Netflix will be making some edits to its documentary series The Devil Next Door following complaints from the Polish prime minister. A series focused on Ivan the Terrible, a notorious Ukrainian concentration camp guard known for killing thousands during World War 2, it seems Netflix fudged a few details while producing the show. As Polish premier Mateusz Morawiecki points out in a letter sent to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, there are maps in one pivotal scene that place the infamous Auschwitz camp within the borders of modern-day Poland.
“Not only is the map incorrect,” Morawiecki wrote, “but it deceives viewers into believing that Poland was responsible for establishing and maintaining these camps, and for committing the crimes therein. As my country did not even exist at that time as an independent state, and millions of Poles were murdered at these sites, this element of ‘The Devil Next Door‘ is nothing short of rewriting history.”
That seems a bit overkill, but the sentiment hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. Speaking to Variety, Netflix stated, “In order to provide more information to our members about the important issues raised in this documentary and to avoid any misunderstanding, in the coming days we will be adding text to some of the maps featured in the series. This will make it clearer that the extermination and concentration camps in Poland were built and operated by the German Nazi regime, [which] invaded the country and occupied it from 1939-1945.”
Typically speaking, Netflix doesn’t amend material in its programming. Producers working for the company strongly believe in the work they put out. In this instance, though, everyone agreed this was the right call to make. At the very least, a documentary meant for informational purposes should have any inaccurate information touched up.
Netflix claims the changes will take at least a few days to come into effect. You can currently stream The Devil Next Door on the service if you’re curious to see it unaltered.
Netflix to Amend ‘The Devil Next Door‘ Documentary After Backlash (EXCLUSIVE) [Variety]
