Reviews & Ratings for
Perlasca: The Courage of a Just Man (TV) More at IMDbPro »Perlasca: Un eroe italiano (original title)

26 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
Schindler's List part II, 31 January 2003

Author: Domi from Flanders

The title summarizes it all: this is a second version of Schindler's List: a fascist who finally saves the jews by all means he has... What's the big difference?

First of all, it's the peculiar setting in time and place. During World War II, Hungary chose the side of the Axis, until Horthy, the dictator seeked for contact with the Allies in 1944 (the walls of the Third Reich were crumbling at that time). Hitler then supported the Hungarian Nazi's (who never were a part of the regime of Horthy), the Arrow Cross Party, to take control. They immediately introduced a severe jew prosecution and extermination. These facts are little known. So, it's strange to see the uniforms and symbols of the Hungarian Nazi's, because they are unfamiliar to us.

Second, where Spielberg was a bit wary of showing too many horror, the Italians didn't hide a thing. For instance the mass execution scene where couples were tied up on each other and the husband executed, dumped in the Danube so the wife drowned isn't suitable for children.

This movie may be stamped forever as Schindler's List II, but it's better.

16 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
People who care, 26 August 2005

Author: Petri Pelkonen (petri_pelkonen@hotmail.com) from Finland

Perlasca.Un eroe italiano (2002) tells about Giorgio Perlasca, a man who once lived and did something most people were afraid to do or just didn't care.He saved many Hungarian Jews from concentration camp in 1944.He did care and actually do something while the rest of the world stood still and did nothing.Luca Zingaretti gives a strong performance in this Alberto Negrin's TV movie.This movie awakes feelings of anger and despair in you.It's hard to hold your tears.When you see a scene where the mass execution takes place you are at the same time very sad and very angry.Why did all this have to happen? Why couldn't anybody get Hitler killed? Why couldn't there have been more people like Perlasca? The original title means An Italian Hero.That's what Giorgio Perlasca was; a hero.

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