The Long Way Home (1997)

The story of the post World War II Jewish refugee situation from liberation to the establishment of the modern state of Israel.

Director:

Mark Jonathan Harris

Writer:

Mark Jonathan Harris

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Israel Lau, Livia Shacter

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Morgan Freeman	...	Narrator (voice)
Israel Lau	...	Self - Chief Rabbi of Israel
Livia Shacter	...	Self - Auschwitz Survivor
Abraham Klausner	...	Self - US Army Chaplain
Winston Churchill	...	Self - on V-E Day with Bevin (archive footage)
Ernest Bevin	...	Self - Speech After Labour Victory (archive footage)
Harry S. Truman	...	Self - Lights Christmas Tree (archive footage)
Clement Attlee	...	Self - Outside 10 Downing St. (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower	...	Self - Visits Feldafing DP Camp (archive footage)
George S. Patton	...	Self - Visits Feldafing DP Camp (archive footage)
Herbert Friedman	...	Self - US Army Chaplain
Hermann Göring	...	Self - on Trial, Testifies (archive footage)
Ruth Gruber	...	Self - Foreign Correspondent
Harold Katz	...	Self - Brichah Volunteer
James Byrnes	...	Self - Speech on German Recovery (archive footage) (as James F. Byrnes)

Storyline

After WWII, Jewish Holocaust survivors are moved into Displaced Persons' camps. After delays, more physical hardship, and years of uncertainty, they are permitted to begin new lives in Israel and the U.S.

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Plot Keywords:

israel | palestine | british | holocaust | jewish | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: He Got Game/The Truce/Two Girls and a Guy/Sliding Doors/Deja Vu (1998)

User Reviews

What a great story...

Now, I will start by saying that I'm biased. I am Jewish AND an Israeli. But in the face of such a well-told story I could not remain unmoved. Obviously I know the story, the story of the Jewish people from the almost complete annihilation in Europe of the early 40's to the creation of a Jewish state in Israel, and from knowing it all your life you think you understand. Well, you DO, but it takes such a well-made documentary, in its very simple way of telling a telling story, to actually FEEL it. I cried at the end. Morgan Freeman's excellent narration, with voices of fine actors and especially with the participation of excellent witness who can tell their story in such an engaging way make this a gripping history lesson. Though made by "our team" Two Jews, one of them being a Rabbi...) it maintains a fair standing in the delicate issues of the Jewish-Arab conflict in Palestine. It tells a human story and when put as it outs the story in perspective it gives the simple unfolding of the historical events an epic depth. One cannot stop and wonder how the same story may look so trivial in a day-to-day life (as it looks to me normally). A movie like this simply makes it clearer. I actually got several insightful observations that were really new to me. Note Clark Clifford, a White House counsel at the time in the Truman administration. He hardly has a voice by now, but he is as vivid in his details as he would be telling the details of one of the most important story of his life. And perhaps it was for him.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Długa droga do domu

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,606, 21 September 1997

Gross USA:

$60,509

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,509

Company Credits

Production Co:

Moriah Films, Simon Wiesenthal Center

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1