Durante la seconda guerra mondiale, un comune abitante di un ghetto crea false notizie sulle offensive alleate per infondere speranza per le altre vittime del regime nazista.Durante la seconda guerra mondiale, un comune abitante di un ghetto crea false notizie sulle offensive alleate per infondere speranza per le altre vittime del regime nazista.Durante la seconda guerra mondiale, un comune abitante di un ghetto crea false notizie sulle offensive alleate per infondere speranza per le altre vittime del regime nazista.
- Premi
- 2 vittorie e 3 candidature
- Lina's Mother
- (as Eva Igo)
- Lina's Father
- (as Istvan Balint)
- Samuel
- (as Janos Gosztonyi)
- The Whistler
- (as Adam Rajhona)
- Roman
- (as Peter Rudolf)
Trama
Lo sapevi?
- QuizAlthough thematically the film is very similar in tone and subject with Roberto Benigni's La vita è bella (1997), it actually started production well before the release of the Italian film.
- BlooperThe movie is set in Poland (hence the Polish-languaged signs on buildings, eg Jakob's café), but 'Mischa' is a Russian name (a diminutive form of 'Mikhail'/'Mikal' ('Michael').
- Citazioni
[first lines]
Jakob Heym: Hitler goes to a fortune-teller and asks, "When will I die?" And the fortune-teller replies, "On a Jewish holiday." Hitler then asks, "How do you know that?" And she replies, "Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday."
- Curiosità sui creditiSpecial thanks to the city and peoples of Piotrków, Poland, the city and peoples of Lódz, Poland and the city and peoples of Budapest, Hungary.
- Colonne sonoreBeer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)
Written by Lew Brown, Wladimir A. Timm (as Wladimir Timm), Jaromir Vejvoda & Vasek Zeman
Performed by The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records
By Arrangement with Universal Music Special Markets
Williams plays Jakob Heym, confined to the Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw by the Nazis during the Second World War. With hope fading, Heym accidentally discovers that Russian troops aren't far away, and begins to spread the news. Others become convinced that he has a radio hidden, and Heym's fictional "news reports" from the BBC provide enough hope to keep the residents of the Ghetto going through this dark time.
Williams (also executive producer) did a fine job as Heym. As one would expect, his character comes across as something of a comedian ("I believe we're God's Chosen People; I just wish He had chosen someone else!") but his humour is appropriate; the sort of dark humour one would expect from people in this situation. The other performances faded into the background, not because they were bad but because Williams so dominated the movie. Special mention should go to Justus von Dohnanyi, though, who played the Nazi Commandant "Preuss." Dohnanyi manages to capture exactly the sort of slimy, inhuman character one would expect to be put in charge of such a business. The rest of the cast (primarily Hannah Taylor-Gordon as Lina and Liev Schreiber as Mischa) are good, but overshadowed by Williams.
The character of Kirschbaum (played by Armin Mueller-Stahl) filled me with sadness and represents a clear statement of the evils of Nazism. A world-famous cardiologist, Kirschbaum, because he is Jewish, is forbidden to practice medicine, and ends up cleaning toilets. Mueller-Stahl plays the character with a quiet dignity, and next to Williams is the clear highlight of the movie.
This movie represents a wonderful testimony to the importance of hope in helping people see themselves through what must seem to be impossible situations. Although fictional, it is an important movie for those with an interest in the events of this era.
7/10
- sddavis63
- 29 dic 2001
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Dettagli
Botteghino
- Budget
- 45.000.000 USD (previsto)
- Lordo Stati Uniti e Canada
- 4.956.401 USD
- Fine settimana di apertura Stati Uniti e Canada
- 2.056.647 USD
- 26 set 1999
- Lordo in tutto il mondo
- 4.956.401 USD