Prisoners of war have been a harsh reality of war since Neolithic people first encountered the brutal act of making war. Though a typical, inescapable truth of war the brutality and wanton disregard for human dignity and compassion remains a surprise to people across the world. “POW,” illustrates the painful consequences of being captured by the enemy in war and how even in modern times man’s capability for killing and torture remains intact.
Included Films:
I Am Not Alone
I Am Not Alone
Produced: 1956
Length: 26 Minutes
Torture has long been a brutal method for extracting confessions and information from a detainee. Psychological torture is no better than the physical kind and can often break a prisoner quicker. “I Am Not Alone,” documents a former Moscow Prison inmate’s story of survival and through reenactments shows the psychological warfare waged against him in order to get a false confession. At the height of the Cold War, the American narrator condemns the Russian methods implying the United States takes the moral high ground in such matters. Serves as a true story of bravery and a compelling training tool on how to survive a torturous jail.
Katyn
Katyn
Produced: 1973
Length: 11 Minutes
A dramatic, historic, account of the sudden and mysterious death of more that 20,000 Polish soldiers in the winter of 1939, known as the, ‘Katyn Massacre,’ sets the stage for “Katyn.” The mystery of what happened to thousands of Polish nationals, officers, and reservists in the forest of Katyn, survivors of the massacre claim can be answered by the Russian government. The various investigations by German conquerors and Russian invaders raised controversy, controversy, “Katyn,” dissects, ending with the conclusion that, with the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, the responsibility of blame is obvious.
Korean War POW Atrocity
Korean War POW Atrocity
Produced: 1950s
Length: 5 Minutes
*Warning: GRAPHIC Material* This is footage of the remains of the Korean War prisoner of war (POW) camps where many soldiers met a tragically brutal death. In the film, American soldiers examine the graveyard locations as open graves and buried soldiers are shown.
