Britney Spears, Time Travel and the Holocaust - in One Movie? | Stop Genocide

Britney Spears, Time Travel and the Holocaust - in One Movie?

Published June 26, 2009 @ 01:35PM PT

ABC news is reporting that Britney Spears - of Mickey Mouse Club, "Oops I Did It Again" and head-shaving fame - is reviewing a script for a new film about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, "The Yellow Star of Sophia and Eton."

There is, of course, backlash.

Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said:

"In films that deal with the Holocaust, the script should be carefully chosen and the cast picked with care" ... "It is reprehensible to combine the issue of the Holocaust with Britney Spears"

On the other hand, arguments in favor of Britney's involvement are coming from surprising corners.

Kevin Jon Heller at Opinio Juris makes the case that:

a good actor doesn’t guarantee a good Holocaust movie. The Boy in the Stryped Pajamas starred David Thewlis and Life is Beautiful starred Roberto Benigni, and they were both awful, offensive movies. By contrast, The Grey Zone starred David Arquette of Scream fame — and it was terrific, one of the most underrated movies of its kind.

John Aravosis at America Blog asks:

Yes, Britney is fluffy, but how does it hurt the memory of the Holocaust to have an entire generation of Britney fans educated to the fact that there was a Holocaust, and that it was a very bad thing?

However, if Haaretz's description of the movie is anything to go by, I'm not sure if Britney's involvement will be the real problem here.

A woman who invents a time machine and succeeds in traveling to the time of the Second World War. According to the script, LaMont ends up at a concentration camp and falls in love with a Jewish prisoner named Eton. However, the budding love story is cut short when both are killed by the Nazis.

Seriously? Time machines and time travel in a film about the Holocaust? I can't help but think there are enough true (or plausible!) stories to base films off of... do we really need such a convoluted and far-fetched storyline?

Humor and vacuous feel-good sentiments don't often combine well with stories of the Holocaust, as Kevin notes. I can't imagine that science fiction will fare much better. Never mind which pop princess might play the title role (although of course this could be Britney's big shot at an Oscar).

Hat tip to Savo Heleta.

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Comments (2)

John Aravosis seems right on target. A generation of Britney fans could get a first-ever education about the Holocaust. Mick Jagger starred in the film version of Bent and it was fantastic. I believe that Britney starring in the film is a good idea. Meanwhile, it would be best if she did not decide which historians and social justice activisits should attempt to be pop stars. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta

Posted by Rev Bookburn on 06/26/2009 @ 03:07PM PT
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While Spears might seem an odd choice for a Holocaust role, teaching the veracity of the Holocaust is the critical issue. Casting errors can be overcome with a terrrific screenplay.

We live with Holocaust deniers who poison vulnerable young minds with their venomous drivel. If we allow them to revise history, then the Holocaust can occur again in a future generation.

It is critical that we teach our children the truth about the Holocaust. Whether someone made a poor casting decision is virtually irrelevant.

I wrote about the Holocaust because I felt it critical to discount Holocaust deniers. These mendacious historical revisers desire only one thing - to finish that which Hitler began with the Jewish people. There are many vulnerable individuals whose weak minds can be turned into hatred of minorities. It happened in 20th Century Europe. It can happen again. If we had learned from the Holocaust, we would not have witnessed Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda or Darfur. Prejudice continues. Someone has to stop the blind hatred.

"Jacob's Courage" is a tender coming of age love story of two young adults living in Salzburg at the time when the Nazi war machine enters Austria. This historical novel presents accurate scenes and situations of Jews in ghettos and concentration camps, with particular attention to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. It explores the dazzling beauty of passionate love and enduring bravery in a lurid world where the innocent are murdered. From despair, to unforgettable moments of chaste beauty, "Jacob’s Courage" examines a constellation of emotions during a time of incomprehensible brutality.

The worst characterization of the human experience is revealed through religious, ethnic, gender or racial prejudice. Only when we learn to value the differences among us will humankind move forward into a bright future. If we fail to learn this lesson, only darkness remains for our progeny.

Posted by Charles Weinblatt on 06/27/2009 @ 01:02PM PT
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Author

Martha is the campaign manager at the Save Darfur Coalition. She has worked with a number of organizations and institutions advocating against genocide, including Team Darfur, STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition and Voices for Sudan. The views expressed here are her own.