Mrs Whyte

While we are working on a detailed, factual review of the TV series „Tattooist of Auschwitz”, below you can read some initial comments of Dr. Wanda Witek-Malicka, a historian from the Research Center of the Museum. — In terms of content, the TV adaptation of the "Tattooist of Auschwitz" remains much closer to the book than to the factual historical image of the Auschwitz camp. It includes numerous highly improbable scenes. Some of these events are direct replicas of the book's erroneous content, while others are original ideas of the series' creators. The series' portrayal attempts to compromise between two mutually exclusive possibilities—maintaining factual realism while remaining closely linked to the content and message of Heather Morris's book. Unfortunately, this portrayal, in many cases, distorts, falsifies, or romanticizes the reality of Auschwitz to the same extent that Morris's text does. Unrealistically depicted is Lali's relationship with an SS man Baretzki, as well as the conditions of service, duties, and privileges of SS garrison members. In this regard, the series perpetuates numerous common stereotypes that do not align with the reality of the camp we know from multiple testimonies and documents. The most severe criticism of the series is that it leaves unresolved (or somewhat completely unaddressed) what is crucial in the history of Auschwitz—namely, the mass murder of Jewish men, women, and children who were taken to gas chambers straight from the selection platforms. The Holocaust is, at best, a tertiary issue in the series, a barely noticeable background to the primary love story of the main characters. Debatable is also the message conveyed by the adaptation (as well as the book), namely the desire to show that love allows one to survive great evil and overcome all odds. This naive perspective attempts to provide a simple answer to a challenging and complex question: how is it that some of the deported managed to survive Auschwitz while over a million people were murdered in the camp? In the face of the unprecedented genocide of the Second World War period, there are no simple answers, and any attempts at genuine understanding require a much deeper perspective than that offered by pop culture clichés about immortal love. Undoubtedly, the feeling could have been a source of the will to fight, and it could have motivated, given hope and the needed mental toughness. But was it enough to survive almost three years in a death camp? Lali and Gita survived mainly because they were lucky and got to work in the so-called "good commandos" shortly after their arrival, joining the ranks of the so-called camp's prominence. Both did relatively light work instead of the physical labor. Their conditions of daily camp existence were better than those of most prisoners. The series is undoubtedly geared mainly towards emotional impact, and the emotional aspect dominates over the factual. I will leave it an open question whether "to experience" also means "to understand," especially when the story is far from historical truth. In summary, "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" is a poor series about Auschwitz-Birkenau, certainly not recommended as historical teaching material. One has to note the creators' efforts to create a more credible picture than the one presented in the book. However, despite these efforts, the series is still definitely closer to Heather Morris's perspective than to the authenticity of the realities of Auschwitz.  The series has its strengths, such as relatively successful set design and fairly good costumes, though even here, the creators did not avoid making some severe errors. Undoubtedly, the most truthfully portrayed aspect is the theme of post-camp memory and trauma, the Survivor's confrontation with Auschwitz's past, and attempts at reconciliation with the personal story in the face of an approaching end of life. — You can also read the factual review of the book: joom.ag/uP4a/p6