
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Even media addicts like myself, who are habitually frequent TV viewers, would have to admit that television today, despite the availability of 1,000 or so channels, is beset by problems of dullness and repetitiveness. However, I would like to comment on a feature of the television landscape that was (and is) genuinely artistic, profoundly poignant, and morally relevant.Â
Â
The program is question is an episode of The Twilight Zone, entitled "Death's Head Revisited." This was created in 1961Â and originally shown on CBC-TV in 1962 but is currently available on YouTube, where I have watched it multiple times. The show opens with a stern and somewhat sinister-looking German man of about 50 checking into a small hotel in a town in Bavaria. The female clerk of the hotel says that the man reminds her of someone who worked at the nearby Dachau concentration camp during the Second World War. The conversation ends without further incident, but the man, a Mr. Schmidt, next travels to the remnants of the concentration camp.
Â
It is revealed in this show that he is indeed a former member of the SS, who were enforcers of Nazi rule in Germany and were responsible for the infliction of unspeakable oppression and torture on millions of Jews and other prisoners during the war. Mr. Schmidt proceeds remorselessly, cavalierly, and even playfully, to inspect what is left of the barracks. He had been living in South America, but apparently could not resist a mysterious impulse to return to the scene of his evil doings.
Â
Schmidt is confronted totally unexpectedly by a former inmate of Dachau, a man named Becker, who has returned from the dead and is still wearing his prisoner's clothing. Schmidt ludicrously downplays the horrors of the Nazi regime and asks for forgiveness for "the little mistakes" of the camp administrators. Becker replies caustically and combatively that Schmidt is asking for far too much, and that he may as well ask for the Earth to stop rotating on its axis.
Â
Suddenly a ghostly wind arises, eerily and ominously causing the gate to the camp to lock itself. Schmidt is then led into the interior of the camp, where a dozen or so other former inmates of Dachau also magically return from the dead. Becker tells Schmidt that he is now going to be put on trial for crimes against humanity, including the maiming, torture, and murder of thousands of innocent prisoners. Schmidt reacts with extreme fear and disbelief, but he is soon pronounced guilty by Becker, who is now the spokesman for the inmates. Schmidt's punishment is that he be rendered permanently insane, and the former SS member falls to the ground, writhing from uncontrollable forces. Apparently, he loses his mind completely and will never again be able to experience pleasure, happiness, or normality. Schmidt is next taken away by ambulance to a hospital, and the viewer can readily imagine his being confined to a hospital for the rest of his life, probably strapped to a bed continually in order to contain his gross and wild irrationality.
 Â
Perhaps the most striking and significant aspect of the trial that was held in the Dachau camp was that Becker admonished Schmidt before sentence was handed down that "this is only the beginning. Your final judgement will come from God."Â
There are many people today who practice torture and other serious violations of human rights, and they should realize that a similar fate may well be awaiting them.
Â
Yours truly,
Lloyd Bonnell
Downhome no longer accepts submissions from users who are not logged in. Past submissions without a corresponding account will be attributed to Downhome by default.
If you wish to connect a submission to your new Downhome account, please create an account and log in.
Once you are logged in, click on the "Claim Submission" button and your information will be sent to Downhome to review and update the submission information.
Leave a Comment








MORE FROM DOWNHOME LIFE

Recipes
Enjoy Downhome's everyday recipes, including trendy and traditional dishes, seafood, berry desserts and more!

Puzzles
Find the answers to the latest Downhome puzzles, look up past answers and print colouring pages!

Contests
Tell us where you found Corky, submit your Say What captions, enter our Calendar Contest and more!