We Were There: Seven Survivors of the Holocaust

Interspersing well-chosen archival film clips with interviews, this tape presents the testimonies of seven New Mexican citizens who survived the Nazi terror of 1933-1945 (though most were not actually "residents" of the labor/death camps). Even though people are familiar with the historical facts of the Holocaust, the unrecorded details of each survivor's tale shines a little more light on the hideousness of the regime. For example, I didn't know that some survivors refuse to look at documentaries of the era, for fear that they might recognize a relative in the "heap of bodies," or that some camp-refugees were horribly sickened after liberation from the "rich" canned food given them after their spartan diets. Although the production values of the interviews are not great, and the decision to have all the survivors address the issue of the Holocaust-denial "theory" seemed wasteful, this well-priced video is recommended as an addition to comprehensive collections or those who already have such core holdings as Shoah, Survivors of the Holocaust (VL-3/96) and The Last Days (VL-7/99). Aud: H, C, P. (K. Glaser)