Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport is a 2000 documentary film about the British rescue operation known as the Kindertransport, which saved the lives of over 10,000 Jewish and other children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Danzig by transporting them via train, boat, and plane to Great Britain. These children, or Kinder in German, were taken into foster homes and hostels in Britain, expecting eventually to be reunited with their parents. The majority of them never saw their families again. Written and directed by Mark Jonathan Harris, produced by Deborah Oppenheimer, narrated by Judi Dench, and made with the cooperation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, it utilized rare and extensive footage, photographs, and artifacts, and is told in the words of the child survivors, rescuers, parents, and foster parents.

Into the Arms of Strangers:
Stories of the Kindertransport
Directed byMark Jonathan Harris
Written byMark Jonathan Harris
Produced byDeborah Oppenheimer
Narrated byJudi Dench
Edited byKate Amend
Music byLee Holdridge
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • September 7, 2000 (2000-09-07) (United States)
  • November 24, 2000 (2000-11-24) (United Kingdom)
Running time
122 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish

The film received numerous accolades, including winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[1]

The film was released on DVD and VHS on August 28, 2001, by Warner Home Video.[2][3]

In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Interviewed subjects

The documentary features filmed interviews in which the children of the Kindertransport (aged in their 60s and 70s at the time of the filming) recall their feelings and experiences. These interview subjects include:[4]

Alexander Gordon was also one of the refugees on HMT Dunera, one of the most notorious events of British maritime history.

Reactions

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport has an approval rating of 91% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, and an average rating of 7.68/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Although it appears to be nothing more than a "talking heads" documentary you may see on TV, Into the Arms of Strangers, nonetheless, tells a heart-wrenching story".[6] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7] The film had a limited theatrical release (18 theaters at its widest) and grossed $382,807 domestically.[8]

In 2014, Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation for all time in the National Film Registry.[9]

In 2000, Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport won the Evening Standard Award for Best Documentary.

See also

References
  1. "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  2. Jimenez, John (June 28, 2001). "Warner 'Explorations' Promo Goes Back to School With History Theme". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2001. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  3. "Warner Home Video Releases Oscar-Winning Docu-Feature 'Into the Arms of Strangers' on Aug. 28". hive4media.com. May 29, 2001. Archived from the original on June 5, 2001. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  4. "Into the Arms of Strangers". Warner Brothers. 2001.
  5. McFadden, Robert D. (July 1, 2015). "Nicholas Winton, Rescuer of 669 Children From Holocaust, Dies at 106". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  6. "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport". Rotten Tomatoes.
  7. "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport". Metacritic.
  8. "Into the Arms of Strangers". Box Office Mojo.
  9. "Cinematic Treasures Named to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. December 17, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
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