Customer Reviews

The Deputy (Black cat book)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"The Deputy" is stunning and still relevant, despite the acidic reviews you might find here contesting the pertinence of this play. It's more than probable the negative ratings in regards to this piece belong to the pious who, instead of looking at the objective facts, hide behind their own grandiose illusions regarding the dogmas into which they have been indoctrinated.

Afterall, is there any historical doubt that Pope Pius XII did not publicly condemn the wholesale slaughter of Jews by the Nazi regime? I haven't seen any document stating otherwise. Sure, he made blanket condemnations pronounced in the garb of generalities, but that's not what Hochhuth's play addresses. It's a simple question we must ask: should, as some consider, the highest moral authority on the planet straddle the fence in an attempt not to offend anyone, or should we expect a public condemnation of evil on such a grand scale? This, in my view, and in sum, is the dilemma the play poses to each reader.

It may be difficult to imagine how one would stage this play effectively: it's length is prohibitive and it moves around from location to location, each described in great, novelistic detail by the playwright, and utterly impractical in a theatrical context. But it's a riveting, rigorously intelligent and utterly damning take of Pius's unforgivable reticense regarding the Holocaust. What with the Vatican's continued talk of canonizing Pius -- in spite of its much-ballyhooed (by the Vatican only) talk of repentence for centuries of murderous anti-Semitism -- this is a timely play and should be read widely.

No literary work about the holocaust has so much shaken the conscience of the western world as he Deputy". Since the play first appeared in 1963, it has been reviewed, rereviewed, praised, damned and boycotted (including the American Nazi Party). What I have to add here is (1) praise to Johns Hopkins University Press for republishing the play and (2) rebuttal of the bizarre and shameful comments appearing at this site on July 1, 1999 and October 21, 1999.

To any one who has read the play, or attended it, it is obvious that it deals with the HOLOCAUST and nothing less. That Pius II did not protest as strongly and often as he should could have and that he did not protect Roman jews is an important part of the play.

Nowhere in the play, the stage instructions, the appendices nor anywhere does Hochhuth "shift the blame" for the holocaust. Indeed, Acts 1-3 and 5 put the responsibility brutally and exactly where it belongs. (The pope, drawn as a caricature of a CEO, appears only in Act 4, essentially denying the reality of the holocaust).

The principal character in the play is Riccardo Fontana, a catholic priest (a jesuit), son of a laic counsellor to the pope, who struggles futilely against the Nazis - and the obtuseness of the vatican - and is murdered by the Nazis. Like all characters in the play, Riccardo is a fictional character inspired by a real person. The inspiration for Riccardo came from Bernard Lichtenberg, prelate of St. Hedwig's cathedral, Berlin and father Maximilian Kolbe, martyred in Auschwitz and canonized (John Paul II) in 1982. The play is dedicated to these men.

There are things I knew about Nazi Germany in general. This book presents the dilema of one man, the the problems his dilema cause to many others.
The consciencous one, and the leaders clinging to power

I first read The Deputy in 1963 and saw a truncated version of the play in Los Angeles. I have subsequently read the play several times and I believe that the reviewers who think that this is an anti-Catholic polemic miss Hochhuth's purpose in writing the book.

In The Deputy, the Catholic Church is not blamed for the holocaust; the reader understands that the Germans were perpetrators. And he does not excuse Protestants and others for their refusal to act during this terrible time. Students of the Holocaust know that there was more than enough blame to go around in terms of those who did not speak.

What Hochhuth does is to state historical truth regarding Pope Pius XII's refusal to speak. Pius XII was the Deputy of Christ from 1939 to 1958. Between 1939 and 1945, though the Pope was completely aware of what the Germans were doing (mass murders), he never once spoke to criticize the Germans or ask them to stop the murders. This is uncontrovertible fact.

Riccardo Fontana, the fictitious priest (and hero) in The Deputy, represents the finest qualities in man. He is that rarest of creatures, a truly good man. His passion for truth and justice leads to his numerous efforts to persuade Pius XII to action. That he is unable to reach the Pope makes his efforts heart-breakingly tragic.

Riccardo is a Catholic who cannot understand why the Pope (whom he knows personally) does not speak out against one of the worst horrors in the history of mankind. For Riccardo, speaking out is not enough. He demonstrates through action (he is willing to die and actually does) that words of condemnation alone are not enough. That is why Pius XII's unwillingness to speak (much less to act) is seen as such a devastating moral lapse.

I suggest that the reviewers who feel that The Deputy is blatantly anti-Catholic read the play again, in its entirety!

I want to say that as a work of dramatic writing I think the author relies far too much on the personality of Pius XII and not enough on the institutional nature of the Church during this period. Very few institutions of any size spoke to the fate of Jews and others during this period. Thus its appeal as a play is somewhat limited those it has its powerful moments. As for the veracity of the play's account of Pius XII's silence, I can only offer up the words of John XXIII who, when asked what he would do against the play, answered: "Do against it? what can you do against the truth?" I guess I don't understand those who still speak out against this play casting it as a work that says the Church was responsible for the Holocaust.

Not all that long ago, Huchhuth's play was a current event, controversial on the international level. By now, it is as much a part of history as the events it deals with--the Catholic response to the Jewish Holocaust. With its constant lengthy descriptions, its huge appendix essay, and above all its great length, this was a play meant more to be read than staged. Even so, it seems odd that it never gets done anymore, because it has a suspenseful story and it retains its power even in abridgement. Some readers might want to set it side by side with the essay collection entitled The Storm Over The Deputy (also available on this site), to hear the various pros and cons.

After reading the play and reading the reviews at this site, I have come to realize that any person connected with the Catholic faith will object to the history behind this play. Denial is an interesting phenomenon, and everyone uses "facts" to support their beliefs. Perhaps the silence of the Pope is denied because people find it impossible to believe he would be. Perhaps he did do more to save Jews then the play leads one to believe, but in a quiet, in the background kind of way. Many historians, Jewish or otherwise, attest to the fact that the Pope did not openly condemn Hitler and Nazi activities. It is a sad commentary that people are unable to admit guilt by silence, we can see that its acceptance is continued all over the world today. Too bad we can't learn from history's lessons.

"The Deputy" is based on documented factual history. In what may be a matter of loyalty to their faith, some Amazon reviewers have claimed that Pope Pius II DID speak out.

Such loyalty is understandable when the actions by a leader of one's religious faith are being examined. Hochhuth's vehicle both causes AND thwarts their denial.

Historic objectivity very often conflicts with religion and faith.

There is far more evidence of Vatican appeasement and toleration of the Nazi movement prior to and during World War II than any protesting. "The Deputy" merely dramatizes some of this.

Hochhuth's dramatizing of history does not render it fallacious.

The Deputy is a fair to good play, considered as a piece of drama. There's tension, conflict, and a good denouement. The problem is that some people think it's history, which it's not. Most of the characters are fictitious. The speeches are not historical. The venal portrait of Pius XII completely contradicts history. It is astonishing to read previous reviewers still treat this work as history. Pierre Blet's recent work, based on Vatican archives and diplomatic cables, shows without a doubt that Pius XII spoke out hundreds of times against the Nazi persecution of the Jews and that he and his diplomatic representatives personally saved thousands of Jewish lives.

As a play, it has its merits. But as fact, this is Oliver Stone territory. As a a piece of history, this is nothing but an anti-Catholic fantasy.