Rating: NR (even though this is not rated, this is not suitable for small children)
Length: 300 minutes

Widescreen 1.78:1 Color (Anamorphic)

ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 2.0

None

The back of the dvd described it best: "This is the result of three years of research, drawing on the close involvement of world experts, recently discovered documents and nearly 100 interviews with camp survivors and perpetrators, many of whom are speaking on the record for the first time. Their stories are brought to life through the innovative use of archive footage, dramatic recreations of key decision-making moments, and their extraordinary testimony. While never losing sight of the suffering of the victims, this documentary offers a unique and alarming look at the mindset of the perpetrators - killers like the Commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Hoss, camp doctor Josef Mengele, and S.S. Commander Heinrich Himmler."

This is a very detailed documentary that doesn't just cover Auschwitz but instead the entire history of events with Auschwitz being the one camp that was a focal point. The interviews with survivors were touching and some of the interviews with the captors and collaborators were a bit disturbing. What many people do not always understand is that even though the Jews were the Nazis primary victims, they certainly were not alone; gypsy's, Russians, the mentally and physically disabled, homosexuals, and any other group that they felt were "inferior".

This consists of six 50-minute episodes on a very serious historical event; entertaining this isn't. When it was broadcast on the BBC (I was in Belgium at the time and watched it on BBC) each episode was followed by a short studio discussion with multiple participants. It would have been nice if these would have followed each episode as it did on TV as opposed to being lumped together in the "Extras" section of the DVD.

• Interview With Laurence Rees
• A Series of Six Follow-Up Discussions Hosted by Award-Winning Journalist Linda Ellerbee

If you're looking for a thorough documentary concerning the Nazis and their attempt at what they referred to as "The Final Solution", look no further. Fortunately this documentary was accomplished before there were no participants still left alive. This is easily the best documentary I've ever seen that wasn't done by Ken Burns.

Linda Ellerbee - Hosted (6 episodes, 2005)

Linda Hunt - Narrator (6 episodes, 2005)

[Dune (1984)]

Horst-Günter Marx - Rudolph Hess (6 episodes, 2005)

Klaus Mikoleit - Henrich Himmler (6 episodes, 2005)