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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CHILLING...AND INSIGHTFUL!, January 10, 2005
This review is from: Genocide (DVD)
"Genocide" is a powerul and saddening look at the Holocaust, "The Final Solution" by the Nazi evil to exterminate the Jewish race. With a fantastic narration by Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor, and a dramatic score by Elmer Bernstein, "Genocide" is both a documentary about the time when a lack of humanity almost eliminated an entire race from European soil, and a film that cries for people to remember the six million lives taken by the powers of evil. A must-see for all people! Grade: B+
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Moving overview of the Holocaust, January 7, 2010
This review is from: Genocide (DVD)
"Genocide" (1982) presents a very good overview of the WWII Nazi atrocities committed against the Jewish people. The documentary begins with a recounting of the conditions in Europe that resulted in the rise of the Nazi party and a discussion of their hatred toward Jews and other peoples. The documentary moves on to describe how the Nazis began invading other countries and shipping the Jewish populations to ghettos and then the death camps. With narration by Orson Welles, the documentary covers a surprisingly large amount of material in under 90 minutes. Of course, with such breadth, it sometimes lacks detail, and there were numerous times when I wanted more information about specific events and so forth.
Along with the historical and political information, accounts from survivors are read by Elizabeth Taylor. These first-person testimonials are extremely moving, although Taylor's readings are often a bit overly dramatic. This issue is sometimes compounded by the score by Elmer Bernstein, which could have been more restrained. On the plus side, having such talent involved certainly lends the requisite gravitas. In addition, the story is told creatively with artwork and drawings, which allows needed respite from the use of video and photos, which are sometimes overwhelming. "Genocide" is put together very well and deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. I've seen quite a few documentaries over the years about the Holocaust, and although this one is flawed, it remains on of the best overviews and is extremely effective emotionally. Unfortunately, this fine documentary is no longer available from the manufacturer - hopefully it will be re-released again on dvd by another maker.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling Holocaust documentary, October 27, 2009
This review is from: Genocide (DVD)
"Genocide" is a brief yet compelling documentary that traces the events leading to the extermination of the Jews during WW II in Europe. The documentary begins with a sobering reminder by the famous Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal to never forget the atrocities perpetrated by humans against humans during that dark period in history that has come to be known as the Shoah or Holocaust. Viewers are initially shown the vibrant social life led by the Jews in Europe, especially in cities such as Warsaw in Poland. The documentary is fast-paced, and due to the short running time, about 83 mins, does not cover all the events in depth, but still makes for a compelling watch.
Narrated by both Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor, there is a sense of urgency in their narration that mirrors the desperation that the trapped Jews of Europe felt at that time. The most riveting aspect of this documentary for me was the heartwrenching eyewitness testimonies by survivors of the massacres at Babi Yar in the Ukraine, and also the Eishyshok massacre in Lithuania. These testimonies (as read by Elizabeth Taylor) coupled with the graphic photographs of Nazi brutalities made this quite an emotional viewing experience for me (as it is each time I watch a Holocaust drama or documentary). There is also an animated segment in this documentary based on the poem "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" by Pavel Friedman, who was incarcerated in Theresienstadt during WW II.
It's a pity that the DVD of this documentary has been discontinued by the manufacturer. I believe that it would be a good teaching resource for high school to college age history students. It's still available as a rental on online DVD rental sites.
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