Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)

Suffer the little children
This is a moving and poignant real story about the rescue of ten thousand Jewish children from Nazi Germany in 1938 and 1939. Various charitable organisations worked out a scheme to send the children to foster homes and hostels and, at first, the Nazi's were only too willing to get rid of the children. The story is narrated by Dame Judi Dench and shows interviews with some of the now elderly escapees, who relate, in heart rending stories, the supreme sacrifices made by their parents, knowing that they would almost certainly never see their children again. The English families who accepted the children had to put up with the strange and admitted arrogance of these German Jewish children who had been raised as little princes and princesses in their homes(and this shows in some of their photographs), and who, in some cases, took years to realize the goodness of these people who took care of them for many years. It's a sobering look at Germany in these immediately pre war days.

A powerful documentary
This documentary, telling one of the lesser-known stories of WWII and the Shoah, is incredibly powerful, engrossing, emotional, poignant, and above all a shining testament to the inate goodness most people have. The strangers in England who took these children (a number of them actually teenagers and not really "children") into their hearts and homes were by and large doing a kindness simply because it was the right thing to do. Almost all of the Kinder came from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, and the film focuses on a bit over a dozen of them. These innocent young children were asked to do something most children would find very frightening, to leave their families, homelands, friends, languages, and entire lives and start out all over again in a strange new land, with strange new people taking care of them. The parents in return also had to do the unthinkable, send their precious children off to this strange new land, entrusting them to the care of strangers, and in 90% of cases had to say goodbye forever. But yet they loved them so much they were willing to make the supreme sacrifice so that they might live. Some of the Kinder were placed right away, and others had to live in temporary dormitories and holiday camps until they found people who would take them. Sometimes, as in the case of Bertha, Inge, and their brother Theo, they weren't treated all that well by their foster parents and even used as domestic servants, but in other cases, such as Kurt, they were placed with families who adored them and became their parents in every way that counted, so much so it was hard to say goodbye at the end of the war or in the rare cases where one or both of their parents had survived. And thanks to these people, 10,000 children and teenagers were saved from the fate of a million and a half other Jewish youngsters left behind in Europe.

The Kinder featured in the film came from varying backgrounds; while some came from happy families and never wanted for anything, some of them were orphans or half-orphans and had been living in orphanages until their chance to escape came. Their wartime experiences also varied. Some of the ones who were of the right age joined the service during the war, and, in an incident that isn't mentioned a lot, all refugees who were at least 16 were sent to Australia and interned because they were "enemy aliens." Unlike the American interment of those of Japanese birth or descent, however, Britain realised their mistake, apologised, and stopped this policy. Some of the people they'd interned went on to join the service as well, to repay Britain for having saved their lives. There were some who were even able to bring their parents over before the war began. The Kinder also vary in how fondly, neutrally, or negatively they remember their experiences; whereas Bertha, the young lady who was treated rather shabbily and used as a maid, has less than happy memories about her foster family, Kurt by far has the happiest recollections. I think Kurt and Lore Segal are my favorite of the Kinder featured, because Kurt just seemed so happy and cheerful, and Lore, who became a writer, remembered so many details about everything and seemed to march to the beat of her own drummer.

The film is loaded with great archival footage, much of which will be new to the viewer. The producers wanted to find film that everyone hadn't already seen so many times it had become cliché and lost the intended impact. As is mentioned in one of the commentaries, even Prince Charles, at the London premiere, was surprised to see some of the film footage of his family and the changing of the guards. Among the new bits of film footage is color footage of grafitti in Vienna; color footage of these years always has a big impact because it is in color, since we're so used to seeing and thinking about these events in black and white. The music is also very powerful and beautiful. Extras are two great commentaries, various photo galleries, premiere footage, a trailer, film footage about the historical artifacts used, filmographies for the cast and crew, extra interviews, and brief bios of the Kinder featured. Overall, this documentary is highly recommended.

"Strangers" that have become "Friends"
I have watched this incredible documentary so many times that the "strangers" have become "friends".I have met a man who missed the "Kindertransport"by one day and have heard his amazing escape from Austria eventually as recorded through the Shoah Foundation.He verifies everything in this film as totally accurate.I would recommend the films ALL MY LOVED ONES and KORZCAK as excellent companions to INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS.All of these films do great justice to the subject of the children who had to be transported out of Nazi control before the onslaught.One of the top five documentaries of all time.Highly recommended for educational and emotional reasons.