luxurious burial. 479 01:10:01,660 --> 01:10:06,331 No good will come to us from this film craziness. 480 01:10:16,130 --> 01:10:20,345 But Jews don't bury their dead in a coffin! 481 01:11:00,180 --> 01:11:09,353 In the spring of '42, there were corpses on the sidewalks. 482 01:11:09,730 --> 01:11:17,277 Someone like me, who could still walk, had to make her way between the corpses. 483 01:11:18,570 --> 01:11:29,498 I hurried along the walls like a mouse, and suddenly a car pulled up. 484 01:11:29,540 --> 01:11:42,678 Two Germans stepped out and a third pointed a camera at the corpses. 485 01:11:42,803 --> 01:11:45,264 I hid. 486 01:11:52,440 --> 01:11:58,530 People who still looked more or less human... 487 01:11:58,740 --> 01:12:06,010 ...were kindly asked to walk by the corpses with their heads held high. 488 01:12:16,340 --> 01:12:21,842 They walked by and came back, and walked by again and came back again. 489 01:13:36,430 --> 01:13:44,466 It's true that we had to walk by. No one looked, it was impossible. 490 01:13:45,884 --> 01:13:50,202 We became indifferent to the suffering of others... 491 01:13:50,280 --> 01:13:53,040 ...because otherwise, it was impossible to live. 492 01:13:55,561 --> 01:13:59,554 It was so terrifying because I could be the next in line. 493 01:14:18,959 --> 01:14:21,920 When it was already dark... 494 01:14:22,210 --> 01:14:25,370 ...and I was walking down Karmelitzka street... 495 01:14:25,450 --> 01:14:29,430 ...which was crowded with people. 496 01:14:29,595 --> 01:14:33,765 I tripped on something... 497 01:14:36,220 --> 01:14:40,355 ...and lost my balance. 498 01:14:43,275 --> 01:14:49,281 When I opened my eyes, I saw that I had fallen on a corpse. 499 01:14:51,780 --> 01:14:55,830 My face was nearly touching his... 500 01:14:58,665 --> 01:15:01,050 ...and I was shaking. 501 01:15:02,130 --> 01:15:03,980 Then suddenly... 502 01:15:04,050 --> 01:15:09,593 ...it was as if all the corpses which I had previously avoided looking at... 503 01:15:10,190 --> 01:15:16,975 ...were there, in the face of this one man. 504 01:15:17,766 --> 01:15:19,997 It was a human being. 505 01:15:22,356 --> 01:15:28,028 I got home and I told my mother what had happened. 506 01:15:28,950 --> 01:15:32,070 It was only then that I started to cry. 507 01:15:32,848 --> 01:15:35,536 I cried a lot. 508 01:15:37,200 --> 01:15:43,877 I had always been so optimistic and strong, but suddenly it all broke down. 509 01:15:45,754 --> 01:15:51,385 My mother took out some bread and spread some jam on it for me. 510 01:15:51,552 --> 01:15:56,682 She gave me a slice of bread. 511 01:15:58,433 --> 01:16:00,542 A slice of comfort. 512 01:16:46,980 --> 01:16:51,445 May 1942, the Warsaw Ghetto. 513 01:16:53,700 --> 01:16:56,617 This was filmed by one of Willy Wist's colleagues... 514 01:16:56,700 --> 01:17:01,163 ...who had new film stock in color, as well as his own personal camera. 515 01:17:05,540 --> 01:17:09,922 It seems that he found time to record personal memento of Ghetto life... 516 01:17:10,010 --> 01:17:12,440 ...as well as of the making of the film... 517 01:17:12,510 --> 01:17:16,595 ...including the large crowd scenes staged by the film crew. 518 01:17:20,390 --> 01:17:22,856 Here is the funeral procession. 519 01:17:41,243 --> 01:17:43,508 And here, the market. 520 01:17:58,095 --> 01:18:01,014 And for a brief second, one of the cameramen... 521 01:18:01,098 --> 01:18:03,767 ...can be seen caught in the frame. 522 01:18:19,247 --> 01:18:23,275 Can you recall anything else about the filming in the Ghetto? 523 01:18:24,190 --> 01:18:32,820 In the Warsaw Ghetto, I remember seeing... 524 01:18:32,890 --> 01:18:38,552 ...a Jew going around with a handcart carrying corpses. 525 01:18:38,635 --> 01:18:43,307 I saw how he picked up a corpse in front of one of the houses... 526 01:18:43,430 --> 01:18:48,180 ...and continued to the cemetery. 527 01:18:59,020 --> 01:19:04,578 I remember seeing an arm and a leg hanging down. 528 01:19:12,767 --> 01:19:18,091 At the entrance to the cemetery, there was some sort of shack... 529 01:19:18,540 --> 01:19:22,270 ...in which corpses were piled up. 530 01:19:22,777 --> 01:19:30,562 There were some 40 or 50 corpses which still had to be buried. 531 01:19:31,980 --> 01:19:36,318 I filmed this shack from the outside. 532 01:20:04,054 --> 01:20:07,015 Today, I cannot watch this. 533 01:20:07,391 --> 01:20:09,977 I am no longer immune. 