Uwe Boll's Auschwitz

[krakenslayer]

My jaw hit the deck when I first read this thread. I thought this was going to be another Postal-style bad taste comedy. Then I watched the trailer... You know what? It looks like crap... BUT it also looks like, in his limited way, he's at least trying (trying) to do something serious this time around. Yes, he's courting sensationalism through the subject matter and controversy over on-screen violence, but I think he genuinely believes he's "uncovering" the horror of what truly happened for a modern audience in a mature way. He is utterly blind, or apathetic, to the fact that the world thinks he lacks the emotional maturity to handle it. In fact, it's this lack of emotional maturity that is what blinds him in the first place. He is incapable of understanding why people might think this is wrong, and knows only that they do and that he can use this controversy to his advantage. I genuinely believe he doesn't think he's doing anything untoward. As far as I'm concerned, in the interest of fair play, Uwe is welcome to his substandard, poor-taste version of the Holocaust. As offensive as it may be, I don't begrudge him his vision any more than I would begrudge Speilberg's. I, of course, have my own opinions of which is a better film, but fuck it, no one's gonna force me to watch Boll's version so he can do whatever he wants on his own time and whoever will pay him's money. As an aside, it's not the first exploitation movie to swim these waters, and compared to some of these flicks (most made in the 70s when the wounds of the Holocaust were even more raw than now), Boll's Auschwitz seems like a shining example of sober, understated drama: Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071650 Prisoner of Paradise: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127161/ Le lunghe notti della Gestapo (Red Nights of the Gestapo): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076337/ Salon Kitty: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075163/ L'ultima orgia del III Reich (Last Orgy of the Third Reich): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074569/ Lager SSadis Kastrat Kommandantur (SS Experiment Camp): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074768/ La bestia in calore (The Beast in Heat/SS Experiment Camp 2): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076649/ Love Camp 7: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063242/ Elsa Fräulein SS (Captive Women 4): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074469/ Nazi Love Camp 27: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140588/ Casa privata per le SS (SS Girls!): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083017/ Nathalie rescapée de l'enfer (Nathalie, Fugitive from Hell): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216023/ Helga, la louve de Stilberg (Helga, She Wolf of Spilberg): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215837/ She Devils of the SS: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071161/ SS Camp 5: Women's Hell: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147310/ KZ9: SS Extermination Camp: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074729/ I could go on reeling these off all night actually...

[bassman]

Although not dealing with the holocaust directly, just last year Tarantino released the history-changing Inglourious Basterds and it won an Academy Award....

[Ghost Of War]

It's interesting that Boll's reputation seems to be more of a talking point than the film itself. I've only ever seen House Of The Dead by him (thank fuck), and what a heap of crap that was. In retrospect, I doubt I would have even started this thread if it wasn't Boll who was making this film. Those films Kraken listed, a lot of those are very tongue in cheek, even camp (no pun intended), yes there's violence there, but they know that they're exploitation films. I doubt Boll even knows what the fuck he's making.

[bassman]

Joblo has linked to Boll's Facebook page(He has a facebook page?!?) where he had this to say about the reaction to the teaser... "its time for all the joblos, twitch, dreadcentral , aicn ...etc.. to GROW up and recognize that they have no clue what they are talking about when they talk about me because they didnt paid attention to my movies ..they just enjoy bashing me.... they pay attention to laughable , unknowledged directors" What a joke...

[AcesandEights]

This guy is a master at getting people to dance, I'll give him that.

[LouCipherr]

"its time for all the joblos, twitch, dreadcentral , aicn ...etc.. to GROW up and recognize that they have no clue what they are talking about when they talk about me because they didnt paid attention to my movies ..they just enjoy bashing me.... they pay attention to laughable , unknowledged directors" Is it me, or is this guy a delusional prick? Ummm, the reason why we bash you dumbass is because we DID pay attention to your movies.. and guess what? THEY FUCKING SUCK! I think Dj needs to send them his films and ask him to explain how he can make better movies than Ewe with less than $10,000.

