Into The Arms Of Strangers - Stories Of The Kindertransport
by Mark Jonathan Harris
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Actor: Alexander Gordon, Eva Hayman, Judi Dench, Kurt Fuchel, Lory CahnDirector: Mark Jonathan Harris
Brand: DENCH,JUDI
Cinematographer: Don Lenzer
Editor: Kate Amend
Producer: Alicia Dwyer
Producer: Cayce Callaway
Producer: Deborah Oppenheimer
Producer: Lou Fusaro
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-08-28
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Into The Arms Of Strangers - Stories Of The Kindertransport
DVD Review: A powerful documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
This documentary, telling one of the lesser-known stories of WWII and the Shoah, is incredibly powerful, engrossing, emotional, poignant, and above all a shining testament to the inate goodness most people have. The strangers in England who took these children (a number of them actually teenagers and not really "children") into their hearts and homes were by and large doing a kindness simply because it was the right thing to do. Almost all of the Kinder came from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, and the film focuses on a bit over a dozen of them. These innocent young children were asked to do something most children would find very frightening, to leave their families, homelands, friends, languages, and entire lives and start out all over again in a strange new land, with strange new people taking care of them. The parents in return also had to do the unthinkable, send their precious children off to this strange new land, entrusting them to the care of strangers, and in 90% of cases had to say goodbye forever. But yet they loved them so much they were willing to make the supreme sacrifice so that they might live. Some of the Kinder were placed right away, and others had to live in temporary dormitories and holiday camps until they found people who would take them. Sometimes, as in the case of Bertha, Inge, and their brother Theo, they weren't treated all that well by their foster parents and even used as domestic servants, but in other cases, such as Kurt, they were placed with families who adored them and became their parents in every way that counted, so much so it was hard to say goodbye at the end of the war or in the rare cases where one or both of their parents had survived. And thanks to these people, 10,000 children and teenagers were saved from the fate of a million and a half other Jewish youngsters left behind in Europe.
The Kinder featured in the film came from varying backgrounds; while some came from happy families and never wanted for anything, some of them were orphans or half-orphans and had been living in orphanages until their chance to escape came. Their wartime experiences also varied. Some of the ones who were of the right age joined the service during the war, and, in an incident that isn't mentioned a lot, all refugees who were at least 16 were sent to Australia and interned because they were "enemy aliens." Unlike the American interment of those of Japanese birth or descent, however, Britain realised their mistake, apologised, and stopped this policy. Some of the people they'd interned went on to join the service as well, to repay Britain for having saved their lives. There were some who were even able to bring their parents over before the war began. The Kinder also vary in how fondly, neutrally, or negatively they remember their experiences; whereas Bertha, the young lady who was treated rather shabbily and used as a maid, has less than happy memories about her foster family, Kurt by far has the happiest recollections. I think Kurt and Lore Segal are my favorite of the Kinder featured, because Kurt just seemed so happy and cheerful, and Lore, who became a writer, remembered so many details about everything and seemed to march to the beat of her own drummer.
The film is loaded with great archival footage, much of which will be new to the viewer. The producers wanted to find film that everyone hadn't already seen so many times it had become cliché and lost the intended impact. As is mentioned in one of the commentaries, even Prince Charles, at the London premiere, was surprised to see some of the film footage of his family and the changing of the guards. Among the new bits of film footage is color footage of grafitti in Vienna; color footage of these years always has a big impact because it is in color, since we're so used to seeing and thinking about these events in black and white. The music is also very powerful and beautiful. Extras are two great commentaries, various photo galleries, premiere footage, a trailer, film footage about the historical artifacts used, filmographies for the cast and crew, extra interviews, and brief bios of the Kinder featured. Overall, this documentary is highly recommended.
Description of Into The Arms Of Strangers - Stories Of The Kindertransport
The story of how Jewish children were sent to Great Britain by their parents during World War II to protect them from Hitler.Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Release Date: 29-MAR-2005
Media Type: DVD
This Academy AwardŽ-winning documentary (produced with the cooperation of the United States Holocaust Museum) chronicles one of the lesser-known stories of the Holocaust: that of the kindertransport, which saved the lives of 10,000 Jewish children. In the late 1930s, England agreed to accept these children seeking refuge from Nazi oppression. They were placed in foster homes and hostels. Narrated by Dame Judi Dench and directed by Mark Jonathan Harris (who received an OscarŽ for his 1997 Holocaust documentary The Long Way Home), this devastating and deeply moving film bears witness to the kindness of these "simply wonderful people" and to the resilience of the kinder, now elderly, who recall in haunting stories the unimaginable grief of being suddenly torn from their parents, the trauma of not knowing whether they would ever see them again, and the difficulties some faced in their new homes. Recalls one, "None of the foster parents with whom I stayed could stand me for very long. But all of them had the grace to take in a Jewish child." But despite having their youth uprooted, many possess an indomitable spirit. One woman speaks of devoting her adult life to human rights and social justice causes. "I can't pay back or thank some of the people who helped me," she states, "But I can do something for other people." --Donald Liebenson
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