7.7/10
1,552
28 user 10 critic

Playing for Time (1980)

| Drama , Music | TV Movie 30 September 1980
Playing for Time Poster
Female prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp (Auschwitz) are spared from death in return for performing music for their captors.

Directors:

Daniel Mann, Joseph Sargent (uncredited)

Writers:

Arthur Miller, Fania Fénelon (autobiography: "The Musicians of Auschwitz")

Stars:

Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Alexander, Maud Adams | See full cast & crew »
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Popularity
3,335 ( 104)

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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Redgrave ... Fania Fenelon
Jane Alexander ... Alma Rose
Maud Adams ... Mala
Christine Baranski ... Olga
Robin Bartlett ... Etalina
Marisa Berenson ... Elzvieta
Verna Bloom ... Paulette
Donna Haley Donna Haley ... Katrina
Lenore Harris Lenore Harris ... Charlotte
Mady Kaplan ... Varya
Will Lee ... Shmuel
Anna Levine ... Michou
Viveca Lindfors ... Frau Schmidt
Melanie Mayron ... Marianne
Marcell Rosenblatt Marcell Rosenblatt ... Giselle
See full cast »
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Storyline

In World War II, the Jewish French musician and cabaret singer Fania Fenelon Goldstein is sent by the Nazis from Paris to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The guards take her clothing and luggage and they cut her hair very short. One day, when she is very weak, she hears someone asking whether any prisoner could sing Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly and she joins the group of musicians that have been spared from the gas chambers to entertain the Nazis performing music for them. She convinces the conductor Alma Rose to invite her friend Marianne, telling that she would be a talented singer. Along the years of abusive treatment, they survive but losing their dignity. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

nazi | singer | prisoner | musician | auschwitz | See All (29) »

Genres:

Drama | Music

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French

Release Date:

30 September 1980 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Compás de espera See more »

Filming Locations:

Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Szygzy Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite controversy and attempted boycotts, the 3 hour film was the highest viewed program of the week, with 20.4 million American homes watching its debut. See more »

Goofs

At the end of the film Auschwitz is liberated by British troops. It was liberated by troops under Marshal Koniev of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Red Army. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Paradise Road (1997) See more »

Soundtracks

Stormy Weather
(uncredited)
Written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler
See more »

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User Reviews

very moving human drama
15 March 2004 | by freebird-9 – See all my reviews

This moving human Drama is one of the most touching movies I have ever seen.

Vanessa Redgrave is superb and strong as Fania Fénelon, a jewish singer from

France ending up in Auschwitz, and makes the role of her life.

I would say it is as important and grand as 'Schindler's List' and 'The Pianist', about the horrors of the Holocaust.

So, why is this not available on video? I've been trying for years to get hold of a copy of this moving drama.. and nobody seems to know who's holding the

copyright... It's really a shame that this classic is not available on dvd!!
17 of 20 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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