Howling With The Angels (2006/Documentary/WWII)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Film: C+

 

 

Jean Bodon’s Howling With The Angels (2006) is yet another key, interesting WWII/Holocaust documentary focusing on Jan Bodon, who was made a Nazi despite being Jewish (he had blond hair and blue eyes, which tricked them) and eventually became a Resistance member down to an assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich, aka “The Butcher of Prague” beginning in 1939.  That his country was one of the biggest sites of Nazi genocide makes the tale all the more ironic.

 

Jan is Jean’s father, who researched this thoroughly and though it runs only 45 minutes, is loaded with must-see material and sheds light on a key part of the Nazi campaign that is vital to know and understand in order to see into the heart of its Fascism.  It was not that long ago these events happened and it is as terrifying to see this as to think about it being forgotten.  My only complaint besides shortness is that it did not give even more detail about the campaign to kill itself, which would have given this work even more impact.

 

The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image offers many instances of 1.33 X 1 archival footage centered in the middle of the frame and originated on digital video of some kind, but not likely HD due to its softness.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is also mixed but better, mixing old audio, new location audio and other elements.  The combination is fine for a documentary.  Extras include trailer gallery, text director’s biography, stills, director’s notes and short film My Dear Kassa, about how 12,000 Jews were removed permanently by The Nazis in Slovakia in 1944.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo