Before going to visit Auschwitz, which DVD to you think would be best to watch with my 24 year old.
Schindler's List or
Night and Fog

My vote would be for Renais' Night and Fog or Lanzmann's Shoah. If Shoah is not available (or too long for you) I would supplement Night and Fog with the excerpts from the Yale archive of survivor testimony:

http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/Choa

They may prepare you intellectually but it will not prepare you emotionally.

I had the previledge of having Tom Keaneally, who wrote Schindler's List as a teacher. A more dedent man you will not meet. Even with his accounts and insights, I was overwhlemed as soon I saw the siding.

No piece of fiction or non-fiction can capture what occurred.

Whoops sorry the url is incomplete, hope this is right.

http://www.library.yale.edu/testimon...pts/index.html

How is, Schindler's List, connected with Auschwitz-Birkenau? Another volume to read could be, Historical Atlas of the Holocaust, ISBN: 0-02-897451-4. Auschwitz-Birkenau, was just one extermination camp of six that the Germans established in Poland. A visit to A-B offers a look into the operation of an E camp. History students should learn the whole story of the Holocaust that begin in 1933...

History students should get an "F" should they say "begin in 1933".

How is, Schindler's List, connected with Auschwitz-Birkenau? Another volume to read could be, Historical Atlas of the Holocaust, ISBN: 0-02-897451-4. Auschwitz-Birkenau, was just one extermination camp of six that the Germans established in Poland. A visit to A-B offers a look into the operation of an E camp. History students should learn the whole story of the Holocaust that begin in 1933...


Schindler's List, called Schindler's Ark in European editions, is an account of the terror and horror that lives in people who know the fate of the death camps. Much occurs in and around Krakow and the less forunate who are sent to Asuchwitz.

But U shld b aware that reducing the death of app. 2 mill peeps at A-B E camp may be offensive to some.

It is the difference between an Atlas with an ISBN and the human toll.

Note: The total Jewish population of Europe was about 9.5 million in 1933. From: Historical Atlas of the Holocaust. We have to start somewhere...The Nazis then, 1933.

I would reiterate what Aduchamp1 said: neither DVD will prepare you or your 24 year old for Aushwitz. I was 23 when I visited in 2003, had seen both Night and Fog and Schindler's List, and reviewed several accounts on the Holocaust before visiting. It was one of the most difficult, yet most necessary days of my life and I know my brief time visiting there will stay with me forever. I commend you for taking the time to visit Auschwitz- it seems that too many people overlook that dark period and fail to learn from it. Although it will be a tough visit, I do hope you enjoy your time in Poland- despite it's dark periods in history, it truly is a fabulous country and Krakow is one of my favorite cities in Europe.

Thanks to all for the replies.
I now have alot of titles to choose from.

Be careful on Jewish population numbers. Jews were excluded from many German censuses and these false statistics are still being used by Holocuast deniers to demonstrate that the numbers have been inflated.

Let me make this perfectly clear because I have seen these statements blown out context. In no way, shape or form, am I calling you a Holocaust denier. Mine is simply a caveat.

I'm not sure whether Auschwitz is included in either, but two epics that come to mind are "Winds of War" (and the sequel) and "Holocaust" (the mini-series).

Then, there's "Holocaust: The Liberation of Auschwitz", the documentary.

>We have to start somewhere...The Nazis then, 1933.
The Nazis didn't start in 1933. Dig deeper, it's not like things "suddenly happen". Consider Vienna in the 1920 and WWI and then the first coup d'état they tried.

A couple of years ago, PBS aired a new series called "Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State." I'm pretty sure it's available on Netflix.

I would highly recommend watching this one and then "Schindler's List."

The PBS series covers more about Auschwitz specifically than Lanzmann's "Shoah." Both are comprehensive and well done, but I think the PBS series offers more factual information and background about the establishment of the Reinhard camps.

Hope this helps.

Actually I would not recommand any ... just go and see the actual camp and take your time seeing it ... let it sync in ... But if you still insist on seeing a movie see this: http://www.amazon.com/Karol-Man-Who-...675&sr=1-2

"Karol: Man Who Became Pope" ... Camp has it's part in this movie as well as overal feeling of those times ... Movie is based on Pope's real experiances ... excluding biases others do have ...

I have to agree with the poster who suggested you and your son view survivor testimonies that are part of the Yale project. You see while all the filmed accounts of concentration camps and Hitlers final solution don't have to embellish a thing to get an emotional response from a viewer, it's still a re-enactment or not 1st person (for the most part). The Yale project is oral histories of survivors being interviewed about their lives prior to Hitler and what happened to them and their families. No dramatic license, just the facts, and then when you see Auschwitz, you can put faces there and it will humanize the experience for you even more. I can tell you that watching any movie, will tell you some of what went on there, but actually hearing someone who was there will prepare you more.

There is a plethora of Holocaust material on YouTube.com Just enter <b>holocaust evidence</b> in the search blank, and learn.

Thanks Robespiere,
I never even thought about you tube.

Some devastating insights into how the prisoners assigned to burn the bodies were affected can be found in <u>The Grey Zone</u>. It's a historical fiction piece based on the activities of Auschwitz's <i>12th Sonderkommando</i>.

An excellent film although i think it is about Sachenhausen is The Counterfeiters. It won best international film at the Oscars and well worth it.

Out of the two you mention i would go for Night and Fog.