Requiem dla 500.000

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - the heroic armed struggle of the Jewish people, one of the most tragic episodes of World War II - Jerzy Bossak and Waclaw Kazimierczak created an austere documentary. They put together pieces of authentic film footage and photographs, most of which had not been shown before. The introductory part of the film features scenes that were taken from German newsreels and fragments of 16 mm amateur films. The photographs show a succession of orders and repressive measures issued by the occupying authorities before the Jews were isolated in ghettos. The next part of the film tells the story of the largest Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, in which about 500,000 people were herded to perish. The scenes are provided with terse commentary excerpts from German decrees, as well as fragments from documents left behind by ghetto dwellers, which were later found in the ruins. The only original element introduced by the filmmakers is the soundtrack with classical music by Mozart and Händel, which serves to underline the appalling immensity of the tragedy.