"Holocaust" (1978) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 April 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Germany | Doctor | Lawyer | Anti Semitism

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Joseph Bottoms	...	Rudi Weiss (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)
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)
Käte Jaenicke	...	Frau Lowy (4 episodes, 1978)
Tom Bell	...	Adolf Eichmann (3 episodes, 1978)
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Helena Slomova (3 episodes, 1978)
Robert Stephens	...	Uncle Kurt Dorf (3 episodes, 1978)
Meryl Streep	...	Inga Helms Weiss (3 episodes, 1978)
Michael Beck	...	Hans Helms (3 episodes, 1978)
Charles Korvin	...	Dr. Kohn (3 episodes, 1978)
Stanley Lebor	...	Zalman (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)
John Bailey	...	Hans Frank (2 episodes, 1978)
Blanche Baker	...	Anna Weiss (2 episodes, 1978)
Isolde Barth	...	Eva (2 episodes, 1978)
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Karp (2 episodes, 1978)
Peter Garell	...	Yuri (2 episodes, 1978)
Edward Gilkrist	...	Peter Dorf - teen (2 episodes, 1978)
Werner Kreindl	...	Herr Helms (2 episodes, 1978)
Courtney Hill	...	Laura Dorf - teen (2 episodes, 1978)
Nina Sandt	...	Frau Helms (2 episodes, 1978)
Jeremy Levy	...	Aaron Feldman (2 episodes, 1978)
Irene Prador	...	Maria Kalova (2 episodes, 1978)
George Pravda	...	Otto Felscher (2 episodes, 1978)
Murray Salem	...	Analavitz (2 episodes, 1978)
Peter Weihs	...	Sacristan (2 episodes, 1978)
Gabor Vernon	...	Rabbi Samuel (2 episodes, 1978)
Peter Vogel	...	Emil Frey (2 episodes, 1978)
Kathina Kaiser	...	Sarah Ohlnick / ... (2 episodes, 1978)

Also Known As:

Holocaust: The Story of the Family Weiss (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

475 min | USA:420 min (DVD) (2008) | Finland:448 min (DVD) (2008)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2008) (DVD)

Filming Locations:

Austria

Company:

Titus Productions

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.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: On Kristallnacht, occurring in 1938, Reinhard Heydrich wears a type of collar insignia that the SS did not use until 1942.

Quotes:

Moses Weiss: [shooting at Nazis and watching them run] Zalman, for the first time I feel the blood of King David in me!
Zalman: Don't get carried away, Weiss.
Moses Weiss: Well, maybe just a drop or two.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Not Only But Always (2004) (TV)

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.