Defiance (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

Clayton Frohman (screenplay) and
Edward Zwick (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Freedom begins with an act of defiance!

Plot:

Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish non-combatants.

Plot Keywords:

Forest | Brothers | Jewish | Partisan | Survival

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Daniel Craig	...	Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber	...	Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell	...	Asael Bielski
Alexa Davalos	...	Lilka Ticktin
George MacKay	...	Aron Bielski
Allan Corduner	...	Shamon Haretz
Mark Feuerstein	...	Isaac Malbin
Tomas Arana	...	Ben Zion Gulkowitz
Jodhi May	...	Tamara Skidelsky
Kate Fahy	...	Riva Reich
Iddo Goldberg	...	Yitzchak Shulman
Iben Hjejle	...	Bella
Martin Hancock	...	Peretz Shorshaty
Ravil Isyanov	...	Viktor Panchenko
Jacek Koman	...	Konstanty 'Koscik' Kozlowski
Jonjo O'Neill	...	Lazar
Sam Spruell	...	Arkady Lubczanski
Mia Wasikowska	...	Chaya Dziencielsky
Mark Margolis	...	Jewish Elder
Markus von Lingen	...	German SS Scout
Rolandas Boravskis	...	Gramov
Algirdas Dainavicius	...	Motl Lubczanski
Aurelija Prashuntaite	...	Rachel
Vidas Petkevicius	...	Avram Rubinski
Ina Frismanaite	...	Avram's Daughter
Ana Goldberg	...	Lila
Rimante Valiukaite	...	Miriam
Leonardas Pobedonoscevas	...	Jacov
Kristina Bertasiute	...	Dark Haired Beauty
Kristina Skokova	...	Red Haired Woman
Remigijus Bilinskas	...	Pinchas Zuckerman
Rimgaudas Karvelis	...	Oppenheim
Leonas Ciunis	...	Accountant
Janina Matiekonyte	...	Well-Dressed Woman
Aleksandr Zila	...	Chaya's Father
Iveta Nadzeikiene	...	Chaya's Mother
Clayton Frohman	...	Isadore Skidelsky
Marc Levy	...	Yechael Efrati
Zoe Rosenblum	...	Sarah Oppenheim
Sakalas Uzdavinys	...	Lova Volkin
Saulius Janaviciu	...	Israel Kotler
Leonid Kotik	...	Krensky (as Leonidas Kotikas)
Dalia Micheleviciute	...	Rosa
Tadas Kavaliauskas	...	Levine
Matas Cancingeris	...	Little Boy
Diana Aneviciute	...	Koscik's Wife (as Diana Aneviciute-Valiusaitiene)
Sigitas Rackys	...	Belarussian Police Captain
Vaidas Kublinskas	...	Police Captain's Son #1 (as Vaidas Kublinkas)
Valentin Novopolskij	...	Police Captain's Son #2
Ervinas Martynas Peteraitis	...	Kissely the Milkman
Dmitrij Denisiuk	...	Policeman
Antanas Surna	...	Orthodox Rabbi
Dalius Mertinas	...	Belarussian Police Officer #1
Vaidotas Martinaitis	...	Belarussian Police Officer #2
Aldona Bendoriute	...	Jewish Mother Separated From Child #1
Darius Gumauskas	...	Jewish Father Being Beaten #1
Irmantas Bacelis	...	Jewish Father Being Beaten #2
Edita Uzaite	...	Jewish Mother Separated From Child #2
Jordan Bielsky	...	Villager Getting Shot
Gediminas Girdvainis	...	Screaming Man
Stanislav Adamickij	...	German Captain
Klemens Becker	...	SS Captain
Jonas Tamulevigius	...	German Courier
Jaroslav Psenicka	...	German Officer in Car
Jolanta Dapkunaite	...	Woman in Car
Miroslav Lhotka	...	German Officer
Giacomo Strasser	...	German Private
Mac Steinmeier	...	German Sergeant
Dmitri Slepovitch	...	Musician
Arkadij Gotesman	...	Musician
Borisas Kirzeneris	...	Musician
Raimondas Sviackevicius	...	Musician

Directed by
Edward Zwick

Writing credits (WGA)
Clayton Frohman		(screenplay) and
Edward Zwick		(screenplay)
Nechama Tec		(book "Defiance: the Bielski Partisans")

Produced by
Emereta Balciunaite	....	assistant producer: crowd
Alex Boden	....	producer: pick-ups
Pieter Jan Brugge	....	producer
Clayton Frohman	....	co-producer
Marshall Herskovitz	....	executive producer
Alisa Katz	....	associate producer
Andrew Litvin	....	line producer: pick-ups
Troy Putney	....	associate producer
Roland Tec	....	co-producer
Gary Tuck	....	line producer: Lithuania
Edward Zwick	....	producer

