The Reckoning: Remembering the Dutch Resistance
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Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Prep, San Jose, CA -- School Library Journal, 11/8/2007
The Reckoning: Remembering the Dutch Resistance. DVD. 1:36 hrs. Vision Video (visionvideo.com). 2007. #501177D. $24.99.
Gr 9 Up–Few lesson plans could teach high school students the horrors of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands as dramatically as this documentary. A mixture of personal recollections, motion picture footage, and still clips from World War II, the film tells the stories of six survivors, all of whom were involved in the resistance movement. The resistance was not well organized, but consisted of small groups of individuals who worked to preserve human life through small acts of sabotage against the occupying forces. The stories that are recounted are unrelated to one another, but each highlights both the heartbreak and resiliency of these individuals. They speak from the heart about the pain and fear they lived with during the 5-year Nazi occupation. One survivor describes the darkest hour just before liberation when 20,000 Dutch citizens had already perished from starvation. Interviews with American liberators, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower, bolster the narratives. The DVD is divided into 22 chapters that could be shown during several class periods. A compelling film for viewers in high school and above.
