The Poet (2007)

Director:

Damian Lee

Writer:

Jack Crystal

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

At the dawn of World War 2, a Rabbi's daughter and a disenchanted German soldier fall in love and are separated by the war. They struggle on a perilous journey to find one another. |

Plot Keywords:

Nazi Occupied Poland | German Officer | Forbidden Love | Cabaret | Poland

Cast

Jonathan Scarfe	...	Oscar Koenig
Nina Dobrev	...	Rachel
Zachary Bennett	...	Bernard
Kim Coates	...	General Koenig
Daryl Hannah	...	Marlene Konig
Colm Feore	...	Colonel Hass
Mac Fyfe	...	Fredereick (as Mak Fyfe)
Sebastian Pigott	...	Peter
Zion Lee	...	Hans
Lara Daans	...	Natasha
Marco Tallarico	...	Igor
Lubomir Mykytiuk	...	Sasha
Daniel Matmor	...	Rabbi Taub
Zev Crystal	...	Young Faber
Melanie Merkosky	...	Olga
Miriam McDonald	...	Willa
Conrad Bergschneider	...	German Officer #1
Stefan Crystal	...	Peasant Boy
Louise Reynolds	...	Ruth
Roy Scheider	...	Rabbi
Jake Simons	...	Soldier (as Jake Simmons)
Devon Bostick	...	Guard #1
John Watson	...	Guard #2
Robin Ruel	...	Mrs. Rostig
Maxwell Uretsky	...	Saul Rostig
Daniela Crystal	...	Liev
Anne Tager Page	...	Midwife (as Ann Tager Page)
Brian Frank	...	Escaped Partisan
Heidi von Palleske	...	Heidi Taub
Jessica Horn	...	Cabaret Dancer #1
Lindsey Frazier	...	Cabaret Dancer #2
Irek Muchalski	...	Horse Thief
Nikolai Tichtchenko	...	Musician
Sam Hershoran	...	Shaia the Bridgewalker
Damien Lee	...	Cabaret MC
Steve Raiman	...	Madame Wausau
Scarlett Conn	...	Baby - 2 months
Cyrus Smith	...	Baby (9 months)
Callayna Bajer	...	Russian Little Girl #1
Cavanagh Matmor	...	Russian Little Girl #2
Arcadia Kendal	...	Russian Little Girl #3 (as Arcadia Lee)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Scotty Cook
Shae Landers	...	Rachel (singing voice)
Jesse Bostick	...	Jenni (uncredited)
Joe Bostick	...	Oleg (uncredited)

Directed by
Damian Lee

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jack Crystal

Produced by
Joe Barzo	....	line producer
Kim Coates	....	executive producer
Lowell Conn	....	producer
David Crystal	....	executive producer
Jack Crystal	....	executive producer
Zev Crystal	....	executive producer
Gregg Goldstein	....	executive producer
Sam Hershoran	....	co-producer
Damian Lee	....	producer
Zion Lee	....	co-producer
Julius R. Nasso	....	executive producer
Nan Skiba	....	line producer
Simon Williams	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Zion Lee
Steve Raiman

Cinematography by
David Pelletier

Film Editing by
Joseph Weadick

Casting by
Louis DiGiaimo
Stephanie Gorin

Production Design by
Oleg M. Savytski

Art Direction by
Ken Watkins

Set Decoration by
Elizabeth Calderhead

Costume Design by
Ton Pascal

Makeup Department
Shirley Bond	....	hair stylist
Mary Sue Heron	....	makeup artist
Tali Kalb	....	assistant makeup artist
Quinn Matthews	....	makeup artist
Regan Noble	....	hair department head

Production Management
Joe Barzo	....	unit manager
Nan Skiba	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Megan Banning	....	first assistant director
Patrick Hagarty	....	trainee assistant director
Grant Lucibello	....	second assistant director
David C. Malcolm	....	assistant director
Curtis Petersen	....	second unit director

Art Department
Alexandra Anthony	....	set dresser
Mary Arthurs	....	property master
Ken Aziz	....	carpenter
Elizabeth Calderhead	....	set dresser
Graham Caswell	....	first assistant art director
Paula Deresti	....	set dresser
Jeff Flint	....	propmaker
Lawrence Gomes	....	carpenter: set
Bruce Graydon	....	lead carpenter
Jeff Graydon	....	head carpenter
Helen Kaneva	....	set dresser
Michelle Lannon	....	set dresser
Ron Lightfoot	....	construction coordinator
David Maltese	....	set dec buyer
Bradley McInnis	....	painter
Peter McKenzie	....	carpenter
David Ratchford	....	set carpenter
Gregory Vatcher	....	shop carpenter
Richelle Wilks	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
Chris Bottomley	....	boom operator
Steve Raiman	....	sound designer
Cory Siddall	....	sound mixer
Virginia Storey	....	foley artist
Randy Wilson	....	foley recordist

