The first time I watched this, I found myself having trouble watching it all the way through. I didn't turn it off, but rather kept it on and simply only granted it half my attention. This time, I decided to watch the whole thing. No matter how difficult. This is a tough film to watch... partly due to the subject matter, but, I'm sorry to say, also partly due to quality and production issues. As far as I know, this provides a very accurate account of the escape attempt which took place at Sobibor, and the events leading up to it. The plot is quite well-written, and evolves nicely. The pace is fairly good, though it seems to drag during some parts of the film... too much time is spent showing the same kinds of things, and on separate scenes(meanwhile, other scenes are perfectly paced). Some might argue that this was a deliberate choice, to give the viewer a sense of the tedium of being held in a death camp... but as the very same (poor) pacing is seen in countless other TV feature productions, I suspect that it's simply a result of that. I think the very best thing that could happen to this film is that it be re-cut. Trim scenes that go on for too long, maybe cut out characters that don't really do anything in the film, anyhow. Dramaturgically speaking, the film runs for too long compared to how little goes on. Scene after scene of random cruelty towards prisoners, that would have served their purpose better put to music and edited into a montage, instead of countless, overlong scenes that bring the plot no further, and does little or nothing to develop the characters. The acting varies, but some performances are very good. The cinematography, and for the most part also editing are also evident of a low budget. Some of the production values are rather good; the camp looks exactly like it should, as do costumes, tools and weapons. Parts are well-directed; the attempt itself is nail-bitingly intense, and the cruel nature of the death camps is exposed, neither being underplayed nor exaggerated. Striking a blow for accuracy and rich detail, two people who were actually in the camp were taken on as supervising technical consultants, and since both had written material about the camp(one as a book, the other an unpublished manuscript), that was used to develop the script. This contains some very strong scenes, and should not be seen by anyone too young to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust. Worth watching for anyone who appreciates human will-power and how far some are willing to go to be free(just be prepared for a TV-film, if a good one). Also, any fan of action will enjoy the last few scenes. 7/10
Review of Escape from Sobibor
Escape from Sobibor
(1987 TV Movie)
A powerful film... if a little overlong, and possessing some of the typical flaws of a made-for-TV production
5 October 2006