If you’re watching The Tattooist of Auschwitz on M-Net, there’s a good chance you already know it’s based on a book. You’ve likely even read it. But there are other facts about the show you might not know. Let’s take a deeper dive.
The book started as a screenplay
Heather Morris, the author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, was a screenwriter when she stumbled upon Lale Sokolov’s story about surviving Auschwitz through a mutual friend of hers and Sokolov’s son. Morris spend several years interviewing Lale about his memories of the infamous camp, making notes for her screenplay. She eventually chose to turn the story into a novel instead.
A different storytelling device
The book is told in third-person narration through the eyes of Lali (the spelling of his name is changed in the book and the show). The show takes a different approach, framing the story of the concentration camp with the present-day encounter between Morris and an older Lali.
The music
The show’s score was composed by Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve. Hardcore movie fans hardly need introduction to Oscar winner Hans Zimmer. The German composer regularly scores films for directing greats like Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, and Denis Villeneuve. Talve is an up-and-coming composer who has already received Emmy nominations for her work. Alongside several documentaries, she has worked as a composer on The Simpsons, as well as Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs.
The Kiwi connection
Morris is from New Zealand, as is the actress who portrays her in the show, Melanie Lynskey. This may come as a surprise if you’ve watched her in the incredible Yellowjackets or spent 12 years watching her as Rose in Two and Half Men. But this talented actor started her career in her native New Zealand, making her remarkable film debut in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures.
Starring alongside Lynskey as Morris is the incredible Harvey Keitel as the older Lali, with Jonah Hauer-King starring as the younger Lali. Watch The Tattooist of Auschwitz on Wednesdays at 21:00 on M-Net channel 101 or catch up on DStv Stream here.
Join the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #MNet101.