Kapò (1959)

Director:

Gillo Pontecorvo

Writers:

Gillo Pontecorvo (writer)
Franco Solinas (writer)

Release Date:

17 April 1961 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

A young Jewish girl leads an escape attempt from a concentration camp. |

Plot Keywords:

Concentration Camp | Jewish | Nazi Collaborator | German | Torture

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Susan Strasberg	...	Edith, alias Nicole Niepas
Laurent Terzieff	...	Sascha
Emmanuelle Riva	...	Terese
Didi Perego	...	Sofia
Gianni Garko	...	Karl, German Soldier
Annabella Besi
Graziella Galvani
Paola Pitagora
Eleonora Bellinzaghi
Bruno Scipioni
Dragomir Felba		(as Felba Dragomir)
Mira Dinulovic
Semka Sokolovic-Bertok		(as Semca Sokolic)
Dirjana Doc

Runtime:

Spain:118 min | USA:116 min

Country:

Italy | France | Yugoslavia

Language:

Italian | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Hungary:14 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15

Company:

Cineriz

Quotes:

Edith, alias Nicole Niepas: [dying words] They screwed us over, Karl, they screwed us both over.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth (1992) (TV)

it's a MUST SEE, as long as you don't mind questioning humanity's existence

i'm trying to order a video of this incredible movie, & in so doing have seen the comments about it. i haven't seen this movie in about a year, but i must reply in response to the previous viewer's comments. "kapo" is the zenith of film noir, or should i say, the best of the "film nadir." it may be the darkest movie i've seen. the black & white filming certainly intensifies its starkness. when i first innocently viewed "kapo," i remember being initially surprised, then moved, then deeply disturbed. couldn't susan's choices have been any of ours born at the same wrong time, wrong place? only i may not have chosen the heroic finale that susan chose. her choices introduce that question in ourselves--would we have chosen to save others as she did? or would we have preferred to save ourselves? an eternal dilemma that cannot be answered unless we are actually put into her position--God forbid. released in 1959, 14 years after WWII was over, makes me wonder what movies will be made 14 years from now, or should i say, 14 years from when the war in iraq is over... SEE this movie.