Uprising (2001)

Jews rise up in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazis in 1943.

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writers:

Paul Brickman, Jon Avnet

Stars:

Leelee Sobieski, Hank Azaria, David Schwimmer

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leelee Sobieski	...	Tosia Altman
Hank Azaria	...	Mordechai Anielewicz
David Schwimmer	...	Yitzhak Zuckerman
Jon Voight	...	Major-General Jurgen Stroop
Donald Sutherland	...	Adam Czerniakow
Stephen Moyer	...	Kazik Rotem
Sadie Frost	...	Zivia Lubetkin
Radha Mitchell	...	Mira Fruchner
Mili Avital	...	Devorah Baron
Eric Lively	...	Arie Wilner
Alexandra Holden	...	Frania Beatus
John Ales	...	Marek Edelman
Andy Nyman	...	Calel Wasser
Nora Brickman	...	Clara Linder
Jesper Christensen	...	General Kruger

Storyline

Using radically refashioned archival footage of the Warsaw ghetto, this interview with Jon Avnet the director of Uprising talks about Marek Edelman who is an evocative memoir of his role in the rebellion that held back the Nazis for almost a month in 1943. The film begins with the growing list of prohibitions and regulations leading to the virtual imprisonment of about half-a-million Polish Jews in an old slum district of Warsaw with inadequate space and plumbing. An overhead tracking shot shows the number of people assembled in the first months of the relocation. The daily struggle against hunger and disease, especially among the dispossessed arrivals seen in their pitful rags, is aggravated by the German demands for "deportations to the east" that many begin to suspect are camouflaged mass murders. By the close of 1942, people living in the ghetto realize they are doomed, and the rudiments of resistance are planned by a handful of the young, including Edelman. Following some ...

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Plot Keywords:

warsaw ghetto | anti semitism | jewish resistance | year 1943 | nazi occupied poland | 

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Taglines:

They did the one thing the Nazis never expected. They fought back.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final credited project of composer Maurice Jarre.

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Goofs

Historically, the "tanks" used by the Germans during the suppression of the uprising were actually French light assault guns Lorraine 37L - which means there was not a single Tiger tank (not to mention two). Also, the SS troops were "police" and training/reserve units (rear formations), not the front-line troops.

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Quotes

Mordechai Anielewicz: Can a moral man, that's me, maintain his moral code in an immoral world?

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Alternate Versions

R1 DVD runs 177'15" (NTSC), but European releases only 152'28" (PAL) (a difference of almost 18'26" allowing for the different frame rates).

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Connections

Referenced in A Day in the Life (2002)

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Soundtracks

One, Two, Three (Raz, Dwa, Trzy)
Traditional

User Reviews

As accurate as film can make it.

I saw this film in Australia with a relative who survived the Ghetto uprising. He said that, in spite of some inconsistencies, it was as accurate as film could portray it. While it is true that there was more than one resistance faction, and sometimes they were at odds, the essence of the event is portrayed well. The Polish Resistance's attitude was mixed, but my relative, who was a courier in and out of the Ghetto said that many individual Poles risked their lives to hide him. The woman who escaped with the baby at the end of the film is also related to me. Her husband, who was killed in the first days of the uprising, was a major planner and organizer. Of course, it affected me greatly since my mother originally came from Warsaw and I lost many relatives.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

1943 l'ultime révolte

Filming Locations:

Slovakia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,266

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avnet/Kerner Productions, Brooklyn Films, Raffaella Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min 153 min (DVD) 152 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1