Genocide (1982)

A chilling, heartbreaking testament to the strength and suffering of the Jewish people and the courage and heroism of those who came to their aid. With beautiful narration by Orson Welles ... See full summary »

Director:

Arnold Schwartzman

Writers:

Martin Gilbert, Marvin Hier,

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, Simon Wiesenthal

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Credited cast:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Narrator (voice)
Orson Welles	...	Narrator (voice)
Simon Wiesenthal	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Neville Chamberlain	...	Himself (archive footage)
Winston Churchill	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower	...	Himself (archive footage)
Josef Goebbels	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hermann Göring	...	Himself - at Nuremberg Trials (archive footage)
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself (archive footage)
Heinrich Himmler	...	Himself (archive footage)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ralph Metcalfe	...	Himself - in 100m Final at the 1936 Olympics (archive footage)
Martinus Osendarp	...	Himself - in 100m Final at the 1936 Olympics (archive footage)
Jesse Owens	...	Himself (archive footage)
Pope Pius XII	...	Himself (archive footage) (as The Pope)

Storyline

A chilling, heartbreaking testament to the strength and suffering of the Jewish people and the courage and heroism of those who came to their aid. With beautiful narration by Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor the film begins by providing a look at the flourishing Jewish community in pre-war Europe and then traces their grim trajectory through the ghettos, camps, and prisons of the Nazi regime, introducing the lost victims and brave heroes along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

judaism | nazi germany | holocaust | 1930s | emaciation | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1984 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Genocidio

Filming Locations:

Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Moriah Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally designed to be presented in a multi-screen format at a Los Angeles museum, with one 35mm projector, two 16mm projectors, and 18 slide projectors. Only after completion was it reformatted to be shown in standard film theaters.

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Connections

Featured in The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982)

User Reviews

Excellent documentary with archival footage

This is an intense documentary of the extermination of the Jewish people in the Holocaust, with much archival footage. The scenes are often gripping and horrifying in their veracity, but it is a must see for any student of the Holocaust. There is a reference close to the end of a letter from 93 virgins requesting the kaddish for them in the future - this particular letter was proved later to be a hoax (http://www.hashkafah.com) Regardless, it is an excellent documentary even with the often melodramatic voice of Elizabeth Taylor. Most Holocaust literature attempts to play down such drama because the reality simply cannot be conveyed. I will use this in film class.