Special Effects by
David Antonacci	....	special effects technician
Derek Bujalski	....	special effects technician
Brock Jolliffe	....	special effects coordinator
Rudy Rivas	....	special effects supervisor
John Sandever	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Kevin Chandoo	....	title designer

Stunts
Scott Alan Cook	....	stunt performer (as Scotty Cook)
Shelley Cook	....	stunt performer
Henry Korhonen	....	stunt performer
Danny Lima	....	stunt performer
Danny Lima	....	stunts
Layton Morrison	....	stunt coordinator
Billy Oliver	....	stunt performer
Ken Quinn	....	stunt performer
John Stoneham Jr.	....	stunt coordinator
Bryan Thomas	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Terry Banting	....	gaffer: second unit
Laurence Bortnick	....	assistant camera
Darren Boyce	....	key grip
Simon Brown	....	assistant camera
Jan Brunton	....	second assistant camera
Greg Davis	....	grip
Gabriele DiChiara	....	gaffer
Tara Dixit	....	second assistant camera
Chad Edwards	....	best boy electric: second unit
Charles A. Gould	....	grip
Mike Gowland	....	generator operator
Joey Jones	....	grip
Sean Jordan	....	best boy
Scott McFarlane	....	grip
Juan Carlos Montalvo	....	assistant camera
Robert Mountjoy	....	first assistant camera
Barry Newton	....	assistant camera
Rahul Parekh	....	dolly grip
Curtis Petersen	....	camera operator
Curtis Petersen	....	second unit: director of photography
Glenn Pineau	....	camera operator
Glenn Pineau	....	director of photography: second unit
Anthony Police	....	best boy grip
Dave C. Sheridan	....	camera operator
Eric Sherping	....	second assistant camera
Robert Wood	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Kathleen Howell	....	casting associate
Misha Rasaiah	....	casting assistant

Editorial Department
Christopher Haufe	....	colorist (as Chris Haufe)
Derek Keating	....	assistant editor
David MacDonald	....	third assistant editor

Music Department
Andrew Dudman	....	music recording engineer
Scrap Marshall	....	music recording assistant

Transportation Department
John Ainsworth	....	driver: honeywagon
Rob French	....	transportation captain
George Mantis	....	driver
Mickey McAllister	....	driver
Elsa Scruton	....	transportation coordinator
Jim Snell	....	head driver
Peter Ward	....	driver
Gerald Wood	....	driver

Other crew
Kimberley Bradley	....	production coordinator
Stephen Chambers	....	second unit production assistant
Lara Daans	....	choreographer
Jane Douglas	....	production auditor
David Franklin	....	location assistant
Jeff Goldman	....	international distribution
Brad Gratkowski	....	location manager
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond company representative
Sabre Lee	....	double: Nina Dobrev
Sasha Pick-Crystal	....	assistant to the director
Diane Pitblado	....	on-set dialect coach
Monika Schurmann	....	development executive
Beverly Sutton	....	script coordinator
Al Vrkljan	....	armorer
Kim Yu	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• Alchemist Entertainment
• Noble House Film & Television

Distributors

• American World Pictures (AWP) (2007) (non-USA) (all media)
• CCV (2008) (Norway) (all media)
• Eagle Films (2007) (Non-USA) (all media) (Middle East)
• Evolution Entertainment (2008) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• High Fliers Distribution (2008) (UK) (all media)
• Image Entertainment
• Laptv (2009) (Argentina) (TV)
• Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2008) (Portugal) (all media)
• M.I.B. (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• More Films (2008) (Germany) (all media)
• Ocean Pictures do Brasil (2008) (Brazil) (all media)
• Peace Arch Entertainment Group (2007) (Canada) (video)
• Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment (2008) (South Africa) (all media)
• Tot Media S.L. (2008) (Spain) (all media)
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (2010) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Vision Film Distribution (2008) (Poland) (all media)
• Vox Video (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• Wysios (2008) (France) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Hand Prop  props supplied by
• Movie Armaments Group  weapons supplied by
• PPI Camera Corporation  camera dollies
• PPI Camera Corporation  camera equipment provided by
• PPI Camera Corporation  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

"Hearts of War" - USA (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and sexual content

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Dundas, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Alchemist Entertainment

Soundtrack:

Tum Fa La La

Third rate movie

The Poet is a surprisingly poor to mediochre movie, trying hard to jerk a tear. 'Schmalz' describes it well - a sort of 'Fiddler on the Roof' without the charm. It looks thoroughly naive and unsubtle, as if written by a 19-year-old. It even shows the technological innovation of a 'left-handed' bolt action on a rifle. The lisping pseudo-German English dialogue was pointless and distracting to the point of trying hard to send up "Allo, allo!". Even Roy Scheider played a stereotyped rabbi - I expected "Oy, vey!!" at any moment. The battle scenes give paintballing a bad name, with more than a hint of Star Wars special effects. A waste of a good budget. The idea of lovers from opposite political poles might have worked in a re-setting of Romeo & Juliet on the eastern front, but Shakespeare this wasn't.