Jacob the Liar

[jlibrett]

Please post your analyses of "Jacob the Liar" (1975, Frank Beyer) here.

[sryden]

Jacob the Liar, is a film about a man and his community struggling to survive and maintain hope in the ghetto in Eastern Europe. Jacob is caught walking around town after curfew and asked to report to the German’s head quarters for his punishment. There he finds an opportunity to eaves drop on a radio broadcast. The next day when Jacob and other members of his community are working for the Germans in the railroad yard, he uses the news he overheard to save a friend from risking his life for a few potatoes. Jacob lied to his friend telling him that he was in possession of a radio, which is strictly forbidden in the ghetto. News spread quickly throughout the ghetto that he was in the possession of a radio and the members of the ghetto are expected more news so Jacob continued to produce stories. Jacob realized that the good news brought hope and lifted the spirits of those around him so he maintained the lie because it lightened the already hopeless and depressing situation his community is in.

The idea that this film is ultimately a hopeful one or a helpless one is debatable. It begins as a hopeful one, the good news serves as a beacon of hope to the Jews in the ghetto. In the film it is noted that once Jacob’s news announcements spread throughout the ghetto there were significantly fewer suicides. Another positive is with the wave of good news the sick young girl that Jacob looks after, who lives in the attic, seemed to be getting well. During a depressing and sad time Jacob’s continuous lie brought hope and a moment of happiness throughout the ghetto. This brief period of happiness had not been felt by these people for a long period, which is something they needed to maintain faith that there is an end in sight and that living is worthwhile.

Despite Jacob’s positive intentions by continuing the lie of the mythical radio that he possessed, he is discovered and terrible ramifications follow. He is no longer a leading and respectable figure within the community. When he goes to work the next day after he is discovered he is given the cold shoulder by all. Times are so bad that the community cannot see the positive and hopeful intentions behind Jacob’s lie. The other tragic event that occurred is Jacob’s close friend, the barber, takes his life. Although Jacob doesn’t verbally express his guilt, it is written all over his face. Jacob wonders if his friend would still be living if he never told those lies. These events can make the viewer rethink their previous notions about Jacob the Liar being a hopeful film. Although the spirits were lifted for a moment, they all fell lower once the lie was discovered.

In conclusion I believe this was a film of hope in an unarguable hopeless point in time. Members of their community were so depressed and lifeless that they took their own lives to escape their current situation. The hope that Jacob’s lies brought reignited the life within the community. Jacob should not be shunned, punished, or even feel guilty for his lies, he should be thanked. During a time where the only news was bad news, Jacob had the courage to dig deep, put himself in harm’s way and fight for hope.

[bjensvol]

Jacob the Liar by Frank Beyer is a very moving and thought provoking film. Throughout the film, the film begs the question as to whether it is right to instill false hope during a desperate, seemingly inescapable predicament. At the beginning Jacob effectively saved the life of his friend Mischa by raising his hopes by stretching the truth. Shortly after, the news of Jacob’s radio spreads like wildfire throughout the ghetto thereby lifting everyone’s spirits. Jacob takes note of the resulting elevation in moral and the decline of suicides and thereby concludes that he is doing his neighbors a great service. In time however as is true in many cases overtime Jacob’s one little white lie begins to take on a life of its own and eventually becomes too great of a burden for Jacob to keep going and inevitably he cracks under the pressure.

After carrying the entire ghetto’s spirits upon his back for so long, Jacob finally gives way and finds himself confessing to his misrepresentation. Which is when the dangers of Jacob’s small fib becomes painstakingly clear; as shortly after his confession, Kowalsky kills himself in the wake of his resultantly shattered hopes.

An interesting aspect of this film is the way the realization of the false radio parallels Lina’s realization of the truth behind the fairytale Jacob tells her in an effort to entertain her. In the final scene when Lina is told the truth about Jacob’s story, the audience is able to relate to her disappointment, as it is a realization that we have all been forced to accept in our early years, that all those stories our parents told us when we were younger were simply fibs meant to entertain us. The difference between Lina’s realization and Kowalsky is that Jacob is completely oblivious to what he has done to Lina. By this time in the film Lina has already caught Jacob lying to her before when she witnesses him pretend to be a radio. After both her parents were killed earlier in the film, by then end I’m sure she feels substantially alone, as she discovers she is unable to trust the people around her.

