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Into the arms of strangers: Stories of the kindertransport

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

In the nine months prior to World War II, 10,000 innocent children left behind their families, their homes, their childhood and took the journey...

Into the arms of strangers: Stories of the kindertransport tells the stories of the kindertransport, the effort in pre-WWII Europe to get Jewish children out of Nazi territory, sending them far away from their parents, to live with strangers... usually never to see their parents and family ever again.

Narrated by Judi Dench, featuring documentary subjects Kurt Fuchel, Alexander Gordon, Lore Segal and Norbert Wollheim. Written and directed by Mark Jonathan Harris.

Cinematic intelligence sources

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Well, not Academy Award material.

There are some interesting parts to this film and it's certainly a worthwhile historical record, filling in some of the blanks of one of the 20th century's biggest events, but Into the arms of strangers: Stories of the kindertransport is not a great documentary. The biggest fault is Mark Jonathan's reliance on archival footage, the vast majority of which is not of the interviewee. Documentarians are allowed some leeway when it comes to using other people's work to support their own but Mark Jonathan has stepped way across the line, into the land of journalism.

*Shudders*

A journalist, by their very nature, has no ethical standards to which they must adhere, but a documentarian must produce a film that is 99% their own work. Supporting work should be so scarce that you barely notice it, and then used only to introduce a new area of investigation. It should also be only of the subject. Mark Jonathan uses his supporting material artistically, to instil emotion into a topic that needs no emotional crutch.

I recommend Into the arms of strangers... only if you have a special interest in the effects of war on non-combatant children.

Media intelligence (DVD)

  • Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
  • Languages: English, French
  • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean
  • 2 commentaries with bonus video segments branching from the track
  • Interviews with Lord Richard Attenborough and other kindertransport participants
  • Coverage of the London and Berlin premières
  • Historical artefacts and photo galleries
  • Kinder, parent and rescher profiles
  • Trailer: Theatrical
  • Flmmaker career highlights
  • DVD-ROM:
    • Links to web site and chat rooms
    • Downloadable study guide

Security censorship classification

PG (Adult themes)

Surveillance time

122 minutes (2:02 hours)

Not for public release in Australia before date

VHS rental: 3 September 2001
DVD rental: 21 November 2001

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