Main Image:

Published: 27th Jan 2012 for Holocaust Memorial Day by DAN CARRIER
Directed Hannah Lovell
Produced by Katy Carr
Certificate: PG
Rating: 5 Out Of 5 Stars
Kazimierz “Kazik” Piechowski was a Polish boy scout. The Nazis came for him in 1941 and he was thrown into Auschwitz.
His harrowing story of witnessing mass murder can only be told because of his determination to escape: he and two other former scouts, all political prisoners, broke into a store room, stole SS uniforms, and then hot-wired the camp commander’s super-fast sports car and simply drove out of the gates.
His story is told through an interview with Mr Piechowski, haunting animation and the songs of a singer called Katy Carr.
London-based singer Katy, who has Polish roots, heard the story and was moved to write music about it.
What will strike you perhaps more than the idea of a hugely brave, desperate, creative and daring escape story is how important it is to hear the testimony of a man who has borne witness to the evils of racism and reactionary politics.
This is a clear lesson as to why justice and equality must be the cornerstones of civilisation, of why tolerance and love is all that matters as the fundamental building block for societies – and what can happen when this key fact is lost in the murk of power and politics.
• The film has been screened at various events throughout January to mark the Holocaust Memorial Day and is now available on DVD.
Direct link to the article : http://www.westendextra.com/reviews/cinema/2012/feb/cinema-also-release-week-kazik-and-kommander’s-car