Holocaust (1978– )

The saga of a Jewish family's struggle to survive the horror of Nazi Germany's systematic marginalization and extermination of their community.

Stars:

Joseph Bottoms, Tovah Feldshuh, Rosemary Harris

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 15 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Joseph Bottoms	...	Rudi Weiss (4 episodes, 1978)
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Helena Slomova (4 episodes, 1978)
Rosemary Harris	...	Berta Palitz Weiss (4 episodes, 1978)
Tony Haygarth	...	Heinz Muller (4 episodes, 1978)
Michael Moriarty	...	Erik Dorf (4 episodes, 1978)
Deborah Norton	...	Marta Dorf (4 episodes, 1978)
George Rose	...	Franz Lowy (4 episodes, 1978)
Robert Stephens	...	Uncle Kurt Dorf (4 episodes, 1978)
Sam Wanamaker	...	Moses Weiss (4 episodes, 1978)
David Warner	...	Heydrich (4 episodes, 1978)
Fritz Weaver	...	Dr. Josef Weiss (4 episodes, 1978)
James Woods	...	Karl Weiss (4 episodes, 1978)
Charles Korvin	...	Dr. Kohn (4 episodes, 1978)
Stanley Lebor	...	Zalman (4 episodes, 1978)
Käte Jaenicke	...	Frau Lowy (4 episodes, 1978)
Tom Bell	...	Adolf Eichmann (3 episodes, 1978)
Meryl Streep	...	Inga Helms Weiss (3 episodes, 1978)
John Bailey	...	Hans Frank (3 episodes, 1978)
Michael Beck	...	Hans Helms (3 episodes, 1978)
T.P. McKenna	...	Blobel (3 episodes, 1978)
Cyril Shaps	...	Weinberg (3 episodes, 1978)
Ian Holm	...	Heinrich Himmler (2 episodes, 1978)
Lee Montague	...	Uncle Sasha (2 episodes, 1978)
Isolde Barth	...	Eva (2 episodes, 1978)
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Karp (2 episodes, 1978)
Peter Garell	...	Yuri (2 episodes, 1978)
Werner Kreindl	...	Herr Helms (2 episodes, 1978)
Martin Brandt	...	Rabbi Karsh (2 episodes, 1978)
Edward Gilkrist	...	Peter Dorf - teen (2 episodes, 1978)
Courtney Hill	...	Laura Dorf - teen (2 episodes, 1978)
Nina Sandt	...	Frau Helms (2 episodes, 1978)
Blanche Baker	...	Anna Weiss (2 episodes, 1978)
Götz von Langheim	...	Berlin Doctor (2 episodes, 1978)
Jeremy Levy	...	Aaron Feldman (2 episodes, 1978)
Miriam Mahler	...	Woman with Infant (2 episodes, 1978)
Walter Scheuer	...	Prague Policeman (2 episodes, 1978)
Irene Prador	...	Maria Kalova (2 episodes, 1978)
George Pravda	...	Otto Felscher (2 episodes, 1978)
Bruno Thost	...	Kapo Melnick (2 episodes, 1978)
Joe Trummer	...	Czech Jew (2 episodes, 1978)
Murray Salem	...	Analavitz (2 episodes, 1978)
Gabor Vernon	...	Rabbi Samuel (2 episodes, 1978)
Peter Vogel	...	Emil Frey (2 episodes, 1978)
Peter Weihs	...	Sacristan (2 episodes, 1978)
Marius Goring	...	Heinrich Palitz (2 episodes, 1978)
Kathina Kaiser	...	Sarah Ohlnick (2 episodes, 1978)

Storyline

"Holocaust" follows each member of the Jewish Family Weiss throughout Hitler's reign in Germany. One by one, the family members suffer the horrible fate of extermination under Anti-Semetic Nazi Law until only one son remains at the end of World War II. A sub-plot follows the story of Eric Dorf, a young German lawyer with a good heart who is changed into a mass murderer by membership in the SS.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | germany | lawyer | doctor | piano | 

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Taglines:

The story of man's inhumanity to man.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Holocaust: The Story of the Family Weiss

Filming Locations:

Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Titus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

475 min 420 min (DVD) (2008) 448 min (DVD) (2008)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When this was aired on German television, police station switchboards were flooded with confessional calls during the "Krystallnacht" scene, where people were smashing the windows of synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses. People who had participated in the actual event were calling to confess their participation, but the Statute of Limitation had taken effect, and no actions could be taken, despite their confessions.

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Goofs

In 1935 the family is talking about Hindenburg as if he was alive at the time. In fact, Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934.

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Quotes

Hans Frank: What the hell do you know? I was head of the party legal office when you were in short pants.
Erik Dorf: Yes. Heydrich has a file on your legal career.
Hans Frank: Does he?
Erik Dorf: Interesting details. Your passion for justice. Objecting to the murder of Ernst Roehm. Not at all what the Fuhrer had in mind for the Government of Poland.
Hans Frank: I heard you were just another boot licker. Apparently you're not.

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Connections

Referenced in Bilder der Welt und Inschrift des Krieges (1989)

User Reviews

Extraordinary scope, superb acting

While the Holocaust has been treated in many excellent films and television shows, the 1978 TV mini-series "Holocaust" remains one of the finest. This was the second mini-series ever produced for television, and like it's predecessor, "Roots," the producers attempted to create something that would rival the best that Hollywood could produce for the movies, with the added ability of telling much more of the story by virtue of having much more time to do it in. Thus, the 1978 television mini series "Holocaust" is as well-produced, written and acted as Spielberg's extraordinary film "Schindler's List."

Particularly good performances are given by Meryl Streep as the aristocratic German wife to a Jewish artist, Karl Weiss, played by James Woods. (Did you know that Woods can be as good as a good-guy as he can as a bad-guy?) Karl Weiss is the eldest son of a prominent Berliner Jewish family. We follow him into the concentration camps, including Treblinka (the "show" camp) and eventually to Auschwitz (Oswiecim). Streep follows, sacrificing everything to try to stay with him, or at least near him, and to keep him alive.

Grandpa Weiss is a Jewish German patriot who fought for the Kaiser during WWI and is proud of it, and never can come to terms with the betrayal of his fellow patriots. Fritz Weaver is Papa Weiss, whose story takes us through the siege of the Warsaw Ghetto as he attempts to create some kind of order and safety in the midst of chaos and doom.

David Warner is remarkably sinister and urbane as Reinhard Heydrich, who came up with the legal gobbledygook to create the "Final Solution." Michael Moriarity plays Heinrich's assistant Erik Dorff, a former student and friend of the Weiss family. Moriarty chillingly portrays the seductive nature of National Socialism for the intellectual: He is given the choice of becoming a Nazi, and later Heinrich's assistant, or becoming cannon fodder on the Russian Front. He chooses the former, and goes about his task of carrying out the annihilation of the Jews, including his former good friends the Weiss', with cool logical efficiency. This may be Moriarty's finest hour as an actor.

Other actors of note include the actor's actor Ian Holm, former Brittish grand dame of the theater Rosemary Harris, Joseph Bottoms, Sam Wanamaker and Tovah Feldshuh.

This is entertaining history at its very best. Don't miss it.