Adventure in Freedom (film #8 in the Holocaust section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Military & Propaganda]

This 50s film documents a Norwegian rehabilitation program for “hardcore DPs,”: holocaust survivors who could not rebuild their lives because of old age, disease, or disability, and thus were left to a depressing existence in displaced-person camps, a final insult to those who had already suffered so much. The Norwegian program chose some of the more promising of these people and gave them various forms of rehabilitation that helped them become eligible for resettlement and employment. This is an inspiring story, but the fact that only a small portion of the DP population could be helped this way lends a rather depressing note to things. Most holocaust stories end at the end of the war; this film provides a historically important look at the long-term aftereffects of it for many survivors.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: N/A. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.