The effect of propaganda - based on the film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas directed by Mark Herman
Essay question: Describe an important idea. Explain why this idea is important.
An important idea that Mark Herman explores throughout the film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the effect of propaganda. Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. In the film the main character, an eight-year-old boy named Bruno (Asa Butterfield) lives with his family during the Holocaust. He learns that his father has been promoted and that they have to relocate to a house in the countryside near a concentration camp. He later befriends a Jewish boy his own age called Shmuel …show more content…
The audience hears dramatic music which later, blends with the sounds of children imitating aeroplane engines. In the scene Bruno runs past a Nazi soldier forcefully escorting Jews into a truck, unaware of the concentration camp that the Jews would be heading to. From this the audience understands that Bruno has grown up oblivious and uninformed of the propaganda of the Holocaust. Additionally, this reflects society as the general public of Germany during the Nazi war were unaware of Hitler’s true intentions.
Midway through the film Bruno and his sister, Gretel (Amber Beattie) get a tutor, Herr Liszt (Jim Norton) who promotes the idea of national propaganda and antisemitism. In a scene a close up shot of Gretel is shown as she reads, “The Jew slandered us and incited our enemies. The Jew corrupted us through bad books. He mocked our literature and our music.”
The camera then switches to a medium shot of Bruno. He then interrupts, “I don’t understand. A nation's collapse is all down to this one …show more content…
In the background, Gretel reads, “The aim of the Jew is to become the ruler of humanity. The Jew is not creative, but destructive. He is the enemy of culture. Thousands of Germans have been made poor by the Jew.”
From this the audience understands that Bruno questions the idea of Antisemitism. This is a reflection of society because Bruno represents the reasonable and kind side of humanity.
In the last scene of the film Bruno decides to help Shmuel look for his missing father. Although Bruno soon discovers the harsh reality of the concentration camp by seeing the sick and weak-looking Jews. Bruno, Shmuel and other inmates are told to take their clothes off for a “shower”. They’re then all packed into a gas chamber where the audience sees a medium shot of Bruno and Shmuel holding hands, still unaware of the gassing. The door closes and the audience hears yelling and banging as a soldier pours Zyklon B pellets into the chamber. The film ends by showing a shot of the closed door of the now silent gas chamber, Indicating that Shmuel and Bruno, are dead. From this the audience understands that Bruno did not realise the reality of the concentration camp and that because he believed in the propaganda he was willing to go in.
Essay question: Describe an important idea. Explain why this idea is important.
An important idea that Mark Herman explores throughout the film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the effect of propaganda. Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. In the film the main character, an eight-year-old boy named Bruno (Asa Butterfield) lives with his family during the Holocaust. He learns that his father has been promoted and that they have to relocate to a house in the countryside near a concentration camp. He later befriends a Jewish boy his own age called Shmuel …show more content…
The audience hears dramatic music which later, blends with the sounds of children imitating aeroplane engines. In the scene Bruno runs past a Nazi soldier forcefully escorting Jews into a truck, unaware of the concentration camp that the Jews would be heading to. From this the audience understands that Bruno has grown up oblivious and uninformed of the propaganda of the Holocaust. Additionally, this reflects society as the general public of Germany during the Nazi war were unaware of Hitler’s true intentions.
Midway through the film Bruno and his sister, Gretel (Amber Beattie) get a tutor, Herr Liszt (Jim Norton) who promotes the idea of national propaganda and antisemitism. In a scene a close up shot of Gretel is shown as she reads, “The Jew slandered us and incited our enemies. The Jew corrupted us through bad books. He mocked our literature and our music.”
The camera then switches to a medium shot of Bruno. He then interrupts, “I don’t understand. A nation's collapse is all down to this one …show more content…
In the background, Gretel reads, “The aim of the Jew is to become the ruler of humanity. The Jew is not creative, but destructive. He is the enemy of culture. Thousands of Germans have been made poor by the Jew.”
From this the audience understands that Bruno questions the idea of Antisemitism. This is a reflection of society because Bruno represents the reasonable and kind side of humanity.
In the last scene of the film Bruno decides to help Shmuel look for his missing father. Although Bruno soon discovers the harsh reality of the concentration camp by seeing the sick and weak-looking Jews. Bruno, Shmuel and other inmates are told to take their clothes off for a “shower”. They’re then all packed into a gas chamber where the audience sees a medium shot of Bruno and Shmuel holding hands, still unaware of the gassing. The door closes and the audience hears yelling and banging as a soldier pours Zyklon B pellets into the chamber. The film ends by showing a shot of the closed door of the now silent gas chamber, Indicating that Shmuel and Bruno, are dead. From this the audience understands that Bruno did not realise the reality of the concentration camp and that because he believed in the propaganda he was willing to go in.