Images of Women in Holocaust Films

Abstract

The question of the role of women in Holocaust Studies has been raised in the last decade with increasing eloquence and urgency. This article considers the role of women in Holocaust films. It argues that in numerous major cinematographic representations of the Holocaust (e.g., The Holocaust, Schindler's List, Europa Europa, Shoah ) women are portrayed as vicarious victims of the Holocaust. They suffer as the wives and mothers of men who are directly involved in the war as refugees, camp inmates, or resister. Often female characters are marginalized and stereotyped as sexual objects, or as emotional reflectors. They are often ignorant of or indifferent to the political complexity and the threat of the war. This article questions these stereotypes and the ideology that undergirds them.