Customer Reviews

Holocaust (EP mode) [VHS]

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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!

UPDATE: The DVD set contains 3 discs, and is NR. It runs approx. 7 hrs and 29 mins.When I compared my much worn out VHS version with the DVD set, I did notice some missing scenes. I'm not sure why this is so. Another customer actually commented that up to an hour of the original show is missing [?]. Once again, I'm not sure as to the justification for this. Also, there are no bonus features which is a disappointment considering this is the 30 year Anniversary edition. It would have been nice to have some interviews with cast members, the director, producer , even a Making Of segment.The quality of the picture transfer is average. However, despite these flaws, and considering the fact that it has taken 3 decades for this epic mini-series to be released on DVD, I would still recommend "Holocaust" as a must-watch for those interested in the genre.

I PRE-ORDERED THIS SET AS SOON AS IT WAS ANNOUNCED.I SAW THIS MINISERIES
BACK IN 1978 WHEN IT AIRED ON NBC OVER 4 NIGHTS.THE AMAZON PRICE FOR THIS
ITEM IS GREAT AT ONLY $19.95 - BUT THE CONTENT IS NOT SO GREAT.PICTURE
AND SOUND IS O.K.-NO MORE.PRINTED IN SMALL LETTERS ON THE BACK OF THE
BOX IS THE DISCLAIMER "MAY BE EDITED FROM THE ORIGINAL NETWORK BROADCAST"
MAYBE IS RIGHT..THIS SET CLOCKS IN AT ABOUT 449 MINUTES WHICH IS 26-34
MINUTES LESS THE FULL RUNNING TIME.WHATS MORE THERE ARE NO FEATURES ON
THIS 3 DISC SET-NOT A SINGLE ONE.CBS VIDEO AND PARAMOUNT SHOULD BE ASHAMED
OF THEMSELVES..THE 30 YEAR "ANNIVERSARY EDITION" OF THIS MINISERIES WHICH
WAS TRULY A TELEVISION LANDMARK DESERVED MUCH,MUCH BETTER..

*(If anyone knows when this DVD will be released please say so i would very much like to know)

I have only recently come across this mini-series after renting it from my videostore and only even heard of this when researching more on Meryl Streep after viewing her incredible performnce in "Sophie's Choice".

Admirers of Ms.Streep won't be dissapointed in her performance nor will they with the rest.

Spanning over a decade (1935-1945), "Holocaust" focuses on the Weiss Family of Berlin and all the terror that each individual faces during their darkest days.

The characters are endearing and audiences will easily empathise with the strife they face.

This docu-drama is an accurate and on several occasions, highly disturbing account of man's inhumanity to mankind.

It's won 8 out of 16 emmy awards (1 Emmy which Meryl Streep won) and deserves each one.

I believe that every jewish man and woman should see this film and anyone else who is interested in History's blackest decade.

I agree with the reviewers who have lamented the fact that this excellent mini-series is not yet available on DVD. It is a profound, deeply moving presentation, with outstanding performances, including those by Meryl Streep, Fritz Weaver as the Jewish Doctor and Michael Murphy is superb at the Nazi. I highly recommend this series, and I do hope that it will be available soon.

I cannot believe that this mini series has not been released on DVD. This is the best holocaust movie ever made. It shows the holocaust not only from the perspective of the Jews but of the germans also. Please bring it out on DVD so I can buy it.

The story related in this film is nothing new. What is (to me at least) unique about it is the way it is presented.

We follow two families from the rise to power of the Nazi party in German (circa 1934 or so) to the end of World War II. The Weiss family (a Jewish family) and the Dorf's, who portrays an SS family man's perspective.

As the film unfolds we are treated to the unjustness, apprehension and then horror to which the Jews of Europe were subjected -- thru the experiences of the family Weiss - their family slowly broken up and sent away, first to ghettos, then ultimately to the death camps.

On the other side, we see where a 'typical' SS man comes from. Erik Dorf is an unemployed lawyer whose wife is sickly (and under the care of Dr Josef Weiss) without even the liklihood of a job. Concerned with how to pay his debts, he ends up a lieutenant of the SS working directly for Heydrich.

What is most interesting to me in the story is the transformation of young Dorf from a conscientous young man with high hopes into an SS Major, a merciless killer. It provides an insight as to why so many were anxious to wear the black uniform of the SS. One has to ask the question, "What would I do if I were living in those times and in that situation? Would I speak out and end up in a labor camp with the outcasts, or would I follow society and try to survive the turmoil?".

