INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS

INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS - STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT (2000)

RATED - PG for thematic elements.

RATINGS - 28 Amazon (5/5), 60,111 Netflix (3.8/5), 781 IMDB (7.9/10).

AWARDS - Academy Award for BEST DOCUMENTARY. Another 5 wins and 4 nominations.

STORY - Imagine being a young child and your parents put you on a train to England to live with people you've never met in a place you've never seen. This is the story of 10,000 children who lived in German-held lands and whose parents sent them to Great Britain with the hopes and prayers that they would have a better chance of surviving the terror and horror the Nazis were already inflicting on Jews and others. Mixing interviews with some of these children and their 'foster' families with rare archival footage, this Oscar winning film for BEST DOCUMENTARY, is a powerful story of the courage of not only these children but their parents who were willing to sacrifice for them. Almost all of these children lost their parents to Nazi atrocities. Some of them were able to help get their parents liberated after they reached England. One girl was pulled out of the window of the train as it was leaving because her father couldn't bear to see her go. She survived eight concentration camps to tell her story. Her parents did not. 1,500,000 children were exterminated by the Nazis. These 10,000 lived because of the compassion and kindness of the citizens of Great Britain. According to the film, a bill in the U.S. Congress died in committee because it was determined that 'adopting' the 25,000 children being proposed was a violation of God's law by separating parents from their children. While many of the films rightly emphasize the horrors of the holocaust, this one shows the goodness of those who gave of themselves so 10,000 children could live. A fascinating and moving film, not like other holocaust films. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 06/27/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB.

HIROSHIMA

HIROSHIMA - 2005

RATED - NR

RATINGS - 10 Amazon (5/5), 2,447 Netflix (3.7/5), 179 IMDB (8.6/10)

THEMES - ATOMIC WAR

AWARDS - International Emmy Award for BEST DOCUMENTARY UK.

STORY - This BBC docudrama uses a combination of archival footage, recreation of scenes, eyewitness testimony and state of the art visuals to replay the three weeks leading up to the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima. It adds greatly to the feel and understanding of the emotions in play as you hear testimonies from the crew of the Enola Gay as well as survivors of the blast interspersed with the actual films and created visuals. The BBC has a history of great documentaries and this is no exception. Probably the defining moment of the 20th century, the world has not been the same since the creation of atomic and nuclear weapons. This unique retelling of that story reminds us of the grave consequences of a nuclear attack, a memory we should always keep in the forefront of our country's foreign policy and international relations. While the merits of the decision to drop the bomb will likely be debated forever, this excellent documentary provides the context, politically, militarily and morally to add to an intelligent discussion. Whether this is your first film about Hiroshima or your 10th, I think you will be glad you took the time to watch. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 7/19/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, NETFLIX