The Windermere Children (Drama and Documentary) DVD

An extraordinary, untold true story of hope, this DVD set with the PBS documentary and drama special based on these events, brings viewers on a moving and ultimately redemptive story that follows child survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and the remarkable team who were responsible for helping them rebuild their lives as they forged friendships that will become their lifeline to a better future. In August, 1945, a coachload of children arrive at the Calgarth Estate by Lake Windermere.

They are child survivors of the Nazi Holocaust that devastated Europe’s Jewish population. Carrying only the clothes they wear and a few meager possessions, they bear the emotional and physical scars of all they have suffered. Charged with looking after them is Oscar Friedmann, a German-born child psychologist. He and his team of volunteer counsellors have just 4 months to help the children reclaim their lives. By the lake, the children eat, learn English, play football, and ride bikes. They yearn for news of their loved ones, but without their families, they find kinship in each other and form bonds that give them hope for the future. Some locals taunt them, but they are embraced by others. In this environment, they begin to heal. This is the stark, moving, and ultimately redemptive story of the bonds the children make with one another. In the absence of relatives, they find family in each other.

My Thoughts

This exciting drama tells the story of the Windermere Children, young refugees who survived the Nazi Holocaust, but who were left orphaned. A  German counselor named Oscar Friedman agrees to become their guardian. He puts a roof over their heads, but provides much more than a physical home. These children are physically and emotionally scarred, and still considered outcasts by certain members of society. Yet, by bonding together, they begin to hear from their there experiences. 

In addition to the dramatized film, this DVD set also includes a documentary including interviews with some of the real Winderemere children. These real refugees will give you an inside look into their world and how they overcame their struggles.  If you want to grab a copy of this amazing DVD for your library,  you can find them in stores nationwide, at PBS.org, or on Amazon.