Genocide Films, Public Criminology, Collective Memory

Rethinking Holocaust Representation: Reflections on Rex Bloomstein'sKZ

“…Both documentary and fictional films can, therefore, serve to universalise the Holocaust, oversimplifying the complexity of this period of history for easy public consumption, and failing to recognise the dissonance that exists in historical narratives. Brown and Rafter (), drawing on Lacan, discuss genocide films that either ‘act out’ or ‘work through’ history. The former use traditional tools of cinematic narrative (easily distinguished ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’, recovery and closure) and favour ‘voyeuristic engagement’ for the duration of the film, whereupon we ‘forget’.…”

“…So whilst our fascination with the spectacle of suffering may be normative, some images and their overuse can serve to emotionally distance the viewer from the victim, dehumanising them and denying empathy. It can be argued that it is essential to force the spectator to face the true horror of the Holocaust in order to ‘bear witness’ (Hirsch ), but the image itself, the context in which it is used, our interpretation and response (emotional and ethical) is central for cultural criminology (Carrabine , ; Brown and Rafter ).…”

“…Brown and Rafter () analyse the documentary Shoah (1985) as a prime example of a critically reflective Holocaust film. Director Claude Lanzmann made a conscious moral decision when filming to exclude all images of the past (real or reconstructed), insisting on ‘discovering the past in and through the present alone – through testimonies or acts of witnessing’ (LaCapra , p.235).…”

“…Cultural and visual criminology are, then, interventionalist (Hayward ). Morrison's () rhetorical question – ‘Could an analysis of images of atrocity put the “visual human” into the concept of human rights, helping to produce a moral obligation to act, to counter abuse and social harm?’ (p.193) – is effectively answered by Brown and Rafter (), who suggest that critical, reflective analyses offer a nuanced interpretation of the Holocaust, that challenges, rather than reinforces, stereotypes about history and counters moral indifference towards the distant suffering of others.…”

“…Ten years on from its release, this article highlights the issues KZ raises for criminology and, in particular, how 70 years on we continue to represent the Holocaust and maintain its relevance in the collective memories of future generations. This reflective analysis of the film, explores some of the themes from the film, within the context of criminology, and draws on the recent contributions from cultural, visual and public criminology (for example, Brown and Rafter ), that facilitate a more nuanced critical reflection of the Holocaust film, and its consumption by a mediated culture saturated with images and information about atrocity.…”