Log-in to add movie to favourites

Movie added to favourites

Movie removed from favourites

How the Holocaust Began

The Nazi evolution from murderous anti-semitism into organised death camps, as documented in this sober piece of historical excavation from Holocaust specialist James Bulgin, is truly shocking in its specificity. An ad-hoc interpr...

Director

Nic Young, Ben Holgate

Year

Genre

documentary, history, war

Box Office

N/A

Production

Caravan Media

Awards

N/A

Homepage

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hj7n

Cast information not available.

No reviews yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie

Explore 314 Clips

They come through and they... This
this, this incident happens here, - How the Holocaust Began

They come through and they... This this, this incident happe...

If you look here, you can just see
Yep. - How the Holocaust Began

If you look here, you can just see Yep.

You can see it more clearly
in this other photograph, - How the Holocaust Began

You can see it more clearly in this other photograph,

We have a certain amount of sort of
testimony from the time, to sort of - How the Holocaust Began

We have a certain amount of sort of testimony from the time,...

So I've been...I've been...I've
been circling this question. - How the Holocaust Began

So I've been...I've been...I've been circling...

How do we get to this huge, vast,
catastrophic act - How the Holocaust Began

How do we get to this huge, vast, catastrophic act

And it's possible, likely - How the Holocaust Began

And it's possible, likely

If Chris has found a possible
start point for the Holocaust, - How the Holocaust Began

If Chris has found a possible start point for the Holocaust,

Hitler had always envisaged a world
free of his two great enemies - - How the Holocaust Began

Hitler had always envisaged a world free of his two great en...

By 1940, he had conquered half
of Europe and had millions of Jews - How the Holocaust Began

By 1940, he had conquered half of Europe and had millions of...

His intention had always
been to get rid of them entirely, - How the Holocaust Began

His intention had always been to get rid of them entirely,

Then, in June 1941, he set out
to destroy his other great enemy. - How the Holocaust Began

Then, in June 1941, he set out to destroy his other great en...

Hitler had always branded
communism a Jewish conspiracy. - How the Holocaust Began

Hitler had always branded communism a Jewish conspiracy.

So his invasion of the Soviet Union
offered the perfect opportunity - How the Holocaust Began

So his invasion of the Soviet Union offered the perfect oppo...

Gargzdai, on the border of
Soviet Lithuania and Nazi Germany, - How the Holocaust Began

Gargzdai, on the border of Soviet Lithuania and Nazi Germany...

The Wehrmacht, as they swept
into this whole area, were charged - How the Holocaust Began

The Wehrmacht, as they swept into this whole area, were char...

They were coming through
this space to decimate it. - How the Holocaust Began

They were coming through this space to decimate it.

No specific order was given
to kill Jews. - How the Holocaust Began

No specific order was given to kill Jews.

Yet, there is a monument here in
Gargzdai, - How the Holocaust Began

Yet, there is a monument here in Gargzdai,

So, on the 24th of June, two days
after the German invasion - How the Holocaust Began

So, on the 24th of June, two days after the German invasion

I tend to think of military
orders within the German army - How the Holocaust Began

I tend to think of military orders within the German army

And that's really important,
because actually what happens - How the Holocaust Began

And that's really important, because actually what happ...

Hitler has always wanted
to remove Jews from Europe, - How the Holocaust Began

Hitler has always wanted to remove Jews from Europe,

And this starts
a process of mass murder - How the Holocaust Began

And this starts a process of mass murder

And the numbers grow, - How the Holocaust Began

And the numbers grow,

Hitler's head of security was
SS Chief Heinrich Himmler. - How the Holocaust Began

Hitler's head of security was SS Chief Heinrich Himmler...

Himmler had created special killing
squads, called Einsatzgruppen, - How the Holocaust Began

Himmler had created special killing squads, called Einsatzgr...

