The story starts with the wedding of Karl Weiss, a Jewish artist to his Aryan Christain wife, Inga in 1935. Though a cheeful event, it is overshadowed by a warning from the Weiss's gentile friends that such occurances will be frowned upon in the future.

Holocaust spans an entire, decade from 1935-1945, and gives a dramatic peek inside two families torn apart by these horrifying events.

Dr. Josef Weiss is a Polish immigrant with a well-repsect family practice. His blue-blooded wife, Berta and thier three children, Karl, Rudi, and Anna, live in Berlin at the time of the Reich's rise to power. Through them, we see the systematic destruction wrought on the Jewish community durring these times.

Little things start to give an impending sense of doom, such as Weiss's ability to treat Aryan patients being stripped away and Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) where Jewish property and businesses are destroyed.

Despite all the signs, Berta is a proud woman who refuses to be run out of her country by Hitler. She, being a native Geman, believes nothing bad will come to her or her family. This results in devastaing concequences, as Karl is soon shipped off to a camp. Josef is deported back to Poland, and Berta, Rudi, and Anna hide in her daughter-in-law, Inga's apartment. Rudi runs away and Anna, tired of hiding and terrified runs out into the streets where she is attacked by drunken SS men.

The event drives young Anna to madness, and she is then shown being admitted to a "hospital" that really serves to exterminate the mentally ill.

Inga's love and devotion for her husband come into play when she fights to find a way to get word to Karl inside Buchenwald and find the means through a family friend, a Sgt. in the SS.

The story chronicles major events through this time, such as the use of the camps, the brutality and execution forced on innocent people, and the resistance and eventual uprising in the Warsaw ghetto. It covers the resistance fought on other fronts, as it follows rebel son Rudi's journey. On the other side Holocast also chronicles one officer's rise to power within the Reich at the frantic urgings of his wife. His brief battles with conscience give way to a frantic and adamant belief in a warped system.

An all encompassing look at a dark decade in history.

Anyone wanting to learn more about this period in time.

The storyline as it followed both families to the brink and beyond. It's a gripping plot that plays heavily on fact, history, and emotion.

The film quality and sound. It seems despite being a 30 year anniversary edition, they didn't bother to remaster the film.

Applaud the cast on their acting. Each member gave a memorable and intense portrayl of their characters.

Such a wide range of emotions. Some scenes were very hard to watch and moved me to tears. Yet at the end, there is a small glimmer of hope as we see two survivors try to rebuild their lives.

Excellent! Stunning performances all the way around.

It's an amazing drama about that frame in history.

Despite being "old" in cinematic quality and directing techniques, this is a must see.

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Created Feb 16, 2009 at 1:35pm • Submit your own review...