The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009) (TV)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

John Kent Harrison

Writers (WGA):

John Kent Harrison (written by) and
Larry Spagnola (written by) ...

Release Date:

19 April 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The story of Irena Sendler, a social worker who was part of the Polish underground during World War II and was arrested by the Nazi's for saving the lives of nearly 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw ghetto. |

Plot Keywords:

Warsaw Ghetto | 1940s | Rescue | WWII | Warsaw Poland

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Toms Aboltins	...	Dentist
Romualds Ancans	...	German General
Ruby Bentall	...	Stefania
Valda Bickute	...	Polish New Mother
Olga Boladz	...	Zofia
Gintaire Cepukonye	...	Frightened Mother
Paulius Cizinauskas	...	Prison Guard
Vilis Daudzins	...	Gestapo Officer
Michelle Dockery	...	Ewa Rozenfeld
Karolina Dryzner	...	Weeping Mother
Didzis Eglitis	...	German Soldier
William Ellis	...	Wiktor
Paul Freeman	...	Monsignor Godlewski
Fiona Glascott	...	Maria
Iddo Goldberg	...	Jakub Rozenfeld
Leonîds Grabovskis	...	Another Man
Andris Gross	...	Young Father
Jurgis Gundars	...	Small Boy
Uga Gundars	...	5 Year-old Screaming Boy
Scott Handy	...	Michal Laski
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Janina Krzyzanowska
Elea Hofland	...	Anna
Arnita Jaunzeme	...	First Female Prisoner
Janis Kangaroo	...	Jewish Folk (as Jewish Folk)
Leonarda Klavina-Kestere	...	Stern Woman
Girts Krumins	...	German Accountant
Leigh Lawson	...	Rabbi Rozenfeld
Girts Liuziniks	...	German Soldier
Girts Lukevics	...	Big Auxiliary Guard
Ariela Mareda	...	Miriam
Jeff Most	...	Familiar German Officer
Rebecca Night	...	Danuta
Sergei Novik-Marchenko	...	Jasio
Jerzy Nowak	...	Elderey Rabbi
David Ogannesianc	...	Little Izaak
Maja Ostaszewska	...	Jadwiga
Anna Paquin	...	Irena Sendler
Nathaniel Parker	...	Dr. Majkowski
Aleksandrs Petukhovs	...	Soldier
Krzysztof Pieczynski	...	Dr. Janusz Korczak
Erich Redman	...	Untersturmfüher Brandt
Janis Reinis	...	SS Officer
Kristina Savickyte	...	5 Years Old's Mother
Gleb Semionov	...	Two Year Old
Sofya Skya	...	Desperate Mother
Dace Smits	...	Sister Stanislawa
Martins Smits	...	German NCO
Steve Speirs	...	Piotr
Danuta Stenka	...	Hanna Rozenfeld
Davids Stepanjans	...	Big Kid
Imants Strads	...	Juliusz
Antanas Surgailis	...	Polish New Father
Anastasija Timoshenko	...	Young Jewish Mother
Sakalas Uzdavinys	...	Young Rabbi
Imants Vekmanis	...	Janek
Goran Visnjic	...	Stefan
Danny Webb	...	Trojan
Rebecca Windheim	...	Karolina Rozenfeld

Also Known As:

Miss Irena's Children (USA) (working title)
The Irena Sendler Story (USA) (working title)
Untitled Irena Sendler Project (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | German | Latvian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Riga, Latvia

Company:

Baltmedia

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009) (TV)

Finally Balanced View

As much as possible in such a short movie, this picture offers relatively balanced view and description of what was really happening between Jews Poles and Germans in Poland during WWII. "Schindler's List" with his huge viewership, by his omissions, just promulgated unrelenting rant of Jewish propaganda blaming Poles for the Holocaust. For vast majority of people "Schindler's List" was the only version of Holocaust history they would ever know. The message was: See, even this German could save so many Jews, and what did the Poles do? They just snitched, watched or at best looked the other way. Movies like that, with their huge power of shaping public opinion, should at least contain a disclaimer listing all their omission and bias. In every nation you will find a full spectrum figures: from saints to murderers, from passive and paralyzed by fear to fighters and heroes. Behind each of 75,000 Jews which survived German occupation in Poland there was somebody risking his/her and his/her family life. Their antisemitic neighbors and other family members ostracized them for saving "Christ murderers" or "Judeo-communist". These people deserve some recognition. This movie is much needed addition to few other Holocaust pictures, about something until now covered with silence. Irena Sendler was probably a most active and devout member of "Action Zegota" - Polish Underground Army division responsible for saving many thousands of Jews. This organization was only superficially mentioned in the movie, which concentrated more on personal story of Irena Sendler. Movie is shot without typical Hollywood mannerisms and sentimentality. Colors are grim and well reflecting the atmosphere of Occupation. Shot on location in Riga, is very faithfully rendering authentic conditions in Warsaw at that time, without adding or sparing on anything. Actors speak with slight almost Polish accent, and names are pronounced properly, which adds to the impression of authenticity. Actors play is understated, natural and reflecting faithfully mimic and behavior characteristic to Poles, which could be seen by some as incompetent acting by Hollywood or British standards, but actually is more realistic. Director was able to walk a very thin line to the end. Great attention to details. One of the very few movies from that period which did not make me upset with some so common blunders and twisting facts to make the story "better". Of course it'd be more authentic if actors spoke Polish, Yiddish and German, but in the USA, not too many would watch a film with subtitles. Definitely worth seeing.