“Forgotten Hollywood”- Refugee Policy During World War II…
Manny P. here… 
“`Documentarians Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein are examining the delicate policy taken by this nation at the advent of World War II. Florentine Films was asked by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2015 to detail the unfortunate series of events that took place in the late 1930s.
“`The U. S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that chronicles America’s response to one of the great humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a nation of immigrants, but as the travesty of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to let more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees through its doors.
“`Through firsthand accounts of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape the Nazis, this series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. This is a history to be reckoned with.
“`Inspired by the Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Americans and the Holocaust exhibit and supported by its historical resources, the documentary focuses on the rise of Hitler in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States, and race laws in the American south. The series was written by Geoffrey Ward and sheds light on what the United States government and American people knew and did as the catastrophe unfolded in Europe.
“`The U. S. and the Holocaust features historical figures that includes Charles Lindbergh, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dorothy Thompson, Rabbi Stephen Wise, Henry Ford, as well as Anne Frank and her family, who applied for but failed to obtain visas to the U. S. before they went into hiding. This unexpected aspect of the Franks’ story underscores an American connection to the Holocaust that will be new to many viewers. Ultimately, this documentary offers little solace to folks who believe that challenges posed by nativism, antisemitism, xenophobia and racism are buried deeply and permanently in the past.
“`The U. S. and the Holocaust is narrated by Peter Coyote; and voice actors include Meryl Streep, Matthew Rhys, Liam Neeson, Paul Giamatti, Werner Herzog, Joe Morton, Hope Davis, Bradley Whitford and Helena Zengel. And again, Burns and his team have brought history to life — and remind us that history is made every day.
“`The U. S. and the Holocaust premieres on PBS stations starting Sunday, September 18th at 8p (EST). Click the link to hear more about this amazing program. This is a panel discussion with Novick and Botstein taped by Tim Greenwood with Magnolia Street Productions.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Friday, September 16th, 2022 at 11:40 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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