Original Music by
James Newton Howard

Cinematography by
Eduardo Serra

Film Editing by
Steven Rosenblum

Casting by
Gail Stevens
Arturas Zukauskas

Production Design by
Dan Weil

Art Direction by
Yann Biquand
Daran Fulham		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Véronique Melery

Costume Design by
Jenny Beavan

Makeup Department
Stephen Bettles	....	prosthetic makeup artist
J.D. Bowers	....	old age prosthetics sculptor: W.M. Creations Inc.
J.D. Bowers	....	prosthetics lab technician: W.M. Creations Inc.
Ryan McDowell	....	silicone prosthetics technician
Trefor Proud	....	hair designer
Trefor Proud	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Pieter Jan Brugge	....	unit production manager
Vladas Lyndo	....	unit manager
Clive Miles	....	unit manager
Elena Zokas	....	production manager
Elena Zokas	....	supervising production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Laura Akstinaite	....	assistant director: base camp
Emereta Balciunaite	....	crowd assistant director
William Booker	....	first assistant director: second unit
Andrius Brazas	....	assistant director
Ben Dixon	....	second assistant director: second unit
Mikey Eberle	....	third assistant director
Julius Gaizauskas	....	set trainee assistant director
Agne Januskyte	....	assistant director (as Agne Braziene)
Alex Kaye-Besley	....	first assistant director: pickups
Mark Layton	....	second assistant director
Dan Lerner	....	second unit director
Carolyn Milner	....	second second assistant director
Viktorija Ogureckaja	....	third assistant director
Darin Rivetti	....	first assistant director
Monika Sakalauskaite	....	assistant director: base camp

Art Department
William Boyes	....	stand-by props
Jana Chovancova	....	art department coordinator
Gregoire Daure	....	property master
Gilles Geraud	....	props
Gediminas Gerulis	....	set dresser
Shira Hockman	....	junior art director
Arturas Kmitas	....	assistant stand-by props
Lionel Pouchard	....	concept artist
Elaine Seidel	....	stand-by painter
Sarune Tautvaisaite	....	assistant stand-by props
James Lee Thorne	....	stand-by greens
Asta Vildziunaite	....	assistant stand-by props
Anastasija Zilionyte	....	junior assistant art director

Sound Department
Christopher Assells	....	sound effects editor
Tim Atkins	....	adr recordist
Adrian Baumeister	....	adr mixer
Anna Behlmer	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lon Bender	....	supervising sound editor
James Bolt	....	additional sound mixer
John Cannon	....	assistant sound editor
Blake R. Cornett	....	sound recordist
Carl Fischer	....	boom operator
Nerses Gezalyan	....	sound mixer
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
Laura R. Harris	....	dialogue editor
Craig Heath	....	sound recordist (as Craig 'Pup' Heath)
Michael Hertlein	....	dialogue editor
Petur Hliddal	....	production sound mixer
Randy Kelley	....	foley editor
Diane Marshall	....	foley artist
Andy Nelson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Ormandy	....	additional sound
Peter Staubli	....	sound effects editor
Jon Title	....	sound designer
Brett Voss	....	foley mixer
Gayle Wesley	....	first assistant sound editor
Kerry Dean Williams	....	dialog and ADR supervisor
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Neil Corbould	....	special effects supervisor
Peter Haran	....	senior special effects technician
Jennifer Latour	....	prosthetics technician
Eduardas Lisovskis	....	special effects technician
Martin 'Marty' McLaughlin	....	snow effects supervisor
Chris Motjuoadi	....	special effects
Ceri Nicholls	....	special effects technician: second unit
Anne Marie Walters	....	floor effects supervisor: second unit
Steven Warner	....	special effects floor supervisor
Alan Young	....	workshop supervisor