[shootemindehead]

Personally, I think Boll is a very smart business man. He's made a lot of money making shite movies and he’s the one laughing in the end. He's also a master at generating publicity and talk about his grade z movies. I also have no doubt that a lot of people are going to be getting their knickers in a twist over the "exploitative" nature of 'Auschwitz'. Frankly, I think that's a load of bollocks. All films that have been made about that series of events known as the "holocaust" are exploiting it and that includes Speilberg's effort. Movies are exploitation full stop and just because someone decides to set their movie to events in a certain camp in Poland doesn't male it any more or less so. Most "holocaust films" are simply manipulative muck, with cardboard characters and an eye on the Oscars. Few have any real integrity. In fact, I can think of only one movie which comes close to being any good and that's the little seen 'The Grey Zone' from 2001, which for some bizarre reason never reached the success it should have considering the generally fawning nature of the industry towards such films. Maybe because the wasn't the usual clear cut "Jews good, Germans Bad" angle employed? Frankly, I'm sick of "holocaustsploitation", it's been done to death and simply strikes me on the same level as the "nazisploition" movies of the 70's now...and while I've no doubt that Uwe Boll's attempt will receive the distain it will deserve (going on his track record), the truly annoying thing about the whole subgenre is the sycophantic reverence it makes some people vomit.

[Neil]

Can't wait to see the reviews of this film... Oddly, it's not listed on IMDB? But "Bloodrayne: The Third Reich" is!?

[SymphonicX]

Although not dealing with the holocaust directly, just last year Tarantino released the history-changing Inglourious Basterds and it won an Academy Award.... Yeah that's true - I've got a theory about that movie - It seemed like an answer to Valkyrie - which was an awesome movie in it's own right - but how many of us who saw it didn't sit there and beg for the plot to work and hitler to die...? We knew it wouldn't happen though! But Inglourious Basterd's answered that NEED for me to see Hitler shot in the face with a machine gun - it really satisfied something so deep in me that I never realised it was there! It was a very humble, very honest movie and it wasn't attempting to be accurate - it was simply entertainment, but even that was sensitive to the plight of the jewish people and sensitive to the horrors which the National Socialists were part of. When dealing factually with a subject however, a lot of sensitivity is required - Boll has never proven himself as either a writer nor a director and certainly hasn't proven he can display the gamut of emotions required from a film maker tackling a subject such as this - Tarantino didn't need to - because he was satisfying an urge within us all, and doing it with artistic credibility and licence, and doing it fictiously. Everyone know's Boll's films are pure trash and no one is expecting him to be able to give the justice to the survivors and victims of this evil time - sure he can have a crack at it but the difference between what Tarantino has done and what Boll will do is purely based on one ficticious story, and one potentially horrible movie pretending to be factually accurate. What would you all say to "Uwe Boll's 9/11: The Victim's Last Seconds" or "Uwe Boll's Katrina: Terror in the Skies" or even "Uwe Boll's Fritzl: Dad of the Year" I'd be pretty horrified...!

[EvilNed]

I think the AICN guys are sometimes really great, and sometimes just dicks. And after Postal, Uwe Boll has earned my respect. This film, like any of his films could go both ways. Too bad people have already judged it beforehand. Oh well. That's the internet for you. Suddenly everyone's an expert.

[AcesandEights]

I think the AICN guys are sometimes really great, and sometimes just dicks. And after Postal, Uwe Boll has earned my respect. This film, like any of his films could go both ways. Too bad people have already judged it beforehand. Oh well. That's the internet for you. Suddenly everyone's an expert. Yes, and it's ashame that I've judged that getting a root canal to be a painful and expensive waste of time, as well. Wait for it... Wait for it... (Goddamn right that's the first time I've used that new smiley and it was on a Uwe Boll post. Poifect!)