Top Five Holocaust Films
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Holocaust
Meryl Streep. 8 EMMY Awards, 2 Golden Globes.
Price: $19.47
List Price: $39.99 |
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The Reader
Kate Winslet's Oscar Winning Role.
Price: $10.96
List Price: $19.95 |
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Brilliant child actors.
Price: $19.74
List Price: $29.99 |
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The Devil's Arithmetic
Starring Kirsten Dunst.
Price: $8.38
List Price: $14.98 |
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Conspiracy
Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci
Price: $3.82
List Price: $9.98 |
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Downfall
Oscar Nomination, Best Foreign Film
Price: $6.41
List Price: $14.94 |
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Sophie Scholl - The Final Days
Oscar Nomination, Best Foreign Film
Price: $17.60
List Price: $29.99 |
The holocaust will forever be a scar on the human experience. The guilt and shame of such an undertaking still permeates the air in countries which saw it firsthand. It's a very heavy feeling, as well it should be. Even today, elderly Nazi monsters are being tracked down and brought to justice. It's easy to look at their white hair, bent frames and wrinkled skin and forget the awesome power some of them held. Their ability to control life and death in such a grotesque fashion.
People don't enjoy thoughts that involve the kind of horrors the Nazis subjected Jews, Gays, Gypsies, etc. to. But it's crucial we don't let those horrors slip too far into the backs of our minds, lest history eventually repeat itself, as it sometimes seems destined to do. I've put together a list of the five best holocaust films. There aren't many out there, but these are all top class. If you haven't seen them - see them soon. There are also quite a few miniseries that you may want to check out as well, such as Holocaust with Meryl Streep, which you will find in the column on the right.
Please note that there are many, many films, old and new that are worthy of your attention, and I have tried to include as many as I could find on this page. Those not directly featured are listed to the right and also in the columns at the bottom of the page, so please scroll down to see the rest of the Holocaust films. If you have something you would like to list, please feel free to email me.
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The Pianist
Price: $6.90
List Price: $14.98 |
The Pianist (2002)
Adrian Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, directed by Polanski. This is the true story of Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. Set in Poland, it runs through a number of ridiculous edicts tossed out by the Nazis. It depicts the relocation of Jewish families into the ghettos. It shows the walls closing in a little more every day, until finally there is nothing left. Szpilman's survival was a miracle. The movie is hauntingly beautiful and the acting is phenomenal. Nominated for 7 Oscars and won 3.
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Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition)
Price: $9.69
List Price: $19.98 |
Schindler's List (1993)
Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, directed by Spielberg. Another true story, based on the life of Oskar Schindler, a German who was born and raised in Moravia (part of modern-day Czech Republic). A shrewd businessman, he travels to Poland to take advantage of confiscated Jewish property and slave labor. In the process he becomes a very rich man - but he also develops a sense of compassion he never had before and in the end goes completely broke trying to save "his" 1200 Jews from the death camps. If you don't cry by the end of this movie something is wrong with you. Nominated for 12 Oscars, won 7.
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Defiance
Price: $11.94
List Price: $19.99 |
Defiance (2008)
Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber. Defiance is an unusual film about the Holocaust, given that it involves an unsual group of brothers who run off into the woods after the Nazis kill their family and neighbors -- and then wind up playing leaders to other Jews who wander into the woods as well. This is a true story and some of it is a bit difficult to watch, but it's "easier" to sit through than, say, Schindler's List. This film is full of love, loss, strength and hope -- one of the few modern Holocaust films worth watching and owning.
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Sunshine
Price: $11.88
List Price: $19.99 |
Sunshine (1999)
Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Rosemary Harris. This film is set in Hungary and shows us three generations of one Jewish family's existence. It shows their humble beginnings, their rise, and their ultimate fall when the Nazis came to power. Even a conversion to Christianity could not save them. Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Also nominated for 4 EFAs and won 3.
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Life Is Beautiful
Price: $5.09
List Price: $19.99 |
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Roberto Benigni (Italian film). This movie starts out as a playful comedy. It takes place in Italy, where Guido the Italian Jew is doing everything he can to get Dora to fall in love with him. Eventually he succeeds. They marry and have a child named Joshua. When the Germans come, Guido and Joshua are taken away, but Dora (who is not a Jew) is not forced to go. She insists, however, and accompanies her family to the camp. They are separated, of course, but Guido continues to keep his family's hopes up through his antics. Be advised the ending is a bit sad. Nominated for 7 Oscars, won 3.
