Product Description

A stunning commemoration of Jews in Poland before the two World Wars, IMAGE BEFORE MY EYES pays homage to the dynamic and vibrant society of 3.5 million people that was destroyed during the Holocaust. Unearthing the stories of Jewish villagers, aristocrats, socialists, Zionists, and artists who fashioned a thriving civilization with a 900-year history, this triumphant films draws on the sacred and rare artifacts of a crushed world-home movies, forgotten song recordings, and the evocative memories of survivors-to recreate Jewish Poland. Tracing the subtle contours of Jewish Diaspora, IMAGE BEFORE MY EYES visits people as varied as a former mayor of Scarsdale, New York describing his youthful Polish patriotism and a Brooklyn housewife who touchingly sings the Yiddish songs of teachers, tradesmen, and beggars she learned as a child in Warsaw.

From the bucolic, traditional shtetls of the countryside to the freewheeling cultural revolution in the cities led by freethinkers, award-winning director Josh Waletzky (Partisans of Vilna) masterfully memorializes a proud culture that still inspires hope and reverence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60901 in DVD
• Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP
• Released on: 2006-04-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .30 pounds
• Running time: 90 minutes

Features

• A stunning commemoration of Jews in Poland before the two World Wars, IMAGE BEFORE MY EYES pays homage to the dynamic and vibrant society of 3.5 million people that was destroyed during the Holocaust. Unearthing the stories of Jewish villagers, aristocrats, socialists, Zionists, and artists who fashioned a thriving civilization with a 900-year history, this triumphant films draws on the sacred

Customer Reviews

A poignant look at a vanished world
Image Before My Eyes: A History of Jewish Life in Poland combines historical footage, still photographs, and live interviews for an in-depth reminiscence of Jewish life in Poland from the beginning of the 20th century until the Holocaust.

It features a deeper look at the rise of many social and religious movements such as socialist groups and Zionism, rural and urban Polish Jewish life, and the flourishing of Yiddish culture through literature, theater and music.

The documentary was released over twenty years ago, so the video interviews are obviously dated (late 1970's), and some of the archival footage is in poor condition, but Image Before My Eyes restores us to a vanished world -- the vibrant cultural legacy of Poland's 3.5 million Jews that was nearly wiped out by the Holocaust.

The DVD includes a commentary with director Josh Waltzky, an illustrated study guide with discussion questions, and scene selection.

a look into the past
The images speak to one. This compilation of pre world war II Jewish Polish daily life is gripping. This is a DVD that we will watch over and over.

A moving look back
When I lived in Israel, the sense of tragedy I felt when I visited the Israel Museum was almost as great at that I felt at Yad Vashem, which is specifically dedicated to the Holocaust. The latter focused on the people who died, the former chronicles with great love and much detail the culture that was lost.

This film chronicles both the people and culture of Eastern Europe that were forever altered by the events of World War II. It has a special focus on the once large and thriving Jewish culture of Poland and includes marvelous home movies made during the 1930s. Perhaps most important of all, it was first released in 1980, when it was still possible to find many living voices to that now departed era. As those living voices depart, it's important to capture their memories in a tangible form.

I'd strong recommend that parents show this documentary to their children when they're old enough to understand what it describes, and that teachers show it to their students.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Dachau Liberated and Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II