The Devil's Arithmetic

Trailer—The Devil's Arithmetic

source: The Devil's Arithmetic

The Devil's Arithmetic

Another in a long line of "oh, the plight of the poor old jew" movies. I saw my first one in the early 70's called "The Hiding Place" and thoroughly enjoyed it: but enough already. How many more times must we be told this same old tale? There were millions of gypsies, political and social misfits, and Christians slaughtered in WW2 and their tale is rarely mentioned. This picture stole the "baby found by evil Nazi commandant" bit shown in "Schindler's List". I suppose the writers couldn't come up with anything new after a story has been beaten to death like this one has been. Like "Rocky", this junk needs to be put out to pasture.

A unique view for a Holocast movie and a good introduction for children, many who probably have read the book at school ---- they probably will not mind watching it if Kirsten Dunst and Brittney Murphy are in it. Good location work, excellent acting and no glossing over what happened in the camps --- a bit scary for the younger set but a good introduction to films of a more mature theme such as Schindlers List et al.

Taking place in modern-day times and in 1941, THe Devil's Aritmetic is well-presented and clever. However, it does not give you the realistic, heartbreaking effect that Schindler's List did. They should have given the audience a better effect by maybe spending a little more money. Kirsten Dinst "travels" back in time to a concentration camp and sees what the Jews went through. There she learns the story of some ancestors of her Jewish family. With a satisfying cast of Mimi Rogers, Kirsten Dunst, and many others, The Devil's Arithmetic is all in all not that bad.

I thought this movie was wonderful. Kirsten Dunst was awesome as Hannah Stern. I really believed that everything was happening to her. She is a very gifted and talented actress and made this beautiful and moving book come to life.

An unusual take on the story of the Holocaust though rather pointless.Same as the title-what is the Devils arithmetic? The film will teach you nothing about the Holocaust. As a time travel story it works to an extent in that it concludes by bringing the girl back to her own time as if its all been a dream. Obviously its full of artistic license-the Germans all speak English and it roughly follows what we already know about the ghettoes which were to lead to the camps. I don't think anyone could be unaware of what happened in Germany in the 40s but comparing this to the various documentaries on individual POW camps or classic movies like Schindlers List and its hardly in the same class. As a time travel movie its like Back to the Future or Peggy Sue got married without the music.

While obviously this isn't a perfect education of the horrors of the Holocaust, it's not meant to be. This movie was based on a Young Adults' book, and it's transformed into a Young Adults' movie. It's not supposed to be a perfectly accurate portrayal, and it's not meant for historians or anything. But it is a touching film and excellent education for people to understand what it was like then. There are many powerful moments in the movie. A particularly impressive part, to me, was when Kirsten Dunst's character points to the number branded on her arm, and cries, "I wanted one of these!" referring to a tattoo. I think the highlight, however, was Brittany Murphy's incredible part. She was virtually unrecognizable, and her acting was superb. She literally threw herself into the part, and she shines. She truly is one of the greatest things about this movie.

I believe that this movie was well acted as well as well thought out. The Question really is;"How do I tell young people about this terrible tragedy without being to graphic and still holding their attention. I think that the movie answered that question admirably. Kirsten Dunst is a great actress that showed her ability to tell a serious story with a sense of lightheartedness. Let's not forgot Brittany Murphy. She is a highly underrated actress who just barely broke the surface of what she can do in this movie. overall, if your looking to tell/show a group of preteen/teens the story of the holocaust without the brutality then this is the ONLY movie to show them.