The Island on Bird Street (1997)

Alex is an 11-year old boy who, during WWII, hides in the Jewish ghetto from Nazis after all the relatives have been sent to the concentration camp. The movie portrays the ghetto through ... See full summary »

Director:

Søren Kragh-Jacobsen

Writers:

Uri Orlev (novel), John Goldsmith (screenplay),

Stars:

Patrick Bergin, Jordan Kiziuk, Jack Warden

9 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Bergin	...	Stefan
Jordan Kiziuk	...	Alex
Jack Warden	...	Boruch
James Bolam	...	Doctor Studjinsky
Stefan Sauk	...	Goehler
Simon Gregor	...	Henryk
Lee Ross	...	Freddy
Suzanna Hamilton	...	Stasya's Mother
Sian Nicola Liquorish	...	Stasya
Michael Byrne	...	Bolek
Heather Tobias	...	Mrs. Studjinsky
Leon Silver	...	Mr. Gryn
Sue Jones-Davies	...	Mrs. Gryn
Nigel John Whitear	...	Yanek
Misha Daniel King	...	Avrum

Storyline

Alex is an 11-year old boy who, during WWII, hides in the Jewish ghetto from Nazis after all the relatives have been sent to the concentration camp. The movie portrays the ghetto through his eyes.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | jewish | jewish ghetto | mouse | binoculars | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence

Details

Country:

Denmark UK Germany

Language:

English German Latin

Release Date:

23 October 1997 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Die Insel in der Vogelstrasse

Filming Locations:

Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

April Productions, Connexion Film Productions, Danmarks Radio (DR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the semi-autobiographical Hebrew book "The Island on Birds Street" (HaI BeRehov HaTziporim), by Israeli author Uri Orlev.

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Quotes

Alex: A man should never drink alone!

User Reviews

Underrated

This movie is fantastic, one of the best I have ever seen in a long time. I was surprised to see that it is from 1997 because until I turned onto BBC2 today, I had never even heard of it.

Although this is a simple, some say linear story of Nazi Germany vs the Jewish community telling of one boys struggle to survive on his own to wait for his father, it really draws you in.

In the same vein as movies like DARYL, or Finding Neverland, it does not rely cheap gimmicks. Instead we find a gripping a story that draws you in. You become attached to the characters and really feel for them. It stirs up quite a bit of emotion. I was dancing all over the room at one point biting my nails.

This is a fantastic story with some brilliant acting. The main focus is on Alex, played by Jordan Kiziuk. Im surprised he hasn't done anything before or since as he played a brilliant part, even if his accent is a little dodgy.

The director has done a fantastic job in the telling of the story. It is one of those underrated films that you must watch if you ever get a chance.