THE PLOT THUS FAR
The secret Nazi death camp at Sobibor was created solely for the mass extermination of Jews. But on the 14th of October 1943, the inmates fought back, in the biggest and most successful prison outbreak of the Second World War. Told through the firsthand accounts of four survivors–Toivi Blatt, Phillip Bialowitz, Selma Engel-Wijnberg, and former Russian POW Semjon Rozenfeld–and using dramatic reenactments, Escape From a Nazi Death Camp recounts the true horror of life at Sobibor, and the desperation, determination, and courage of its prisoners.
Of the 600 inmates present on the day of the escape, 300 escaped into the forest surrounding Sobibor. Of that 300, many were shot, turned in, murdered, or captured by Nazis. Around 50 survived the war and of that 50, only a handful are still alive. Now in their 80s and 90s, this is their last chance to reveal, in their own words, the true story of the day they escaped certain death to freedom.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Escape from a Nazi Death Camp” is an exciting look at one of the biggest moments for Jewish resistance during World War II. What really makes the story that much more important is the effort to get survivors to talk about the escape. Almost 90% of the people involved are dead now, so it’s turning into a race against the clock. The reenactments are pretty brutal for PBS. Still, it helped the authenticity of the story.
Sobibor rarely gets the attention it deserves anymore. Now, most of our WWII movies are about showing how brutal war is and making grand standing gestures. What makes the event even that more brutal is the fact that only 50 of the inmates survived WWII. Whether it was starvation, being shot or just general War maladities; Sobibor didn’t end well for most. Now, I just feel bad.
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is typical for standard definition. The transfer is flat with little punch-up. But, the Dolby 5.1 track kicks up where needed. In the end, I’d recommend a rental or streaming it.
RELEASE DATE: 06/24/2014