[steffikuern]

Stephanie Kuern
May 18, 2010

Jakob: A Justified Liar
“Jakob the Liar” is an accurate portrayal of life in the ghettos told from a first-person point of view. The characters are human and relatable and the story is interesting and heartbreaking. In view of the course of the film and its ending, Jakob’s “lie” about having a radio was justified.
When Jakob saw the people of the ghetto – his friends and family – losing hope in the despair of their situation, he made up a lie that would bring hope to their small town. One day at work, Jakob was working with a man he had grown fond of: Mischa. Mischa was going to steal potatoes from a truck in plain sight of the German guards. To prevent his friend from essentially committing suicide, Jakob lied and told him that he was in possession of a radio and had news that the Russians were getting closer to Germany and the Jews were that much closer to being saved. In the long-term, the lie was useless. The Jews of the ghetto were still shipped to extermination camps: with or without their hope.
In the short-term, however, the lie saved lives. At one point in the film, Jakob notes that the suicides that had been occurring in the ghetto stopped after word got out that Russians were getting closer. Jakob lies about other things, too. He tells white lies to protect Lina’s (his niece’s) innocence. Jakob is a kind elderly man who does not lie to be spiteful. In stead, he genuinely believes that he is doing the ghetto a great service by instilling hope, an idea that I must agree with.
The one time Jakob does tell the truth, Mischa does not believe him. After Jakob realizes that he has endangered his home and his family by telling people about a fictitious radio, he attempts to rectify the situation with the truth. Mischa calls him a liar and Jakob is forced to return to his lie.
“Jakob the Liar” is a story full of hope but unavoidable despair. Jakob is an admirable character that lies only out of selflessness. Though the lie was, in the end, unhelpful, it was hardly harmful to the characters.

[epick]

Frank Beyer’s 1975 film Jakob the Liar told the story of the importance of hope in the lives of those affected by the Nazi occupation of Poland. The life of Polish Jews imprisoned in the ghettos was by no means charmed; theirs was a life dominated by overlords and sanctions. They lived in poverty, yearning for freedom. Jakob never intended to deceive his fellows; rather, he sought to only to save the life of Mischa.

Having stayed out beyond curfew one evening, Jakob was sent to the police headquarters for punishment. While lost in the building, he overheard news on the radio of the Bolsheviks nearing in their attack. Soon after, after escaping punishment, he was seen attempting to cajole Mischa from risking his life for a few measly potato rations. To stop him, Jakob forced Mischa to the ground and told him of the Russians advance. Incredulous, Mischa demanded to know the source of the information. Weighing his options, Jakob felt a more believable tale than escaping the wrath of the SS was that he himself was in possession of a radio.

News of the radio spread throughout the ghetto, men and women alike delighted in the news. Where there once was hopelessness, grew hope. It brought about a new desire for life, a reason to trudge toward the future. With this however, brought more lies from Jakob. He needed to save face; he couldn’t rescind the story and deflate the spirit of those he built up. So he lied, and then he lied some more. From menial (a popular singer’s whereabouts) to the more serious (the mounting Russian offensive) matters.

Jakob’s long time friend, the barber Kowalski was one of the most greatly affected by the lie. Upon learning the truth, his was a life he could bear no longer. The lie and the hope it inspired was a defense mechanism for those in the Jewish ghetto. It was something to hold onto, it was enough to inspire revolt of the mind. Ultimately, this was a film of optimism and its importance in our survival. Life is only worth living when there is something to live for. For Kowalski, it was the idea of freedom; Mischa lived for love; and Jakob lived for Lina.

[bteyema]

One of the many tribulations that Jewish people suffered during World War II was being forced to live in the ghettos. In the ghettos, the Jews were only allowed a limited amount of personal items and even the types of items they could bring were limited. One of the main forbidden items was a radio. Because this was the main form of communication at the time, having a radio was key to receiving news from the outside world. In this film, Jacob stumbles upon a radio while in a Nazi-controlled police station, listening to an update about the war. Because nobody will believe that he went to the police station and came out alive, he is forced to keep up the dangerous lie that he owns a radio.

Jacob has an internal struggle through most of the movie: should he tell his fellows Jews that he does not really have a radio, or should he keep lying to bring their spirits up? Jacob finds that, when he lies, many of the people gain hope that the Russians will reach their ghetto and release them.
Jacob also finds himself caring for a small girl named Lina. When she hears that Jacob has a radio, she too wants to listen. Jacob is once again forced to maintain the lie to entertain Lina. In a way, I believe that Jacob makes up his radio programming so that Lina can somehow preserve her childhood. Telling her fascinating children’s stories, Jacob uses this as a way to help her escape the poor living conditions outside of this radio “dream world”.

Overall, even though this movie has optimistic moments, I believe it is mostly pessimistic. I would argue that the adults in this movie are all losing their hope, which is one of the reasons Jacob tries to preserve Lina’s childish optimism and naivety by pretending to be the radio. The one person that he informed about his lie was his best friend, who later killed himself after losing his will to live in the ghetto. This alone proved that Jacob’s lie was necessary for the sanity of the other Jews and personally I believe that, in the end, Jacob’s lie was fully justified.

[acrosby]

Jacob the liar is a story of a Jewish man living in the ghetto during WWII. Jacob hears on the radio at the Nazi controlled police station that the soviet army is making way toward central Europe. Jacob uses the information he heard on the radio and tells a friend, but because it is unbelievable that he heard that at the police station, he tells his friend that he is in possession of his own radio. News spreads quickly throughout the ghetto of Jacob’s radio. This is a risky situation for Jacob because possession of a radio was considered a serious crime. However, since he made the claim of the radio people began to look to him for more information. This causes Jacob to make up more and more lies.
Jacob’s lies were important to these people because it provided them with hope. Historically, hope has proven to be essential in progression. The hope that Jacob provided these people gives the film an optimistic outtake; it allowed these people to find something to live for. For this reason, I believe Jacob’s continued lies had justification.
Jacob the Liar also has a very pessimistic story line. Jacob may be providing hope for others, but he knows that everything he is telling them is a lie. Jacob feels alone and lacks hope. As a result, he shares his secret with a friend eager that it would bring some relief. Only, once his friend knows the truth he becomes devastated by the news and commits suicide. After this extreme aftermath for Jacob’s action, he realizes that he must keep his lie a secret for the sake of his fellow Jews.