Characterizations are good and wholly believable. There is much which tells of the dilemma some of the German aryan people must have felt. For instance, Inga Helms Weiss -- aryan wife of the Jewish Karl Weiss; 'Uncle' Kurt Dorf -- who tried to keep a handful of Jews from Auswitz's death chambers; and Father Lichtenberg -- a christian priest who spoke out for the Jews and their plight.

If you'd like to understand what human beings must have felt and had to endure in Nazi Germany - on both sides of the fence - this is a good film to watch. If you're looking for an action story, you'll be disappointed.

~P~

Quite frankly I didn't think that CBS/Paramount could do any worse than their mediocre (at best) transfer of Beauty and the Beast. The megacorporation has surpassed itself with their release of the important mini-series Holocaust, however. Not only is the transfer as poor as that of Beauty and the Beast but the release does not even contain the complete mini-series (caveat emptor: CBS/Paramount tells you in a microscopic sized disclaimer that this "may" (I love the ambiguity here) not contain the complete series.

This release shows (if further evidence was needed) that CBS/Paramount does not care about the quality production of DVDs. It shows that they don't care about TV history. It shows that they don't care about consumers or they wouldn't routinely put out such poor transfers. It shows that they care only about one thing--profit (since the DVD's they release are clearly produced at the lowest possible cost to them). A pox on both their houses. DON'T BUY THIS. WRITE CBS/PARAMOUNT (VIACOM) TO COMPLAIN. If you don't do either you are perpetuating what is surely some of the worst practises within the DVD industry. And you deserve what you get.

This legendary Emmy-winning 1978 TV miniseries is remarkable for many reasons, not the least for featuring Meryl Streep in an early role. Here she wears long blonde-auburn hair and is very focused. Perhaps her ambition explains the lack of affectation so wearying in her star performances. Playing a Polish Catholic with ironic comparisons with her later Sophie's Choice, she uses her American accent. In fact the international cast which includes James Woods, Fritz Weaver, Sam Wanamaker, Rosemary Harris, Ian Holm, David Warner and Michael Moriarty are a mix of accents but it does not jar since the script by Gerald Green and the direction by Marvin J Chomsky are so good. The video release is 3 tapes and 7.5 hours long, presenting the story of the members of the Jewish Weiss family as they live and die through Europe from 1935-1945. Cynics may baulk at the chance of someone being present or involved in every major event but Weiss is a big family and the approach personalises historical abstraction. I particularly like Green's insight into Nazi internal politics, the fact that there is no Hitler character, and Chomsky's decision not to show inside the gas chambers. Any attempt would be a disappointment and seeing someone eyehole it and then describe it as like "Dante's Inferno" allows you to imagine your own nightmare. A moving and intelligent must see. It should be noted that the original series ran 9.5 hours.

Of all the movies made on this most horrific period of history, "Holocaust" is one of the most haunting and effective adaptations. The subtitle is "The Story of Man's Inhumanity to Man" and the title rings so true within the context of the story. Told through the eyes of two fictional Berlin families, the Weiss' and the Dorf's.

The Weiss' are an upper middle class German-Jewish family led by Joseph Weiss, a highly educated doctor and a "proper" and dignified mother, Berta, who spends her days playing Mozart and enjoying her perfect family life. Very shortly that world is destroyed and these dignified and decent people are stripped of everything, even their humanity. Their children and relatives are led to suffer no less.

The Dorf's are a German-Christian couple with two small children. Erik Dorf is an out of work lawyer who has a sickly wife. His great misfortune is his extrememly weak mind. He is unable to say "no" to his extremely selfish and domineering wife and he lets her make all the decisions for him. Because of her prodding, he joins the SS to become one of Hitler's Henchmen, responsible for the deaths of millions of innocents. It is interesting to note that he was a patient of Dr. Weiss and seeminly neutral towards Jews, as he even first admits to Heydrich when he joins the SS. His weak mind, insecurity and his domineering wife add to his ever faultering conscience. He becomes so full of denial at what he does, that he justifies the murder of millions of innocent people as if he were a robot programmed to follow orders.

There are of course the Germans that see the evil of the destruction of the Jews. Karl Weiss'(James Woods) adoring Christian wife, Inga (Meryl Streep), father Lichtenberg (a real non-fictionalized character) who led sermons to pray for the Jews and to aknowledge their persecution(he was eventually sent to a death camp), and Erik Dorf's uncle, who cannot believe that the young boy he once knew is now a murderer of so many.

Through the eyes of these two families, this movie becomes an educational insight into what a horrific and uncomprehensible era this was. The true story of man's inhumanity to man.

I hope that this film is released in the NEAR future on DVD. I remember watching this mini-series in the 70s. I would love to add this film to my library of WWII films. I was so moved by the drama and human struggles depicted in this film.