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| Holocaust | 
 enlarge | Director: Marvin J. Chomsky
Actors: Tom Bell, Joseph Bottoms, Tovah Feldshuh, Marius Goring, Rosemary Harris
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $17.99
You Save: $22.00 (55%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 180
Format: Box Set, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 3
Running Time: 420
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 622064
UPC: 097366220647
EAN: 0097366220647
ASIN: B00005JMLR
Theatrical Release Date: April 16, 1978
Release Date: May 27, 2008 (In 9 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet released
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Description
An original TV dramatization of one of the most monstrous crimes in world history - the slaughter of 6 million Jews by the Nazis. Dramatically and definitively, the story covers an entire decade, the eventful years from 1935 to 1945. HOLOCAUST focuses on the tragedy and triumph of a single family - the Weiss family. Their story is told in counter-poise to that of another fictional family, that of Erik Dorf, who portrays a Nazi aide to Germany's infamous Heydrich. Starring a brilliant international cast and filmed on location in Berlin and Vienna.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
Best fictional Holocaust movie ever made April 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am so happy this is finally being released on DVD after having been forgotten for so many years. Not only does this movie have some fine actors/actresses (James Woods, Merryl Streep, and more)but it is the most realistic, historically accurate depiction of the events that transpired in Germany and Europe.
Two families (1 Jewish, 1 German) are followed from the mid-1930's until after Worl War 2. Historical events are made especially personal by depicting how events affected one middle class Jewish family who chose to remain in Berlin after a multitude of Jews had fled. The events surrounding Krystallnacht, Nazi invasion of Poland, Babi Yar, Nazi euthanasia of the mentally ill, Auschwitz, Warsaw Gheto uprising, and Germany's defeat are all well depicted here.
Society here is a microcosm showing all the feelings, events and angles of the Holocaust: Jews who thought the country of Beethoven and Shiller were incapable of inhumanity, Unemployed Germans seeking livelihood who were transformed into evil monsters, drastically changed attitudes of germans towards the Jews as nazism trimuphed, complicity of Jews who collaborated, devoted German war enthusiasts appalled at learning how Jews were treated,and the anti-semitism taht ran rampant within the Polish underground.
This movie also sheds light on that perennial misguided question asked over and over: Why did the Jews allow themselves to be led like sheep to the slaughter? This movie shows how the Holocaust occurred in gradual stages and how Many German Jews especially were the most patriotic and asimilated of all Jews.
A must-see for any Holocaust scholar or ordinary American wanting to understand how it all happened.
Should be mandatory in schools March 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Finally, this arrives on DVD! I have it on VHS, but some works, like "Holocaust", have earned the right to be presented on DVD.
While not entirely historically accurate in the details -- most of the characters are fictional aggregates of real people -- the depiction of the events is realistic and, sadly, not in the least bit exaggerated. If anything, it had to be toned down because the brutality of what transpired is simply too intense for most viewers -- and probably movie-makers -- to stomach.
This mini-series is probably not appropriate for very young children, but it is definitely appropriate for teenagers. A place should be made in history classes (they do still teach history, right?) for viewing and discussing movies like "Holocaust" and Roots. If the school doesn't do it, the parents should.
Before people start thinking that "Holocaust" is little more than a thinly-veiled documentary, let me assure you that it's story telling at its best. In fact, there are many stories happening against the backdrop of the holocaust. Some are tragic, some inspiring, some triumphant, and some... well, some personal downfalls are just sweet to savor.
As a counterpoint to this intensely dramatic series, I recommend the blood-chilling The Wannsee Conference for a mind-numbing inside look at the event that launched the holocaust proper. For those who don't like subtitles, Conspiracy is the English equivalent, though it isn't quite as adept at providing the lump of ice in one's gut as "The Wansee Conference" gives.