Visual Effects by
Jessica Allen	....	paint and rotoscope artist: Flash Film Works
George Antonopoulos	....	visual effects assistant: Flash Film Works
Alfred Berger	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Toma Bowen	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Patrick Clancey	....	digital opticals
Anthony Davis	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Chris Dawson	....	animator: Flash Film Works
Miles DeLong	....	visual effects assistant: Flash Film Works
Tim Donahue	....	matte painter: Flash Film Works
Brian Fire	....	paint and rotoscope artist: Flash Film Works
David Fogg	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Mark Freund	....	visual effects supervisor: Pacific Title
Andrea Goodson	....	visual effects coordinator: Flash Film Works
Anthony Greco	....	visual effects assistant: Flash Film Works
Brian Jochum	....	titles producer
Marky Kang	....	paint and rotoscope artist: Flash Film Works
Lincoln Kupchak	....	visual effects editor
Jonathan Marquiss	....	visual effects assistant: Flash Film Works
John P. Mesa	....	visual effects co-supervisor: Flash Film Works
William Mesa	....	visual effects supervisor
Don Myers	....	animator: Flash Film Works
Jeremy Nelson	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Dan Novy	....	visual effects technical supervisor: Flash Film Works
Leon Nowlin	....	paint and rotoscope artist: Flash Film Works
Dan Smith	....	visual effects coordinator: pre-production, Flash Film Works
Ken Stranahan	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Alicia Suggs	....	paint & rotoscoping supervisor: Flash Film Works
Jon Terada	....	digital compositor
Emily Wallin	....	visual effects producer
Cloe Zimmerman	....	paint and rotoscope artist: Flash Film Works
Thomas Mathai	....	data manager (uncredited)

Stunts
Stanislav Adamickij	....	stunts
Tomas Ereminas	....	stunt double
Tomas Ereminas	....	stunts
Steve Griffin	....	stunt coordinator
Saulius Janaviciu	....	stunts
Jindrich Klaus	....	stunt rigger
Leonid Kotik	....	stunt double
Leonid Kotik	....	stunts
Miroslav Lhotka	....	stunts
Giedrius Nagys	....	stunts
Arturas Nemanis	....	horse master
Slava Samuchov	....	stunt double
Slava Samuchov	....	stunts
Jonas Tamulevigius	....	stunts
Jürgen Thiel	....	tank driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Feliksas Abrukauskas	....	additional second assistant camera
Karen Ballard	....	still photographer
Klemens Becker	....	camera operator
Toby Birney	....	additional camera operator
Jeremy Braben	....	aerial director of photography
James Burgess	....	second assistant camera
Charlie England	....	additional focus puller
Ingo Gardner	....	balloon light technician
Thomas Gottschalk	....	additional first assistant camera
Vytaitas Gudlevicius	....	second key grip
Chris Harker	....	grip
Rolandas Joneliukstis	....	first assistant camera
Binish Kuruvilla	....	key video assist
Gilbert Lecluyse	....	director of photography: second unit
Pierre Mazard	....	focus puller
Guy Micheletti	....	key grip
Bo B. Randulff	....	additional camera operator
Jonathan 'Chunky' Richmond	....	first assistant camera
Rokas Rudzionis	....	grip
Sam Sale	....	video assist operator
Julius Siciunas	....	video assist operator
Ole Thomas	....	second assistant camera
Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen	....	additional camera operator
Audrius Zelenius	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera

Casting Department
Kelly Valentine Hendry	....	casting associate
Yesi Ramirez	....	casting associate
Dalia Survilaite	....	extras casting
Vita Survilaite	....	extras casting assistant
Arturas Zukauskas	....	casting director: local

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alex Carey	....	key textile artist/dyer
Mark Ferguson	....	costume supervisor
Helen Ingham	....	key costumer
Charlotte Law	....	assistant costume designer
Stephen Miles	....	costume workroom supervisor
David Otzen	....	key costumer
Lora E. Revitt	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Lisa Clifford-Owen	....	assistant editor
Beth Dewey	....	digital intermediate producer
Joe Finley	....	digital preview colorist
Scott Jacobs	....	post-production assistant
Supriya Naidu-James	....	assistant editor
Jim Passon	....	color timer
Robert E. Phillips	....	digital intermediate assistant producer: EFILM
Matthew Schmidt	....	first assistant editor
Cynthia E. Thornton	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jeff Atmajian	....	orchestrator
Joshua Bell	....	soloist: violin
Chris Cozens	....	auricle control systems
Brad Dechter	....	orchestrator
Steve Durkee	....	music editor
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Dave Holden	....	score synth programmer
Joel Iwataki	....	music scoring mixer
David Olson	....	music editor
Simon Rhodes	....	music scoring mixer
Dmitri Slepovitch	....	music consultant: Jewish music
Pamela J. Sollie	....	scoring coordinator
Stuart Michael Thomas	....	synthesizer programmer
Matthew J. Ward	....	synth score programmer
Jim Weidman	....	supervising music editor

Transportation Department
Ravi Dube	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Kevin Badgery	....	production accountant: Lithuania
Alisa Buckley	....	unit publicist
Livia Burton	....	production coordinator: pick-ups
Rus Ekkel	....	tutor
Roma Gailiuviene	....	location manager
Veronika Hladikova	....	assistant: Daniel Craig
Amy Israel	....	production executive
Justin R. Kane	....	office production assistant
Ingrid Litman	....	production coordinator
Clive Miles	....	supervising location manager
Ruta Nemaniene	....	animal wrangler
Kristina Soltonaite	....	production assistant
Neil Swain	....	dialogue coach
Jayne-Ann Tenggren	....	script supervisor
Annija Tetere	....	location manager
Martin Usher	....	trainee rigger
Allan van O.T. Andersen	....	script supervisor
Rasa Vilkaityté	....	assistant production coordinator
Loreta Zajarskyte	....	local production coordinator

