Review of Playing for Time (1980) by Zarinah H — 01 Feb 2011

I have watched dozens of Holocaust-themed dramas over the years and am quite surprised that I've missed this superior quality production starring Vanessa Redgrave. Set during the Holocaust, Redgrave portrays sophisticated French cabaret singer Fania Fenelon who finds herself on a train to notorious Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her talent for singing and playing the piano attracts the attention of the Nazis and she gets selected to play with the female Jewish orchestra at the camp, headed by Alma Rose (played superbly by Jane Alexander). The story focuses not so much on the horrors at the camp, but on the emotional and psychological toll on the inmates at the camp. Fania tries to maintain her dignity as a human being, despite witnessing the depravity around her. A young woman who latches onto Fania goes through a horrible transformation - from a sweet young woman to a needy leech to a wanton woman who would do anything (sleep with Jews, Poles, and Nazis) in order to stay alive. Fania is horrified by this transformation, but tries her best to advise her young friend, to no avail.

Then there's Alma, the strict conductor who demands excellence from her starving musicians. Fania and Alma frequently clash over their approach to the Nazis - Fania feels they should not work so hard to please the Nazis, but Alma feels that pleasing the Nazis is essential in order to stay alive. I like how this drama explores not just the difficulties experienced by the female Jewish inmates, but also other themes. The animosity between the Poles and Jews is well-explored, and we come to understand that some of this animosity is due more to a lack of understanding of the other's culture. The Nazis, even the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele (played by Max Wright, though rather unconvincingly I felt - somehow his portrayal failed in conveying the cold and calculated demeanor associated with Mengele), the doctor of death is portrayed as having some human feelings - when one of the women dies tragically, Mengele expresses his grief through a funeral unheard of for a Jew during those dark times. Not only does the deceased Jew get a coffin, but also Nazi honors (not that this makes any sense, but it is to show the respect and grief Mengele felt for a Jew). Even the notorious female warden Maria Mandel (Shirley Knight) is shown as harboring some compassion. Nothing is black and white here and the movie strikes a chord with the viewer because of this credible and balanced portrayal. The horror of the camp is not shown through the brutalization and extermination of the innocent, but through the emotional and psychological transformation that each character experiences. This is definitely a classic in the genre of Holocaust movies and is a must-watch for anyone interested in the period. The story is based on Fania Fenelon's true life experiences during the Holocaust which is available as a memoir:

Playing for Time.