Holocaust DVD- A Milestone in Holocaust in Holocaust Awareness March 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It is about time this was brought to DVD. As a Professor of Holocaust studies I know that this television mini-series was a turning point in Holocaust awareness and Holocaust education in this country. As a result of this film the American (and German) people became more familiar with and more interested in learning about the Shoah. This motivated many survivors who had never told their story to start telling it because now people were interested in hearing about their experiences.
One of the best depictions of the Holocaust on screen! February 22, 2008
41 out of 41 found this review helpful
I used to teach Holocaust history for about 8 years at the high school level, and have not only read many books on the subject but also watched numerous films on the genre. This 1978 mini-series is in my opinion, one of the best depictions of the Holocaust on screen.
The series is set in Germany right about the time Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party are in power [the period covered is about 1935-45]. The series focusses on the trials of the Weiss family, a prominent Jewish family with the patriarch being a decorated war veteran, a grandmother, two sons, Dr Josef Weiss [Fritz Weaver] and his wife Berta [Rosemary Harris], a pharmacist Moses Weiss [Sam Wanamaker], and three grandchildren, an artist Karl [James Woods], a rebel Rudi [Joseph Bottoms], and young Anna.
The series begins with the celebration of the marriage between Karl [James Woods] and his Aryan wife Inga [Meryl Streep]. The Weiss portray the assimilated Jewish family, they are not particularly religious yet proud to be Jewish, and are at ease with their Gentile friends. Yet, dark clouds are starting to gather over them and the rest of Germany's Jews as the Nazi party's anti-semitic policies are about to be put into action. It begins with little things like Dr Josef Weiss not being able to treat his Aryan patients anymore and things get worse from that point on. Kristallnacht [Night of the Broken Glass] sees the destruction of Jewish property and businesses and worse is to come.
The series tries to portray the gradual persecution of the Jews before the escalation into the horror that became the Shoah. Dr Weiss is deported to Poland, where he ends up with his brother Moses in the Warsaw Ghetto. The other members of the family are also to suffer as Karl the artist is sent off to a concentration camp, leaving his wife Inga desperate to hear news of him. Rudi leaves home to join the partisans, and his mother and sister are left to fend for themselves.
There are some truly horrifying scenes in this series and may not be suitable for younger viewers. Mass murder, such as Jews being burned alive, the Babi Yar Massacre in the Ukraine, and of course the gassings are all portrayed with a high degree of realism that makes one flinch and grieve at the same time for all the innocent lives lost.
The series not only focusses on the Weiss family, for there is a parallel storyline involving a German named Erik Dorff [Michael Moriarty], an unemployed lawyer who at the behest of his wife decides to join the infamous SS, reporting directly to Reinhard Heydrich[ David Warner], the blond beast who was responsible for implementing many of Hitler's sadistic policies against the Jews. We see how Erik keeps justifying the murder of innocents ["We must keep killing them, don't you see? If we stop it's an admission of guilt!], and how he turns out to be such a cold-blooded human with no feelings whatsoever [a brief attack of conscience is soon forgotten]. This is very reminiscent of many of the high-ranking SS officers in history, as Rudolf Hoss, the Commandant of Auschwitz himself remained unrepentant till the end.
I am very glad that this amazing series of such important historic significance is to be finally made available on DVD and i hope that it will portray the series in its entirety with preferably added features such as interviews with the cast etc. A must-have for anyone interested in the Holocaust!
How long do we have to wait??????? May 30, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
One of the best if not THE BEST dramatization of that horrific period of human history. The story is about the Family Weiss, an upper class German Family, who happened to be Jewish, and because they were Jewish were considered "unworthy of life" WHO DARES TO SAY THAT OF ANYONE? The tapestry is woven of the doctor and his stalward wife as his family and extended family is removed, one by one, from the face of human history. I, a non-Jew, can never forget nor forgive my government for standing by and allowing this horror to go on, because it was inconvenient or not top priority at the time. PLEASE, PLEASE bring this video statement to DVD ASAP! We've waited long enough.
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