Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)

IMDb Rating

8.8

Actor

Crew

Linda Hunt	Narrator
Samuel West	Narrator
Horst-Günter Marx	Rudolf Höss
Klaus Mikoleit	Heinrich Himmler
Gordon Newell	Bill Cross
Linda Ellerbee	Hosted

Director	Dominic Sutherland; Laurence Rees
Producer	Laurence Rees
Writer	Laurence Rees; Linda Ellerbee

Plot

Auschwitz occupies a chilling and disturbing place in the history of humankind. It began as a Nazi labor camp to terrorize the polish population and evolved into the site of the largest mass murder ever recorded. This six-part series, narrated by actress Linda Hunt ('The Practice', 'The Year of Living Dangerously'), presents an in-depth examination of the camp's evolution and the decisions that enabled such an incomprehensibly inhuman place to come into being.'Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State' is the result of three years of research, drawing on the close involvement of world experts, recently discovered documents and nearly 100 interviews with camp survivors and perpetrators, many of whom are speaking on the record for the first time. Their stories are brought to life through the innovative use of archive footage, dramatic recreations of key decision-making moments, and their extraordinary testimony. While never losing sight of the suffering of the victims, this documentary offers a unique and alarming look at the mindset of the perpetrators - killers like the Commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Hoss, camp doctor Josef Mengele, and S.S. Commander Heinrich Himmler.'Auchwitz: Inside the Nazi State' is written and produced by Laurence Rees, the Creative Director of BBC History Programs. The historical and script consultant for the series is the award-winning Hitler biographer, Professor Ian Kershaw. The last major project that Laurence Rees and Professor Ian Kershaw worked on together was 'The Nazis - A Warning from History', which was shown in 30 countries and won eight international awards including the Peabody Award.'Aushwitz: A New History' , the companion book to this series, is available at bookstores everywhere.DISC 1:1. Surprise Beginnings (47:45)2. Orders and Initiatives (47:45)3. Factories of Death (48:28)DISC 24. Corruption (47:35)5. Murder and Intrigue (47:57)6. Liberation and Revenge (47:29)* Laurence Rees Interview (16:07)* Six Follow-Up Discussions (total 47:23)

Movie Details

Genre

Documentary; War; Television

Studio

BBC

Series

Auschwitz: The Nazis & The Final Solution

Movie Release Date

2005

Country

USA

Language	English
Audience Rating	NR
Running Time	286
Color	Color

Episodes & Features
Disc 1:
Features	Scene Access Making Of... Closed Captioned
Episode 1	Surprising Beginnings This episode sets the stage for the series and examines the radical increase in violence against all opponents of the Nazi state. In particular, it explores the German army's invasion of the Soviet Union during the summer of 1941 and connects this campaign to the first gassing experiments in Auschwitz, Poland, which were aimed at Russian prisoners of war, not Jews.
Episode 2	Orders and Initiatives Laurence Rees continues his documentary history, marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, with an account of how the Nazis developed their ""Final Solution"". By 1942, Rudolf Hess had established the camp as a place to murder thousands of Jews, Slavs, & Roma Gypsies.
Episode 3	Factories of Death The Nazis' marshalling of Jews from across Europe - including the Channel Islands- gained momentum in 1942. Unable to cope with the huge influx, Auschwitz and Treblinka were modified with bigger gas chambers and crematoria. But inspirational stories of courage and compassion could still be found among this appalling catalogue of inhumanity, including that of German officer Albert Battel, who risked his life to save detainees.
Episode 4	Corruption By 1943, life was good for many of the SS. Eyewitness accounts recall how those in power at Auschwitz lined their pockets with wealth stolen from Jewish inmates while also engaging in illicit affairs.
Episode 5	Frenzied Killing SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann ordered the deportation of Hungary's Jews following occupation in 1944, precipitating the most intensive period of slaughter in Aushwitz's history. The Allies, meanwhile, faced dilemmas: should they divert valuable resources to bomb transport routes to the camp? And should they consider Eichmann's offer of one million Jewish lives in exchange for certain provisions - the ""Blood for Goods"" deal?
Episode 6	Liberation and Revenge The reality of life in the concentration camps was revealed upon the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen in 1945. But what was the fate of the remaining prisoners and the SS garrisons? The final days of the war and its immediate aftermath is a story as shocking as it is surprising, with Jewish survivors facing appalling treatment in their home countries and large numbers of SS perpetrators remaining hidden.
Episode 7	The Film