Maximilian Kolbe on the stage: the problematics of witness in Maximilian Kolbe: martyr of charity and The birds of the night

Abstract

The martyrdom of Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe, assassinated in the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz, is represented in the Polish film Maximilian Kolbe: martyr of charity (1991) and in the Brazilian play The birds of the night (1968). Therefore and according to Giorgio Agamben 's reflections on the concept of witness, this work intends to analyze how this concept is formalized in both compositions, taking into account the common thematic matter, the difference between their genres and the language adopted in each production.