Antares,
Have your ever seen Paragraph 175?
Overview:
The Nazi persecution of homosexuals may be the last untold story of the Third Reich. Directed by Oscar winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt and The Times of Harvey Milk), Paragraph 175 fills a crucial gap in the historical record, and reveals the lasting consequences of this hidden chapter of 20th century history.
This epic story is told through personal accounts of men and women who lived through it: the Jewish gay resistance fighters who posed as a Hitler Youth member to rescue his lover from a Gestapo transfer camp; the Jewish lesbian who escaped to England with the help of an older woman she had a crush on; the photographer and loyal German citizen who was arrested and imprisoned for homosexuality, then joined the army on his release because "he wanted to by with men."
These are stories of survivors- sometimes bitter, but just as often filled with irony and humor; tortured by their memories, yet infused with a powerful will to endure. Their moving testimonies, rendered with evocative images of their lives and times, tell a haunting, compelling story of human resilience. Intimate in its portrayals, sweeping in its implications, Paragraph 175 raises provocative questions about memory, history and identity.
I have to thank you Kathy for suggesting this DVD. My wife and I just finished watching it, and we both really thought it was a fantastic documentary.
I really felt bad for the Alsatian man and the man who went to work for his brother after the war. The latter seemed to be in need of releasing his repressed feelings on the subject of his imprisonment. Very powerful film, I recommend it highly.
Once again, thank you Kathy.