More Holocaust Films
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Uprising
Price: $11.80
List Price: $19.98 |
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The Grey Zone
Price: $8.31
List Price: $14.98 |
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Into The Arms Of Strangers - Stories Of The Kindertransport
Price: $5.23
List Price: $19.98 |
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Rosenstrasse
Price: $3.99
List Price: $19.94 |
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The Nazi Officer's Wife
Price: $4.74
List Price: $24.95 |
Other Holocaust Films
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Anne Frank - The Whole Story
Price: $5.92
List Price: $14.99 |
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Fateless
Price: $3.99
List Price: $7.99 |
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Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg
Price: $15.35
List Price: $24.95 |
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Out of the Ashes
Price: $8.12
List Price: $14.98 |
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A Day in October
Price: $4.93
List Price: $14.98 |
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Comments
I cried like that through Schindler's List and parts of The Pianist! Tissues are needed!!
You are right they are tear jerkers, but great movies, hope it never happens again.
I've seen the first 2 and agree they are excellent. I'll have to add the rest to my list.
Tissue? Pffft, men who ride motorcycles don't cry. ;~)>
Cgull - Me, too!
Fretbuzz - Oh come on, we know you're a softie. ;)
Thoughtful hub and excellent choices, Isabella. Thank you.
Thank you, Guru!
what a coincidence that we have the same taste. this are also my favorites. the latest that i have watch here is the LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.
I am going to watch one of these movies tonight so i will tell you how sad it is!
shindlers list is so good but so sad
i found life is beautiful the most haunting of them all, though i havnt seen the pianist. the reviews also helped me in a school project. THANKS!
i saw all but "sunshine", which i will see soon! but if you liked those and thought they were sad, then watch "a look to the sky" and "escape from sobibor" watch those ones you'll enjoy!
escape from sobibor
i saw life is beautiful. funny and d ending is so said. actors are all good.
Great list; I've seen all of them except for "Sunshine". One comment, however, regarding your statement "At the same time, it's always good to recall that the world eventually managed to stomp out evil of that magnitude." I don't believe this is true - look at Milosovic in the former Yugoslavia or the genocide in Rwanda. There is still much evil in the world.
I recommend "Hotel Rwanda" if you want to take the genocide theme to the present day.
I remember seeing "The Hiding Place" as a child with my father. That movie really brought home the Holocaust for me.
I watched the schindler's list on my english class and the entire class ended up crying, what a great man.
Life is Beautiful (from what I saw in previews) is not like any other film based on this atrocity, as a parent I can see myself trying to "make everything ok" in my childrens' eyes...A heart wrencher and I def must see the entirety of this piece, excellent choice!
I thank you very much for putting these up. I am always looking for new holocaust movies and books to buy. This has been very helpful. If you have any other good ones please let me know. :)
Smileygirl_422@yahoo.com
--Jackie
There are still holocausts going on right now. People have no idea. We're not even trying to help. It's sad
I have a thesis coming up and needed to do some more research on the Holocaust. I have found your list to be most informative as I havent seen any of these yet. Thank you for putting this list together. I havent seen them all yet, but have my list ready and have been watching one a night. There is a movie I watched many years ago that touches base a little bit called the Power of One, this one is also a great movie. Another one, just released called the Boy in Striped Pyjamas. I ran accross this one by accident. I will inform you if I find any more.
You [all] must see THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. I cried the entire length of the movie. I promise, you will too!
these are excellent choices. to see the point of view of the perpetrators of the Holocaust check out "Conspiracy" with Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci, and "The Reader". i have not seen the latter, but i read the book. it was a great story and a great read, authored by Bernhard Schlink.
Hi, great list. I have query though.. once long ago, i had seen a black and white movie on tv with the holocaust in the backdrop.. it was a love story, young boy and girl, sent to concentration camp, separated, undergo lot of hardship, the girl makes some kind of a big sacrifice (i dont't remember, just the impression left).. then finally, after the war is over, they re-unite.. the girl has short here by that time, last scene is they meet on a countryside... can nyone suggest which film might that be? it's been an obsession, i've been searching for very long time...
