Oh, You Black Bird: The Forgotten Holocaust of the Romanies History. Year n/a
Distributed by Filmakers Library,124 East 40th St., New York, NY 10016; 212-808-4980
Produced by B. Rychik for Czech Television. Produced by Filmakers Library
Director n/a
VHS, color, 59 min.
Adult
History, Multicultural Studies
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Kathleen Loomis, Electronic Resources/Systems Librarian, SUNY College at FredoniaUsually, when the holocaust is spoken about, one usually thinks of the millions of Jews that were victimized during this time period. What is sometimes forgotten are the other ethnic and religious groups persecuted during this time. Oh, You Black Bird tells the story of one of these ethnic groups, the Romanies (Gypsies). The stories are told by survivors of this time through their words and music.
The film is in Czech with English subtitles. The stories are moving, first person accounts of Romany treatment both during WWII and under the Communist regime after the war. A shocking part of the film is when the filmmaker walks the streets of the cities and asks people what the holocaust was. Most Czechs didn't know what the word meant or didn't remember the lessons of the war. The film is well written and filmed and would be an interesting addition to a film library for the study of WWII. Recommended.