Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State Surprising Beginnings (Season 1, Episode 1)
TV-14
TV Episode | 48 min | Documentary, History, War

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State

Surprising Beginnings (Season 1, Episode 1)

TV-14

TV Episode | 48 min | Documentary, History, War

German commanders discover the efficiency of gassing prisoners, and Auschwitz transforms from a small backwater camp for those resisting the Nazi occupation of Poland to a large scale extermination camp for Jews.

Directors

Laurence Rees | Catherine Tatge

Writers

Laurence Rees (written by) | Megan Callaway | David Orenstein | Doris Bergen

Producers

Richard Cable | Anil Dewan | Philip Dunn | David Neiman | Laurence Rees

Cinematographers

Sergey Astakhov | Martin Patmore | Piotr Sliskowski

Editors

Alan Lygo | Douglas Varchool

See all filmmakers & crew (74)

Edit Released

Updated Jan 11, 2005

Release date

Jan 19, 2005 (United States)

Contacts

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Cast	+ Add Cast
24 cast members

Name	Known for
Gert Heidenreich Narrator (voice) (version: German) Narrator (voice) (version: German) See fewer	Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision (2013)
Linda Hunt Narrator (voice) (version: English) Narrator (voice) (version: English) See fewer	The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Samuel West Narrator (voice) (version: English) Narrator (voice) (version: English) See fewer	Howards End (1992)
Dario Gabbai Self - Jewish Prisoner, Auschwitz 1944-1945 Self - Jewish Prisoner, Auschwitz 1944-1945 See fewer	The Last Days (1998)
Jerzy Bielecki Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz See fewer	Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)
Jozef Paczynski Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz (as Józef Paczyński) Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz (as Józef Paczyński) See fewer	Diese verfluchten Stunden am Abend - Häftlingsbordelle im KZ (2012)
Kazimierz Piechowski Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz See fewer	The Runaway (2007)
Hans Friedrich Self - 1st SS Infantry Brigade Self - 1st SS Infantry Brigade See fewer	Inside the SS (2017)
Vasyl Valdeman Self - Jewish Resident, Ostrog Self - Jewish Resident, Ostrog See fewer	Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)
Kazimierz Smolen Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz (as Kazimierz Smoleń) Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz (as Kazimierz Smoleń) See fewer	Pomni imya svoye (1974)
August Kowalczyk Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz Self - Polish Political Prisoner, Auschwitz See fewer	Stawka wieksza niz zycie (1968)
Horst Günter Marx Rudolph Höss (as Horst-Günter Marx) Rudolph Höss (as Horst-Günter Marx) See fewer	The Venus Trap (1988)
Miroslaw Konarowski Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	Television Theater (1953)
Klaus Mikoleit Henrich Himmler Henrich Himmler See fewer	Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)
Wlodzimierz Adamski Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	Pierwsza milosc (2004)
Robert Czebotar Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	The Border (2014)
Piotr Grabowski Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	Patagonia (2010)
Artur Kruczek Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	365 Days (2020)
Andrzej Szopa Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	Television Theater (1953)
Juliusz Krzysztof Warunek Reenactment Actor Reenactment Actor See fewer	Television Theater (1953)
Andrzej Zólkiewski Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski See fewer	Katastrofa w Gibraltarze (1984)
Heinrich Himmler Self - Reichsführer of the SS (archive footage) Self - Reichsführer of the SS (archive footage) See fewer	The Twisted Cross - Twelve Years that Shook the Earth
Adolf Hitler Self - Führer of Germany (archive footage) Self - Führer of Germany (archive footage) See fewer	Triumph of the Will (1935)
Rudolf Hoess Self - Commandant of Auschwitz (archive footage) (as Rudolf Höss) Self - Commandant of Auschwitz (archive footage) (as Rudolf Höss) See fewer	Nuremberg (1948)