Customer Reviews

STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME

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

 

 

Steal a Pencil for Me The move was so good that I had too get the book and read it too. I think it is a must see move. Just to let pepole know that the Holocaust did take place that 6,0000 Jewish people were killed in concentration camps in W.W.ll and this should and will not happien again.

This was a real interesting take on the Holocaust. It really shows the "realness" of the lives that it touched. Not everyone might agree with the background of the love story, but it is love none the less and shows basic human nature continued even through the dramatic and painful period of the Holocaust. Jaap and Ina's story is a great testament to the human spirit. The best part of the documentary was when he spoke to the school children as he and Ina walked the path in Westerbrook so many years later. So much can be learned and appreciated from his words. There are adult themes in this so I don't think it would be appropriate for younger audiences.

Steal a Pencil for Me is a wonderful documentary telling the compelling love story of 2 people caught in the roundup of Jews in Holland. It is quite suitable for children over age 11 to watch, in that it does not show torture or ovens, etc.

This is above all a beautiful love story about two people who seemed destined to be together.
Jaap and Ina kept each other buoyed up (and perhaps alive) through the difficulties of Westerbork and the horrors of Bergen-Belsen through secretive love letters. While it is also an informative documentary about
the Holocaust, it is primarily a love story that is inspirational and awe-inspiring. "Steal A Pencil for Me"
is an important component of all the varied stories of the victims of the Holocaust.

"Steal A Pencil for Me" is not a conventional Holocaust story though the people featured in it were Holocaust victims. I say this because the story is mainly an exploration of the relationship between two individuals who fell in love despite the odds being against them. Israeli director Michele Ohayon uses a documentary style to tell the story of Jack (Jaap) Polak, and his wife of 60 years Ina Soep Polak, who met in Amsterdam before the war, when Jack was married to another woman. The pair are instantly attracted to each other despite their very different backgrounds - Jack comes from an average financial background, whereas Ina comes from a wealthy family (her father was in the diamond polishing industry). When WW II breaks out, the pair (together with Jack's wife) end up in the Westerbork transit camp and later get moved to Bergen-Belsen. Throughout their internment, Jack and Ina maintain contact, exchanging letters in secret at a time when paper and pencil were prized commodities (hence the title of the feature which was also a phrase written by Jack in one of his letters to Ina).

I viewed their story with sympathy mainly because Jack's marriage to his wife was already in trouble before he met Ina - his wife was a jealous woman yet treated him almost with indifference, and the contrast between Ina and Jack's first wife was rather startling. The story moves back and forth between the past and the present - the past is often portrayed through the use of old photographs and archival film footage, and in the present we see Jack (at 93, still quite alert with a knowing gleam in his eyes) and Ina still as in love as when they were younger. It was heartening to see Jack still active in Holocaust education, and to know that this couple weathered the most unimaginable horrors and yet were strengthened by their love for each other, makes this a truly moving account.

This documentary is a great idea and it's very well perfomed. The testimonies, the images, and the documents used to tell the story are interesting and beautifully used.
However, there is a problem with the item itself. It doesn't have subtitles options but in the product's review this is not specified. Moreover, the DVD doesn't work in all DVD players. I have an average DVD player (Samsung) but when I try to play the DVD it says "Play prohibited" so I had to watch it in my computer.

an excellent fascinating account of the horror of the holocaust in the midst of a love story, a must read.

A love story of two Dutch Holocaust survivors who courted in a concentration camp and somehow made it out alive. Great interweaving of documentary footage of the Nazi era, with contemporary interviews. Though he's 93 in the film, the man, Jack, is incredibly alive, as is his wife. Both are very articulate. You wonder what's made them stay so young this long. I wished there was more about their lives in the 60 years since the war ended. You see their kids, but that's it. Well worth watching as a tale human endurance.

This movie is well worth the money and the time it takes to watch it. The love between these two gentle souls...the courage and the strength that they drew from one anothers words is indescribable. I have been telling everyone that I know that is interested in WWII and the holocaust to rent/buy this movie -- the fact that Ina and Jaap are both still alive, and still able to remember and relive their time in the concentration camps is unbelievable. You will not be dissapointed with this movie. It is truly touching.

As with other Halocaust films I've viewed, words fail me after watching this. This is an amazing documentary, and I will find the book now to learn from that as well. It is so important for survivors to speak out as much as possible. Very touching film.