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Deep Dive: The Last Days (1998)

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The Last Days
The Last Days is a documentary that recounts the experiences of five Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust, specifically focusing on the last year of World War II when Nazi Germany occupied Hungary. The film features archival footage, photographs, and documents, along with new interviews with survivors such as Bill Basch, Irene Zisblatt, and Tom Lantos. It emphasizes the mass deportations of 438,000 Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz in a six-week period and the subsequent horrors faced in concentration camps. The film also includes perspectives from U.S. army veterans who liberated Dachau and an interview with former SS doctor Hans Münch, providing a broader context to the events. The survivors return to their hometowns and the sites of the camps, offering a personal connection to the historical narrative. Directed by James Moll and produced with the involvement of Steven Spielberg, the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Why Watch

  • •See survivors return to their hometowns in Hungary
  • •Meet Tom Lantos, a unique Holocaust survivor in Congress
  • •Find out about the liberation of Dachau concentration camp

Did You Know

•438,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz in six weeks.
•Tom Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor elected to the U.S. Congress.
•The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1999.
•The Last Days was remastered and re-released on Netflix on May 19, 2021.

Perfect For

Holocaust historySurvivor testimoniesWorld War II studies