534 01:20:10,158 --> 01:20:14,106 Today I am human, today I can cry. 535 01:20:15,263 --> 01:20:18,652 I am so happy that I can cry... 536 01:20:20,570 --> 01:20:22,500 ...now that I'm human. 537 01:20:53,270 --> 01:21:00,277 I recall that I had to film a mass grave... 538 01:21:00,840 --> 01:21:09,995 ...with many layers of corpses. 539 01:21:11,453 --> 01:21:16,687 I can not say how many layers there were... 540 01:21:16,760 --> 01:21:21,507 ...beneath the layer which I could see. 541 01:21:29,170 --> 01:21:34,937 I remember the corpses being eased into the grave on a slide. 542 01:22:23,860 --> 01:22:28,407 Two Jewish workers were standing inside the grave... 543 01:22:28,530 --> 01:22:32,786 ...arranging the corpses next to one another. 544 01:22:35,970 --> 01:22:42,963 I have a vague memory that the corpses were strewn with chloride. 545 01:22:43,280 --> 01:22:50,150 Although I believe that the corpses were naked. 546 01:22:50,387 --> 01:22:52,983 I am not certain about this. 547 01:22:54,556 --> 01:22:57,769 The people were all skin and bones. 548 01:22:59,827 --> 01:23:07,166 At the time, my impression was that the people had died of starvation. 549 01:23:41,600 --> 01:23:45,770 These impressions in Warsaw had a profound impact on me... 550 01:23:45,943 --> 01:23:49,279 ...although later... 551 01:23:49,810 --> 01:23:52,250 ...I got to see quite a lot. 552 01:23:54,849 --> 01:23:58,650 They preoccupied my thoughts for quite some time. 553 01:24:11,890 --> 01:24:13,290 Herr Wist, during the filming... 554 01:24:13,370 --> 01:24:17,360 ...you were really unaware of the plans to resettle and physically annihilate... 555 01:24:17,440 --> 01:24:19,643 ...the Jewish population in the near future? 556 01:24:19,726 --> 01:24:24,104 I can only say that at the time, I definitely knew nothing... 557 01:24:24,180 --> 01:24:30,112 ...of the horrible fate awaiting the Jews of Warsaw. 558 01:24:30,690 --> 01:24:34,050 It was only after the war that I learned... 559 01:24:34,120 --> 01:24:38,420 ...about the planned extermination of the Jews in the Treblinka death camp. 560 01:25:04,190 --> 01:25:06,420 During the filming in the Warsaw Ghetto... 561 01:25:06,490 --> 01:25:11,490 ...I often had the opportunity to talk to the Jews... 562 01:25:11,570 --> 01:25:16,440 ...who had been sent there from Germany. 563 01:25:16,500 --> 01:25:21,120 From these conversations... 564 01:25:21,610 --> 01:25:27,169 ...my impression was that they were full of hope... 565 01:25:27,880 --> 01:25:30,010 ...and that they expected... 566 01:25:30,080 --> 01:25:35,344 ...to be resettled in Madagascar or elsewhere. 567 01:25:37,024 --> 01:25:41,189 They regarded their stay in Warsaw as temporary. 568 01:25:41,262 --> 01:25:47,189 I am absolutely convinced that at the time they had no idea... 569 01:25:48,040 --> 01:25:51,230 ...what their real fate would be. 570 01:26:30,945 --> 01:26:36,947 Although at the time, the malnourishment of the population... 571 01:26:37,150 --> 01:26:40,530 ...in Warsaw was appalling... 572 01:26:42,320 --> 01:26:47,100 ...I never thought that these people... 573 01:26:48,700 --> 01:26:53,690 ...would be systematically murdered. 574 01:27:29,420 --> 01:27:31,560 After 30 days of shooting... 575 01:27:31,640 --> 01:27:36,757 ...the film crew packed up its cameras and lighting equipment and was gone. 576 01:27:39,970 --> 01:27:41,810 Less than two months later... 577 01:27:41,880 --> 01:27:44,681 ..S.S officers appeared in the office of Czerniakow... 578 01:27:44,760 --> 01:27:48,410 ...the head of the Judenrat, instructing him to draw up a list... 579 01:27:48,490 --> 01:27:53,232 ...of many thousands of Jews for immediate deportation to Treblinka. 580 01:27:54,320 --> 01:28:00,322 Czerniakow was most likely aware that Treblinka was no more than a mass grave. 581 01:28:01,000 --> 01:28:04,910 The following day, when the quotas of Jews were significantly raised... 582 01:28:04,990 --> 01:28:09,414 ...he swallowed the cyanide capsule he had kept since the s tart of the war... 583 01:28:09,500 --> 01:28:14,840 ...and in the silence of his death, signaled his people, "This is the end." 584 01:28:18,120 --> 01:28:22,803 These were also the days during which the propaganda film was being edited. 585 01:28:22,930 --> 01:28:26,515 Soon it would be buried in the stacks of the archive. 586 01:28:26,640 --> 01:28:31,186 On its box, a single title: The Ghetto.