Where are the movies about the Palestinian Holocaust?
this was very sad how they did this i cried through the planist it was horrible
i have seen all of these movies so far. i'm studying holocaust and human rights and all of these films were required in our classes.
schindlers list was very good and told about the efforts of one man (who was basically a womanizer & money lover) who put all of that aside in order to save many jews from the germans.
life is beautiful is good but i'd have to say it's not as accurate as other movies. it's made into somewhat of a "comedy" and i guess you have to look at it in a different way than you would the pianist (my favorite) or schindlers list.
the pianist, in my opinion is the best selection of these movies. it's very vivid and shows much more detail, so just be warned. and in it, the baby's cry is the one thing that stands out the most. alot of symbolism in these movies. but i'd have to say the pianist was my favorite.
*other movies you might be interested in are jakob the liar and defiance. there are many more as well*
I LOVE the movie Life is Beautiful, it's so different from any other holocaust movie. First of all it takes place in Italy, and second of all it shows that not all Jewish people are "in your face" Jews (please don't take that offensively). The man is Jewish but that's not his life. Excellent film, same with The Reader, Schindler's List, and the Pianist.
How about Shoah? Diary of Anne Frank?
i feel for the jews, its real a sad story
I think schiendlers list was very graphic but very good.
it moved me alot...not a good idea for little kids to watch.
But I really thought that this movie really showed how the holocaust was like, unlike other movies.
This movie was overall 10 stars. :]
Some other great great Holocaust movies:
Escape from Sobibor
Europa Europa
I do love Schindler's List and Life is Beautiful, though. Schindler's List is a movie that every human being should see so we can hopefully prevent something like this from ever happening.
I also recommend actually going to the museum in DC. Been there three times myself - much on the urging of my grandmother, whose cousins were victims of the holocaust.
Schindler's List, Defiance, movies that truly captured the essence and brutality of the times. Spielberg and Zwick are directors I admire endlessly. Good list.
the grey zone and the counterfei are great films too
Sophie's Choice (1982),
Between the innocent, the romantic, the sensual, and the unthinkable. There are still some things we have yet to imagine. Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the movie's narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions.
I saw this movie about a Year ago and Its was and excellent movie. Here is a link for more inf.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084707/plotsummary
I have watched almost every Holocaust movie and the two that I think people always forget to mention are: "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance". It's a two-part miniseries based on Herman Wouk novels. The story is beautiful and there is so much history and live footage - one learns so much! I guess not many people watch these because they are so long and somewhat expensive but they are truly wonderful.
i saw the boy in the striped pajamas it just broke my heart. my goal is to watch every movie on this list by the end of 2009
I would only implore people who have had an everlasting impression imprinted in their hearts to see things for what they are. The one thing that we learn from history is that we never learn from history. This exact thing is happening again under the cloak of eugenics and a call for population reduction and sterilization. check out the facts for yourselves at INFOWARS.COM and watch the film ENDGAME; Blueprint For Global Enslavement. Be informed and not deceived. I beg of you with a sincere heart.
Hey Isabella, you might also wanna check out Jakob The Liar if you haven't already. Liev Schreiber and Robin Williams are awesome in this movie. You can almost smell them.
I just watched on Encore (T.V.) a film called Genecide with Orson Wells and Elizabeth Taylor, It is a great movie with a lot of actual footage, I cried and can not get the film out of my mind. This must never,never happen again, and to think we still have Nazis living in the U.S.A.
Genocide...sorry about that...
hi i saw shindlers list it was the most hoprful and painful picture of humanity painted by the mater steven spielberg mankind has to be shamed and be relieved at the same by the notion of its killing and saving lives precious lives who live to warn us about pure evil within us
If I hear one more idiot compare the palestinians to the jews Im going to puke. The jews didnt attack the german government and still dont, the palestinians want to kill the jews not visa versa, the Israelis dont put muslims in interment camps to be starved and gassed and the bottom line is if the palestinians didnt attack the Israelis they wouldnt be walled in where they are now.
livelonger says:
2 years ago
I cried and cried (and cried) when watching Life is Beautiful, from the beginning courtship to the bitter end.
Sophie's Choice was good, and maybe a bit better than the book, which was a bit ponderous...