Abstract
The production team behind the television series Holocaust had a challenging task to find a character who the audience could relate to and try to understand, despite the knowledge that he was deeply involved in the mass executions on the Eastern front.
In my paper, I analyse the fictional SS member Erik Dorf (Michael Moriarty). Dorf was based on several people, including the SS officer Otto Ohlendorf, who ordered the execution of 90,000 Jews. In Holocaust the aim was to use Dorf as a genocidal killer who was also a loving family man leading a “normal” life alongside his murderous activities. He personifies Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; but the latter’s acts of madness were replaced by murders carried out at a distance. Dorf filled the role of a person who could behave like Adolf Eichmann, but who was not in fact the infamous mass murderer. The creators of the series argued that it was unlikely that their audience would feel any sympathy for Eichmann in the role of husband and father. By contrast, Dorf could evoke sympathy, though with obvious limitations. This characterization was far ahead of its time.
To be sure, commanders of the Einsatzgruppen like Ohlendorf did appear in research into the Holocaust; but this was the first time such a person had been portrayed in a fictional narrative with broad impact. That the character lacked predecessors proved not to be a problem. It could be argued that the sharply defined but still believable portrayal of Dorf and some of the other architects of the Holocaust, beyond traditional and grotesque film monsters, formed a significant contribution to the success of the series.
In my paper, I analyse the fictional SS member Erik Dorf (Michael Moriarty). Dorf was based on several people, including the SS officer Otto Ohlendorf, who ordered the execution of 90,000 Jews. In Holocaust the aim was to use Dorf as a genocidal killer who was also a loving family man leading a “normal” life alongside his murderous activities. He personifies Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; but the latter’s acts of madness were replaced by murders carried out at a distance. Dorf filled the role of a person who could behave like Adolf Eichmann, but who was not in fact the infamous mass murderer. The creators of the series argued that it was unlikely that their audience would feel any sympathy for Eichmann in the role of husband and father. By contrast, Dorf could evoke sympathy, though with obvious limitations. This characterization was far ahead of its time.
To be sure, commanders of the Einsatzgruppen like Ohlendorf did appear in research into the Holocaust; but this was the first time such a person had been portrayed in a fictional narrative with broad impact. That the character lacked predecessors proved not to be a problem. It could be argued that the sharply defined but still believable portrayal of Dorf and some of the other architects of the Holocaust, beyond traditional and grotesque film monsters, formed a significant contribution to the success of the series.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Publication status | Unpublished - 2024 |
| Event | The Holocaust by Bullets in Literature, Film and Visual Art: An international conference (in person) at the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies University of London Senate House, WC1E 7HU - Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies University of London Senate House, London, United Kingdom Duration: 2024 Sept 18 → 2024 Sept 19 |
Conference
| Conference | The Holocaust by Bullets in Literature, Film and Visual Art |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | London |
| Period | 2024/09/18 → 2024/09/19 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Studies on Film
- History
Free keywords
- Holocaust
- film, tv and history
- Holocaust by bullets