Capitalising on Bormann's
initiative, his deputy, Heydrich, - How the Holocaust Began

Capitalising on Bormann's initiative, his deputy, Heydr...

Four Einsatzgruppen teams were ready
to carry out that order - How the Holocaust Began

Four Einsatzgruppen teams were ready to carry out that order

I'm following Einsatzgruppen A
from Gargzdai into Latvia, - How the Holocaust Began

I'm following Einsatzgruppen A from Gargzdai into Latvi...

Here, there was another fierce
battle for control of the city. - How the Holocaust Began

Here, there was another fierce battle for control of the cit...

In the aftermath of the battle,
the SS Einsatzgruppen - How the Holocaust Began

In the aftermath of the battle, the SS Einsatzgruppen

And we can see what they did
with them, in a unique piece of film - How the Holocaust Began

And we can see what they did with them, in a unique piece of...

In the opening of this film here, - How the Holocaust Began

In the opening of this film here,

And there's this really hideous
sense of anticipation. - How the Holocaust Began

And there's this really hideous sense of anticipation.

We see a truck arrive and people
being loaded off the back of it. - How the Holocaust Began

We see a truck arrive and people being loaded off the back o...

We know they're Jews because
they're wearing patches - How the Holocaust Began

We know they're Jews because they're wearing patch...

But around them, we see
spectators around here. - How the Holocaust Began

But around them, we see spectators around here.

We see members of the Navy here, - How the Holocaust Began

We see members of the Navy here,

They're clamouring to get a closer
look to see what's about to happen. - How the Holocaust Began

They're clamouring to get a closer look to see what...

Group after group come, - How the Holocaust Began

Group after group come,

Here we can see this man just
looking into the camera, suggests - How the Holocaust Began

Here we can see this man just looking into the camera, sugge...

He knows that this has been
captured - How the Holocaust Began

He knows that this has been captured

It's almost as if shooting Jews
has become a spectator sport. - How the Holocaust Began

It's almost as if shooting Jews has become a spectator ...

What we see in this film
is where we are a few weeks - How the Holocaust Began

What we see in this film is where we are a few weeks

So the Wehrmacht start to push
further into Soviet territory. - How the Holocaust Began

So the Wehrmacht start to push further into Soviet territory...

The Einsatzgruppen are coming
behind them, and they're finding - How the Holocaust Began

The Einsatzgruppen are coming behind them, and they're ...

They want to be able to report
those figures, - How the Holocaust Began

They want to be able to report those figures,

There's this impetus, this force
to constantly find - How the Holocaust Began

There's this impetus, this force to constantly find

So, 22nd of August '41, 544 people. - How the Holocaust Began

So, 22nd of August '41, 544 people.

23rd of August '41, 7,525 people. - How the Holocaust Began

23rd of August '41, 7,525 people.

And now they include Judinnen and
Judenkinder - women and children. - How the Holocaust Began

And now they include Judinnen and Judenkinder - women and ch...

It's only taken a few weeks from
those first murders at Gargzdai - How the Holocaust Began

It's only taken a few weeks from those first murders at...

At the bottom of this document here, - How the Holocaust Began

At the bottom of this document here,

That's 47,614 human beings. - How the Holocaust Began

That's 47,614 human beings.

The Nazis wanted to do more than
just kill their victims. - How the Holocaust Began

The Nazis wanted to do more than just kill their victims.

The graves of many tens of thousands
have never been found. - How the Holocaust Began

The graves of many tens of thousands have never been found.

So much so, he's devoted
his career to finding them. - How the Holocaust Began

So much so, he's devoted his career to finding them.

I'm trained as a physical
geographer, a geomorphologist, - How the Holocaust Began

I'm trained as a physical geographer, a geomorphologist...

Fish-smoking building with the five
smokestacks, - How the Holocaust Began

Fish-smoking building with the five smokestacks,

Harry works with fellow
US academic Dr Phil Reeder. - How the Holocaust Began

Harry works with fellow US academic Dr Phil Reeder.

