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"INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT"
(2000) (Holocaust Documentary) (PG)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
None Minor Extreme Mild Moderate
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Minor None Mild None Minor
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
None Minor Extreme Heavy *Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Documentary: The true-life effort to relocate Jewish children from German occupied lands to England in the late 1930s is recounted through archival footage and contemporary interviews with those directly involved with and/or affected by the effort.
PLOT:
In the late 1930s as Germany's military marched through Europe and Hitler's anti-Semitic policies took hold, a movement to relocate thousands of Jewish children from German occupied lands to England was organized. This documentary examines that "Kindertransport" and includes contemporary interviews with those directly involved with and/or affected by the effort, as well as archival footage and photographs from the time.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Unless they're interested in WWII era historical events and/or are of Jewish heritage, it's probably not very likely.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG
For thematic elements.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
Although the people presented here are real and not fictional characters, and their exploits are told rather than witnessed, most parents would probably consider most of them to be decent to good role models, particularly considering what they went through.
CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
Thematic elements of what occurred to the involved families and the whole aspect of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust are what earned this film its PG rating. Various family members recount being separated from their loved ones (through relocation or being sent to concentration camps, etc.) as well as hearing that their parents were killed in such camps (all of which is told, rather than seen or recreated).

There are also tales of wartime violence from witnesses and the film's narrator, but far more of it's told than actually seen (although some brief wartime footage and shots of its aftermath are seen). In addition, the anti-Semitism and other related bad attitudes (which are obviously rated as extreme) are far more often recounted/described than actually seen.

Beyond that, most of the film's remaining categories have little or nothing in the way of major objectionable content. Nonetheless, should you still be concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may wish to see it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings.


ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • None.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • The sight of several emaciated concentration camp survivors might be disturbing to some viewers.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • The Nazis obviously had extreme cases of both for what they did to the Jewish people of many countries.
  • A few of the survivors recount having bad/defiant attitudes toward others when they were kids.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • The whole ordeal these kids and their parents went through may be unsettling or disturbing to some viewers, particularly the archival footage from concentration camps showing the emaciated survivors as well as a survivor recounting his transport ship being hit by a German torpedo (with the lights going out and everyone panicking, but that it turned out the torpedo glanced off the ship and no lives were lost).
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • We see archival footage of soldiers carrying rifles, as well as some brief footage of tanks, aircraft and naval cannons firing and a torpedo being fired. We also see the aftermath of bombing raids on a town/city.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrase: "Jew bastard."
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A bit of ominous music plays at various times during the documentary.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • 1 use of "Oh God" is present.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • None.
  • SMOKING
  • We see some brief archival footage of various people smoking.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • There are numerous interview recollections from adults about their separation as children from their parents during all of these events (one talks about the last time she saw her father, another of her father being beaten to death, a man seeing his wife and child for the last time at a concentration camp, etc.).
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • The true-life story of the Kindertransport and what it must have been like for the involved families.
  • The Holocaust and anti-Semitism in general.
  • Both how good and how bad people can be toward others.
  • VIOLENCE
  • What's listed below contains accounts of extreme violence (murders and bombings, etc.), but since they're told rather than seen, such material has been rated as moderate.
  • A man recounts being attacked as a boy by other boys who threw him through a plate glass window (not seen).
  • In archival footage, we see the aftermath of the German's "Night of Broken Glass" against Jews and Jewish businesses (looted stores, destroyed merchandise and damaged buildings including a burning synagogue).
  • A woman recounts her father being beaten to death.
  • We see some archival footage of many buildings on fire as a result of enemy fire into a town/city.
  • A survivor recounts his transport ship being hit by a German torpedo and the lights going out and everyone panicking, but that it turned out the torpedo glanced off the ship and no lives were lost.
  • We see some archival footage of nighttime explosions in England and then see the aftermath the next day of many destroyed and damaged buildings.



  • Reviewed September 6, 2000 / Posted September 15, 2000

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