unnirad2011 Sat through this entire 3-4 hours BBC documentary with 3D graphics to fully understand " the holocaust " horror . This masterpiece of fact compilation that is absolutely neutral , goes into every angle of subject visualization and authenticity has changed me forever . A must see for everyone to understand how thin are the lines that we draw , how delicate is the balance of peace and most importantly how the most intelligent , cultured humans can metamorphose to utter cruel worthless beasts , so that never ever something like this can happen here again !!!Amazing narratives , real photographs and visualization .Children should see this , do not prevent them from seeing the truth by raising some rating standards !!!

dapplez The strength of this documentary is that it presents the facts without flinching, and without being judgmental or emotional. The result is a picture of Auschwitz of great clarity, from its historical beginnings. The question is whether the viewer can watch it without turning away.I have been watching lots of documentaries about World War II lately, trying to put the many pieces together into a coherent picture. I am a baby boomer who is getting older, and I feel I must confront this now.My grandfather died in Auschwitz, along with an unknown number of other family members. I have always known this. I, like most others, have seen the emaciated bodies, the dead bodies stacked like cord wood of dead and dying Jews. Now I know the day my grandfather arrived in Auschwitz and the day he died, from a database on the internet. And with this documentary, I am closer to grasping the reality of what he experienced, up to a point. This, of course, is not the complete story; no one documentary or movie can do that for World War II, or any one aspect of it.I wish everyone would watch this documentary because Auschwitz was the very epicenter of Nazi evil. To remember, to understand, is to instill meaning into the millions of murders of Jews, Poles and countless others. That is the peculiar quirk of the Nazi regime: without these deaths, some might forget how evil it was, even apart from the Holocaust.Any sensible person would have thought that, surely, this would have marked the end of genocide, forever. But it has not, and genocide, in the millions, has occurred again and again around the world. And it can, again.I think the documentary's one weakness is that it focuses too much on Nazi's demonization of the Jews, which, sadly, continues in some corners of the globe. The real issues are more general, particularly that of one nation believing itself to be a race that is racially superior to other nations and peoples, as did Nazi Germany. Once you believe your group to be superior, it is almost rational to think it is your duty to kill those who are not in your group.While Western Europe has grown beyond that phase, there are still countries that believe themselves to be racially superior to everyone else; I lived in one such country in Asia, and this message of racial superiority and hatred is taught in the schools from an early age.Economic and political turmoil in Germany set the stage for the Final Solution. We could see such economic and political turmoil in the future in many countries. We must learn from history.

d-wilhelm My parents are German. They emigrated to Canada in 1950. My mother has always denied knowledge of the Holocaust. My father died too young for me to know what he thought- but he was a kindly man and I believe he would have acknowledged the crime. As a dual German-Canadian citizen, I am proud that Germany has recognized the atrocity and made it a crime to deny it. Now, I challenge other nations to admit the same crimes. Canada and the United States against their native cultures. The United States about black slavery. South Africa and Germany have pointed the way. History should not be denied. This is the lesson the survivors of Auschwitz would have wanted us to learn. One cannot watch this film without being moved, both by the cruelty and greed of the oppressors and by the kindness and self sacrifice of those who aided the oppressed.

RONALD B. RAFF (herbstnebel2ss) This documentary is probably the most incise ever made on Auschwitz and the final solution. From it's humble inception as a detainment center to the camps vast expansion as history's largest killing machine, no detail has been omitted. Featured are archival footage of the camp along with reenactments based on historical documentation and eyewitness testimony from inmates and guards alike. Computer generated images show in frightening detail every aspect of the attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. At five hours in length, many will consider the film far too long. However if you are searching for a fact filled account of how this and the entire concentration camp system was operated, then this epic should be watched. This feature is narrated by actress Linda Hunt in a matter of fact monologue, but the images presented are what hold your attention. In the beginning, Auschwitz was constructed by Russian POW's, most of whom perished in the effort. It was built in an obscure corner of Poland along the rail line between Krakow and Vienna. It was surrounded by such solitude, that SS Reichsfuehrer Heinrich Himmler considered establishing a sub-headquarters there. As the war progressed the final solution loomed ahead and Auschwitz was chosen as a operations center for developing an efficient method of killing over 11,000,000 Jews within the Reichs borders. After several attempts it was decided that cyanide based poison gas was the most economical way of committing mass murder and soon trains were rolling into Auschwitz on a regular basis. Gas chambers were quickly constructed along with crematoria to handle the vast number of victims. By 1944 the war had turned decisively against Germany and the Red Army was soon advancing into Poland. The Nazis increased the rate of killing and even extended the rail lines so that the trains arrived right at the gas chambers. One aspect of the war exposed in detail, was how the Allies, though fully aware of the camp, refused to bomb even the rail lines leading to it. Former inmates recount how they witnessed bombers flying overhead, only to have their hopes dashed when nothing happened.We are also introduced to the rogues gallery who kept the camp running. SS Obersturmbannfuehrer Rudolf Hoess was the commandant, who kept the machinery of murder running virtually until the Russians were at the gates. Several guards are also interviewed, none of whom have any remorse for their actions or corruption. The movie concludes with the execution of Hoess and several of his underlings. By then the viewer is left both spellbound and speechless.