The Labyrinth | Testimonials

"...this is not an exhibit, nor art, nor images, but words contained in designs."
Kołodziej, 432

Testimonials

Film Info

The Labyrinth Testimonials

"FOUR out of FOUR STARS. The Labyrinth is the most powerful film I've seen this year. Shocking, mesmerizing, unforgettable!"
-- Todd David Schwartz, CurveWire

“The Labyrinth is a haunting story, a ‘must see’ for people of all faiths… who wish to understand man's resilience and ability to survive in the face of unspeakable horrors. It is an affirmation of the triumph of the human spirit."

-- Martin Sheen

“This film does an enormous service to the world… by bringing the important work of Marian Kolodziej out of the basement of a church near Auschwitz. The documentary allows us to bear witness to the unspeakable horrors he endured, and to marvel at the intensity and depth of greatness of his artistry.

-- Ellen Burstyn

“A haunting examination of the essence of goodness…”

Jason Schmidt’s compelling film turns a collection of Holocaust art into a journey into the memory and mind of a Polish non-Jew who was one of the first to be sent to Auschwitz, and who did not speak of his experiences until after a stroke late in life. Schmidt’s script, perfectly accompanied by a score that accents rather than overpowers, turns the words of (artist) Marian Kolodziej into a haunting examination of the essence of goodness. The videography does what the eye of a museum visitor does not: it focuses on each part of a work separately and sequentially, rather than taking it all in at one time. The viewer must therefore confront all of it – the dark symbolism, the horror, and particularly the eyes of countless victims…”

-- Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein

Simon Wiesenthal Center

Los Angeles, CA

“An important first person testimonial to the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis… Its message is all the more crucial as the last survivors of Auschwitz are inexorably leaving the stage of history and with them their legacy of courage and faith. Marian Kolodziej kept silent about his years in Auschwitz, until he took pen in hand, and began drawing his experiences as part of his rehabilitation from a stroke. The results are at the core of this unique film—revealing memories that have been sharpened by time and experience, rather than dulled, and will serve as a bridge between generations.”
   -- Rabbi Abraham Cooper
   Associate Dean,
   The Simon Wiesenthal Center,
   Los Angeles

"I am an Auschwitz survivor. Thank you for a very important story. This is the first film I have seen about Christian prisoners in Auschwitz. I am a speaker at the Museum of Tolerance and every time I speak about Auschwitz I, where most prisoners were non-Jews, the audience is surprised because they have no idea that non-Jews were also incarcerated by the Nazis. As a matter of fact, we also know that many Christian clergy were shot at what is known as the "Execution Wall" at Auschwitz I."
-- Renee Firestone,
Auschwitz Survivor

"No one really wished to 'reawaken from the slumber of forgetfulness' when it came to the Holocaust. And yet, as Marian's extraordinary work reminds us, survivors rarely have a choice. Rather, they awaken to an imperative to tell their story in order to create new witnesses with each generation. Much like the artwork it shows us, The Labyrinth shuns the narrative impulse and instead forges a remarkable style of direct confrontation that leaves us with the physical essence of anguish. We learn that even while we will never understand the Holocaust, we must never stop trying to understand the Holocaust."

-- Holli G. Levitsky,
Director of the Jewish Studies Program Associate Professor of English Loyola Marymount University

"In my humble opinion, The Labyrinth is the most powerful and most likely the best Holocaust documentary I've seen from a Christian perspective. I was taken by Marian Kołodziej's uncanny ability to draw the unbelievably remarkable and realistic images after his stroke. The vivid drawings tell the horrific story in the first person like no other. The drawings are masterpiece works of art that should be seen by all."
-- Denis Bieber,
Audience Member

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