And every summer for the last seven
years, they've been bringing teams - How the Holocaust Began

And every summer for the last seven years, they've been...

We have a different perspective
on it now, but if we look up - How the Holocaust Began

We have a different perspective on it now, but if we look up

Today they're looking
for the men in the film. - How the Holocaust Began

Today they're looking for the men in the film.

The film gives them landmarks
they can locate - How the Holocaust Began

The film gives them landmarks they can locate

But here is that road where
they would have taken people here. - How the Holocaust Began

But here is that road where they would have taken people her...

And then we see
all those cars parked, - How the Holocaust Began

And then we see all those cars parked,

So I think that's a good spot
for, in the video, - How the Holocaust Began

So I think that's a good spot for, in the video,

And because you can see the people
up on this side, and people - How the Holocaust Began

And because you can see the people up on this side, and peop...

So the pit, to me, is right
out here in front of us. - How the Holocaust Began

So the pit, to me, is right out here in front of us.

Or at least that's the place
Yeah. - How the Holocaust Began

Or at least that's the place Yeah.

Judaic law forbids any physical
disturbance of the dead, - How the Holocaust Began

Judaic law forbids any physical disturbance of the dead,

Ground-penetrating radar gives
them the ability to image - How the Holocaust Began

Ground-penetrating radar gives them the ability to image

After a few hours, they find
what appears to be a buried trench. - How the Holocaust Began

After a few hours, they find what appears to be a buried tre...

But it's facing the wrong way
to be the one in the film. - How the Holocaust Began

But it's facing the wrong way to be the one in the film...

It's literally
in that direction, right? - How the Holocaust Began

It's literally in that direction, right?

So it's almost 90 degrees off
what we were expecting, - How the Holocaust Began

So it's almost 90 degrees off what we were expecting,

So maybe means that there multiple
trenches and, you know, the video - How the Holocaust Began

So maybe means that there multiple trenches and, you know, t...

After multiple passes
of the GPR, - How the Holocaust Began

After multiple passes of the GPR,

..and this one lines up exactly
with the film. - How the Holocaust Began

..and this one lines up exactly with the film.

You know, this is probably the first
or second time I've ever seen - How the Holocaust Began

You know, this is probably the first or second time I'v...

I mean, from all the time spent
watching the video, it fits - How the Holocaust Began

I mean, from all the time spent watching the video, it fits

And, you know, they were basically
brought into the trench and fell - How the Holocaust Began

And, you know, they were basically brought into the trench a...

But at the same time, there's more
Most certainly. - How the Holocaust Began

But at the same time, there's more Most certainly.

But it's clear there were
more people shot and - How the Holocaust Began

But it's clear there were more people shot and

And further along
the same stretch of coast, - How the Holocaust Began

And further along the same stretch of coast,

No-one knows exactly how many,
or where their bodies lie. - How the Holocaust Began

No-one knows exactly how many, or where their bodies lie.

It's only since the fall of the
Soviet Union that mass graves - How the Holocaust Began

It's only since the fall of the Soviet Union that mass ...

But pioneers like Harry and Phil
are just scratching the surface - How the Holocaust Began

But pioneers like Harry and Phil are just scratching the sur...

In Latvia, there are more than
70 suspected Holocaust sites. - How the Holocaust Began

In Latvia, there are more than 70 suspected Holocaust sites.

How the Holocaust Began poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Nazi evolution from murderous anti-semitism into organised death camps, as documented in this sober piece of historical excavation from Holocaust specialist James Bulgin, is truly shocking in its specificity. An ad-hoc interpr...

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: Nic Young, Ben Holgate

Writer: Nic Young

Production: Caravan Media

Genre: documentary, history, war

Year: 2023

MetaScore: N/A/100

ImdbRating: 6.0

BoxOffice: N/A

Released: 23 Jan 2023

Awards: N/A

Homepage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hj7n