In 1961, a bizarre pop culture phenomenon surfaced in Israel: pornographic concentration camp comic books called Stalags. Practically the only form of pornography available in Israel in the early 1960s, the books sparked intense public debate about the Holocaust. Ari Libsker’s documentary on the subject is now showing for the first time in Germany at Moviemento. But while the director talks to many historians, authors and journalists, he never sufficiently contextualizes the subject matter to make the viewer feel much other than discomfort and perplexity.
PORNOGRAFIE UND HOLOCAUST | Directed by Ari Libsker (Israel 2008). Documentary. Hebrew with German subtitles. Opens December 30.