Kapò (1960)

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

Director:

Gillo Pontecorvo

Writers:

Gillo Pontecorvo, Franco Solinas

Stars:

Susan Strasberg, Laurent Terzieff, Emmanuelle Riva

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

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 Dojic

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

concentration camp | jewish | massacre | collaboration with nazis | dead body | 

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Taglines:

One of six million UNTOLD stories WE DARE NOT FORGET!

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

Italy France Yugoslavia

Language:

Italian German Russian Polish

Release Date:

29 September 1960 (Italy)

Also Known As:

A kápó

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineriz, Vides Cinematografica, Zebra Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth (1992)

User Reviews

Excellent Character Study of Lost Innocence

Quite an excellent character study of what people will do to survive. Although not as powerful as other prisoner of war films such as "Seven Beauties" it stands out because of the performances of all the women and especially Susan Strasberg who does a magnificent job starting out as the young innocent girl, hiding the fact that she is Jewish, a bewildering task, and her agonizing evolution into a hardened guard.

Don't look for huge sets and gruesome scenes of gas chambers and ovens here. It's not that type of film. It's a simple story of the slow chipping away of humanity that dire conditions force. Dignity and nobility give way to cruelty and inhumanity and simple survival becomes a thing to justify as time goes on. By telling this type of story through the eyes of a young impressionable person is excellent.