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

Some Holocaust survivors have criticized the portrayal of Dr. Weiss after he becomes a prisoner of Auschwitz, because his character is portrayed as working on road gangs and paving crews. Jewish doctors in Auschwitz were almost always assigned to the camp infirmary and placed in the moral dilemma of serving under German doctors. These Jewish doctors endured an "agony of conscience" as they were ordered to help prevent the spread of disease from Jewish inmates to German captors, and also participate in medical experiments and, in some cases, even selections for the gas chambers.

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Goofs

When Erik Dorf leaves his home to go to Heydrich's office on Crystal Night, he is wearing the insignia of an SS 2nd Lieutenant. When he shows up at the office, the insignia has changed to that of an SS 1st Lieutenant.

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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 Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite (2001)

User Reviews

Watch it, and think how could this have happened?

Hindsight's wonderful, and it easy now to criticise this series. I saw it first in Germany and the effect it had there was quite profound. It caused a national debate and, it could be argued, helped Germany face up to what occurred between 1933 and 1945, not so much from the extermination camps, but that they, a civilised people, could be led along that path.