In her study of Oberammergau, the Bavarian village famous for its decennial passion play, Helena Waddy argues against the traditional image of the village as a Nazi stronghold. She uses Oberammergau's unique history to explain why and how genuinely some villagers chose to become Nazis, while others rejected Party membership and defended their Catholic lifestyle. She explores the reasons for which both local Nazis and their opponents fought to protect the village's cherished identity against the Third Reich's many intrusive demands. She also shows that the play mirrored the Gospel-based anti-Semitism endemic to Western culture.

The history of the Oberammergau Passion Play begins in 1633. In the midst of the Thirty Years' War, as plagues brought suffering and death for months on end, the people of Oberammergau vowed that they would stage the 'play of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ' every ten years. It was at Pentecost in 1634 that they first fulfilled this promise. In 2022, the community will present the Passion Play for the 42nd time, an unrivalled feat of continuity. Almost half the residents of Oberammergau, more than 2000 participants, mount the life of Jesus of Nazareth in a five-hour performance on the imposing open-air stage of the Passion Play Theatre in southern Bavaria. With more than one hundred performances and half a million spectators it is the most successful amateur production in the world, and is included on UNESCO's register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The official illustrated book documents Christian Stückl's new production of the Passion Play with set designs, costumes and tableaux vivants by Stefan Hageneier. It is the third Passion Play production that the two Oberammergau-born artists have staged together, one that sees them forging a connection with the present day, highlighting the pressing issues of asylum and integration. The rehearsals are captured by Icelandic cinematographer Birgit Guðjónsdóttir, and her moving andrichly detailed photographs reveal the enormous energy and emotional force of this unique event.

Collection includes mounted photographic reproductions of the 1890 and 1900 Oberammergauer Passionsspiele; two postcards (one autographed) of actors in the 1930 production; a program from Trenton, N.J., for a screen presentation of the 1930 Oberammergau Passion Play; a program for a staging of the Freiburger Passion Play in Scranton, P.A.

The Bavarian village of Oberammergau has staged the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ nearly every decade since 1634. Each production of the Passion Play attracts hundreds of thousands, many drawn by the spiritual benefits it promises. Yet Hitler called it a convincing portrayal of the menace of Jewry, and in 1970 a group of international luminaries boycotted the play for its anti-Semitism. As the production for the year 2000 drew near, James Shapiro was there to document the newest wave of obstacles that faced the determined Bavarian villagers. Erudite and judicious, Oberammergau is a fascinating and important look at the unpredictable and sometimes tragic relationship between art and society, belief and tolerance, religion and politics.