Thanks
Robert Bernacchi	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Bedford Falls Company, The
• Grosvenor Park Productions
• Pistachio Pictures

Distributors

• Imagem Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Mirovision (2008) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Momentum Pictures (2008) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Momentum Pictures (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• Monolith Plus (2009) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Bontonfilm (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media) (subtitled)
• Constantin Film Verleih (2009) (Germany) (all media)
• Constantin-Filmverleih (2009) (Austria) (all media)
• David Distribucion (2009) (Mexico) (all media)
• Flashstar (2009) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Ledafilms (2009) (Mexico) (all media)
• Momentum Pictures (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Momentum Pictures (2009) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Paramount Vantage (2008) (USA) (all media)
• RCV Film Distribution (2009) (Belgium) (all media)
• RCV Film Distribution (2009) (Luxembourg) (all media)
• RCV Film Distribution (2009) (Netherlands) (all media)
• SP Films (2008) (Argentina) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment AB (2009) (Iceland) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment AB (2009) (Sweden) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2009) (Denmark) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2009) (Norway) (all media)
• Shaw Organisation (2009) (Singapore) (all media)
• Tatrafilm (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Tatrafilm (2009) (Slovakia) (all media)
• Toho-Towa (2009) (Japan) (all media)
• Village Films (2009) (Greece) (all media)

Special Effects

• Flash Film Works (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Arion Facilities  HD dailies services
• Baltic Film Services  production services
• Dakota Music Services  music preparation
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Entertainment Clearances  rights and clearances
• Grosvenor Park Productions  funding
• Helicopter Film Services  aerial filming services provided by
• Packair Airfreight  international logistics
• Panavision UK  camera equipment provided by
• Sony Classical  soundtrack

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44522) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Czech Republic:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Sweden:15 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Lithuania

Company:

Bedford Falls Company, The

Trivia:

The makers considered shooting in Poland and Romania before settling upon Lithuania.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the German planes are bombing the camp, one plane releases a bomb over the camp. The bomb appears to explode directly under where it was released. This is incorrect as the bomb would not fall straight down. The bomb would fall at a slant.

Quotes:

Zus Bielski: [after Asael exits a hide out with 2 women] Asael! You've been busy?
Asael Bielski: Shut up

Movie Connections:

References Idi i smotri (1985)

Soundtrack:

A Tants Fun Propoisk

DEFIANCE and ZWICK way off base

Hearing Ed Zwick speak at a recent screening of DEFIANCE, it seems that he thinks he and his partner Clayton Frohman have created a masterpiece. Far from it. What they have done is ruin one of the best true stories ever to come out of World War II. Zwick's Hollywood-ized version of the Bielski Partisan unit is full of stereotypical characters (featuring of course the nebbishy Jewish intellectual, the young revolutionary, etc.) and a host of sugarcoated scenes that defy imagination. It's good to finally see a film about Jewish fighters, but aside from a few action sequences featuring Liev Schreiber, this film is more than lame – it is an affront to all those brave Partisans, who lived through this nightmare.

Viewers who are interested in seeing a true representation of what it was like to slog through the marches should rent the Russian film, COME & SEE which presented this sequence in real time (this sequence is also on Youtube). In Zwick's version, a bunch of central casting extras calmly walk through the Belorussian marches as if they are happily on the Yellow Brick Road. The staginess of Zwick's film is almost laughable, were it not for the fact that this film depicts one of the most important historical chapters of the Partisan movement – how one brave man, Tuvia Bielski managed to save over 1200 innocent men women and children in the forests of Belarussia. Will there be another movie coming out to present this story as it actually happened? Unlikely. Zwick has ruined for all time the chance for this story to told in a truthful way.

Adding insult to injury, Zwick's comments on a recent BBC interview, equating the Partisans with the Palestinians, is shameful and disgraceful. Doesn't Zwick know that the "Palestinians" fought on the side of Hitler? Doesn't he know that the Arabs FOUGHT the Partisans and were part of the "Final Solution"? Doesn't he know that Moslem SS units were responsible for some of the most brutal atrocities carried out against the Jews? One would think Zwick would have done some research before making such despicable statements.

Lets all hope Zwick doesn't get another chance to make another movie where he presents a distorted and sanitized view of historical events and then uses that as a platform to disgrace the very people his film supposedly honors.