We have all seen film clips of the Holocaust - seen the gruesome reality of the camps, shuddered with disgust at the piles of dead bodies, grew angry at the inhumanity, and then cheered at liberation. Those that had survived the Nazis' brutality and persecution had been freed - we saw the film clips. All will now be well in the world - right? Wrong.
The story of the Holocaust and its survivors does not end with liberation in 1945. Actually, for survivors, the Holocaust has never ended. This movie, The Long Way Home, continues the story of the survivors during the harrowing, yet heroic and inspirational, period of 1945 to 1948.
The Long Way Home begins its story at the liberation of the camps. The long awaited day had come, when the survivors of the Nazi terror could now go home. But to where? This film tells of the tribulations that awaited the survivors. Real film footage and narration opens the long forgotten period of 1945 to 1948. From the promise of Eretz Israel to the horrors of the Displaced Persons camps to the excitement of finally having a homeland - this film hearkens to many emotions. The struggle of one people against the forces of world politics culminates in the creation of the long-awaited Jewish State.
The Long Way Home was written and directed by Mark Jonathan Harris and produced by Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. This outstanding film won the 1998 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. It is narrated by Morgan Freeman and features the voices of Edward Asner, Sean Astin, Martin Landau, Miriam Margolyes, David Paymer, Nina Siemaszko, Helen Slater, and Michael York.
