Review of Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000) by Edith N — 13 Sep 2006
The subject of the Kindertransport is fascinating. It almost-but-not-quite makes up a little for the shameful behavior of refused visas for adults. In addition, it seems many of these children were able to get other family members--even, in some cases, parents--out of German-held territories and into England.
That said, this documentary is an inferior telling of its story. While I understand the filmmakers' goal to make these stories personal, I do not feel we have enough context. There are thousands of stories to tell, but the one that isn't is the overall one.
Oh, there are interjected moments of history, but not many. We do see film and still photos, but out of context--is the footage of bombing actually related to the story the woman is telling? Probably, but maybe not. We don't know; we don't know if the photos shown are photos of the lost parents or just photos of the era that look right.
It's odd, the unblinking use of the term "alien companies." In pre-Roswell days, that didn't mean what it does now. And the woman encouraging "girls" to join the ATS looks astonishingly like Eddie Izzard. Small ironies like this pepper the film, but not enough to really improve it.
This review of Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000) was written by Edith N on 13 Sep 2006.
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport has generally received very positive reviews.
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