Brecht thought this was pure kitsch, but it is interesting that this melodrama, based on a true story, together with Jakubowska's The Last Stage (Ostani Etap 1948) were the first immediate post war filmic reactions to the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis and came from Communist East Europe. Sadly these are extremely difficult to get to see. There are of course elements of propaganda for the Russians as 'liberators' but only with the TV mini series 'Holocaust' and of course 'Schindler's List' did these issues very belatedly get addressed by Hollywood.
