Escape From Sobibor

Escape from Sobibor (EFS) (VHS/DVD, 1987) is a retelling of actual events that occurred in the Sobibor concentration camp in Poland, detailing the largest escape from a Nazi camp in WW2.

Sobibor was the most secret Nazi death camp, made more secret by the fact that it was shut down after the uprising and made to look like a farm. Sobibor therefore was unable to become a human slaughterhouse on the scale of Birkenau (though the 250,000 deaths that occurred there are deplorable enough.) The film begins in the camp, and the first section of the film demonstrates some of the spontaneous, disorganized, and somewhat individualistic attempts at escape that end in failure and death. Also shown are acts of Nazi retribution, and routine brutality. EFS does not flinch at demonstrating the cruelty of the Capos (Jewish collaborators who acted as camp guards), most of them treacherous fiends. This is standard fare for Holocaust films, but the history portrayed in EFS turns in a different direction.

Camp prisoner Leon Feldhendler leads a growing group of Jews who do not wish to idly stand around and wait for death from the fascists. They maintain morale by living in the best conditions they can possibly scrape together. One boy, Shlomo, who has unwittingly delayed his execution by volunteering his skills to the Nazis, sees the camp victims marched into the gas chambers. He realizes that his family, with whom he came, is now dead. Shlomo exclaims that now he wants to kill and will kill. Leon explains to him that they all motivate themselves to survive not by vain hope but by the desire for revenge against their oppressors and escape from their miserable conditions.

The escape plans are progressing slowly until a contingent of Jewish Red Army soldiers arrives from the Eastern front (the Nazis obviously had a 'special' policy for such POWs.) They are led by 1st Lt. Alexander "Sasha" Pechersky and march proudly into the camp. At first, Leon and Sasha distrust each other. They do however recognize the mutual benefits of co-operation: Leon and his organization know the layout and schedule of the camp and Sasha has trained, organized soldiers.

Sasha and Leon struggle over escape plans. Should they build a tunnel? Such a plan was deemed unworkable. Suddenly there is a massive and critical brainstorm: Everyone - all 600-700 labourers/prisoners temporarily attached to the camp - must escape at once! This gives everyone a fair chance while giving the greatest chance of success. In addition, as demonstrated in one grisly scene not available in every version of the movie, the Nazis exact terrible retribution on the camp prisoners, killing many more prisoners in the camp than those who escaped. Only an escape of all prisoners will be moral and just. The escape plan has changed from scattered escapes to a tunnel to a full-fledged battle against the Nazis to liberate the entire camp.

The majority of the inmates cannot be made aware of the escape plans until literally the final moment. In the meantime, a tight, highly organized cadre plans the deaths of the SS guards, one by one. Killing the SS guards will reduce Nazi resistance and supply the prisoners with weapons. The inmates take advantage of what they call the greed and punctuality of the Germans in order to lure them to their deaths. Indeed, the plan goes reasonably well up until the end when the Nazis realize what is happening.

Sasha had planned to set off everyone for themselves in the eventuality of discovery, which is exactly what happened. The prisoners bash down gates