THE PLOT THUS FAR
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“America and the Holocaust” takes a look at how America responded to the Holocaust. At at time when media penetration wasn’t absolute, details leaked out of Europe in a handful of sources. There were the first hand accounts from refugees, the media produced within mainland Europe and what the United Kingdom shared with us. That being said, the State Department through up a ton of red tape for those that wished to flee to America. The United States was just starting to come out of the Great Depression and a lot of people in Washington feared that a sudden influx of Jewish refugees could damage the fragile economy.
Covering the Holocaust is a double-edged sword for documentaries. Some will see your research as making excuses for some historical sour spots, while others will believe that you won’t be covering enough. Framing the narrative around Kurt Klein allows for an attempt to make the material personal. However, one has to wonder about the scores of others that were impacted by the Final Solution. That’s not to forget how America’s neglect in the matter led so many Jews to Israel and Cuba. If you can find a copy of “Voyage of the Damned”, I’d recommend pairing it up with this documentary.
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is pretty strong for the release. The transfer is on par with the last couple of PBS documentaries. The same goes for the Dolby 2.0 surround track. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 10/21/2014