Neenah Public Library

The labyrinth, the testimony of Marian Kołodziej = Labirynt : świadectwo Mariana Kołodzieja, a December 2nd production ; in association with Loyola Productions Munich ; director, Jason A. Schmidt ; producers, Jason A. Schmidt, Ron Schmidt

eng

videorecording

MPAA: Not rated

The labyrinth

DVD

721937841

Filmed on location in Harmeze, Poland

a December 2nd production ; in association with Loyola Productions Munich ; director, Jason A. Schmidt ; producers, Jason A. Schmidt, Ron Schmidt

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the testimony of Marian Kołodziej = Labirynt : świadectwo Mariana Kołodzieja

Memory, art, love, and hell collide as an Auschwitz survivor finally confronts the horrors of his past after 50 years of silence. Marian Kołodzieja was on one of the first transports to enter Auschwitz. He was given number 432. He survived and never spoke of his experience for 50 years. After a serious stroke in 1993, he began rehabilitation by doing pen and ink drawings depicting the experiences he and others endured in the concentration camp. These drawings, in their skeletal detail, are a gripping depiction of the pain, death, and horrors of the camp. While most of the drawings represent the memories of a young man's hellish experiences in Auschwitz, some tell stories of small acts of kindness and dignity. Marian's story of survival, of persistence, of life before, during, and after Auschwitz are a testament to the human spirit. Marian's drawings and art installations, which he called The Labyrinth, fill the large basement of a church near Auschwitz and draw visitors into the horrific reality of the Holocaust. In 'The labyrinth', Marian takes the audience on a journey through his drawings and art installations. Through the blending of his testimony and the graphic drawings, we explore the memories and nightmares of a man, who like so many others buried experiences deep within. Why would a confrontation with death late in life, trigger the need to record his long-suppressed memories? And why in this graphic, metaphorical way? This documentary raises these questions in a visually stunning way

Entrance -- Krankenmann -- The bowls -- Marian Kajdasz : a boyhood friend -- Zyklon B -- The bread scales -- The tree of life and death -- Saint Maximilian Kolbe -- Life in the camp -- The camp orchestra -- Mind the scales -- Listen and ponder

live action

Testimony of Marian KołodziejaLabirynt