[edavidso]

Jacob the Liar was a film that was intended to show how important optimism was. With people living in depressing ghettos where they were practically enslaved to work during the day, and only allowed to stay in their ghettos, as well as having guards and no way to contact the outside of their ghetto. It was important that Jacob lied and said he had a radio. It gave a lot of the people hope and desired to live another day longer. The news that Jacob was bringing was that there were armies nearby and hopefully soon they would reach their ghetto before they were shipped off or even killed. With this news the people of Jacob’s ghetto were given a kind of hope to keep them moving on.

His behaviour is seen as a kind of resistance because he lied about having a radio which were forbidden in the ghetto, along with any other sort of communication, he could have gotten in serious trouble if he was found out about it since so many other people knew. No one in the ghetto resisted, except one man who dated looked to see what was in the train car but then he was killed. Jacob was the only other person who was successful until he told his friend the barber he had known for so long.

After he told the barber that he lied about having a radio and that he had no idea what was going on, his friend killed himself. He must have thought there was no point on going on, which shows a very pessimistic side to the story. This was on everyone’s mind was the thought of no longer living if there was no one coming to save them. In the beginning the film was very hopeful because Jacob was telling lies that gave the people hope and belief that they would be saved. However as soon as Jacob told the truth about the radio it seemed to fade to more of a hopeless film all the way until they were shipped off to work camps.

[Kaya]

The film Jakob the Liar (1975, Frank Beyer) tells the story of Jakob Heym and his controversial „lie“ to his Jewish ghetto during World War II. The older Jewish gent lives and works under constant Nazi supervision along with his neighbors. His world seems hopeless until he overhears a radio broadcast that gives him the chance to save lives and give hope to those around him, making Jakob a sort of false celebrity. Despite the reality of the lie, Jakobs lies is arguably a positive and inspiring decision, not unlike the magical fairy tales told to children to inspire a sense of wonder and beauty in their imaginations.
The opening scenes of Jakob walking along in the streets in the evening are key to setting up the feeling of the ghetto and the intensity of the supervision. Nazi guards posted along the walls penning in the ghetto send Jakob to the police station for being out after curfew, which he later finds out was false (the guards often got bored and shot men on sight or sent them to their deaths for disobeying the rules). While waiting at the station, Jakob accidently overhears a radio broadcasting the approach of Russian forces. He is released from the station by a good natured guard who knows that it is not past curfew. We later meet Jakob and his working crew in the ghetto train yards. A young, hot-blooded man with nothing to lose has decided to throw his life away rushing some guards, but Jakob is able to stop him by telling him the story from the radio. He also says the radio is his own, hidden, and to not say a word. The young man is obviously pleased, his life safe for now.
Within the next few weeks Jakob is approached by many characters searching for more news from his radio. He quickly has to decide whether to keep up his tall tale or tell his neighbors the truth. When he sees the hope and energy filling the curious friends, Jakob chooses to continue to expand the story of the Russians and the war, telling people that they were closer and closer, that the war was close to being won. The hope he inspires puts many Jews in danger as they begin to feel freedom is near, but their attitudes on life are easily seen as more lively and excited. Jakob even spins his web of lies to a little girl he looks after to make her feel included. Despite the moment when she uncovers his lie, the child knows better than break Jakobs lie, which he is obviously just as dependent on to see beauty and hope in the world.
When the weight of the lie finally becomes too much, Jakob confesses to his closes friend, who commits suicide the next day. It is obvious then, if not earlier, that the lie is the only think keeping some of the people alive. The story is the best thing in life they have, because the truth is more ugly than death. Because of their situation and the joy the lie of the radio, the hope from Jakob brought, his story did more good then harm.

[AemiliaCrenshaw]

Jacob the Liar is a film that portrays hope to the hopeless. A sad outlook on Nazi Germany and the struggling men, women and families that would do anything for a sign of hope.

The lie that Jacob tells, him in ownership of a radio, gives others hope. Though he is constantly bombarded with the stress of having to make up lies the he has "heard" on the "radio" he has.

The lie was a lie, but it represented hope. Jacob noticed that since he had been providing news around his home that there were less suicides and deaths. He thought that as long as he continued to tell these little stories that he would not lose any more important people in his life because they had lost that hope.

When Jacob is overwhelmed with the intensity of others wanting to know more, when he knew he could not provide, he started to become desperate himself. He knew that if he did not have one piece of news that he could lose someone or something important. He started to do anything to provide for his friends and the important people in his life. Though he was so desperate he was harming the ones he cared for.