Update VIII: interiors
It is November 1939 and Misha has come to a birthday party. Interiors say so much about the times and the people that live in them. Most interiors were cluttered by today’s standards. Given how many things we could incorporate in this scene, we had to be careful to choose the right ones. Ones with significance. A) photos in the background are from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum collection. They are photos of families a lot like the Milgroms, many of whom perished in the war. But, in this scene, they would still be very much alive. We are hoping to form a partnership with various Holocaust organizations so that we can include parts of their collections in our film. Poland was famous for its crystal. You can see it in the vase and the cake stand. C) Poland was also famous for its lace D) Persian carpets were used in abundance. Misha and the boys would also use a Persian carpet to sleep in the rubble in cold weather. Carpets were available from bombed-out homes. E) there was no such thing as “wrapping paper” as we know it today. Gifts were wrapped in parcel paper or newspaper. Here we use a page from Dziennik Poznanski in 1939. This long-running Polish newspaper ceased operation that year and would be replaced by Nazi propaganda. F) Families often displayed plates and favorite trinkets. Here we see a little glass dog that Janina would later leave for Misha on her stoop.
