Jewish + Israeli aspects to this film

I read a lot of Vonnegut in high school but I can't ever remember reading this novel. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the movie very much on many levels.


I found a few errors with accuracy and realism with regards to Jewish and Israeli aspects to the film, both of which I am intimately familiar with.

1) To the best of my knowledge, all high-value prisoners are held and tried in Jerusalem, Israel's capital. Haifa would not be the place to keep such prisoners. Incarcerating and trying a Holocaust-related prisoner is a matter of great political importance and thus would take place in the capital city.

2) The exterior of the prison is filmed in Canada according to this website. Why not film in Israel for realism?? Reason: same reason for everything in life; cost.

3) When Howard goes to his Jewish doctor neighbor to turn himself in he is first standing at their door, obviously. The camera shows the mezuzah (Jewish talisman) on the left doorpost; it's proper position is on the RIGHT doorpost; as you enter.

The director wasn't sure if audiences were smart enough to figure out by this part of the movie that the residents of that apartment were Jewish, so he mounted the mezuzah where the camera could see it and the face of the Doctor as he opens the door, for that matter.

4) Early in the movie Howard is exiting his office building (presumably in the Ministry of Propaganda) and a stereotypically-dressed Jewish man approaches to berate Howard/any Nazi in uniform. Although we don't know what year it is, this is highly unlikely even for a Jew with lots of chutzpah. And the guards surely would have given him a wooden shampoo with the butts of their K98s at first sight..........