The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009)

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

Director:

John Kent Harrison

Writers:

John Kent Harrison, Larry Spagnola (as Lawrence John Spagnola)

Stars:

Anna Paquin, Marcia Gay Harden, Goran Visnjic

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Paquin	...	Irena Sendler[owa]
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Janina Krzyzanowska
Goran Visnjic	...	Stefan Zgrzembski
Nathaniel Parker	...	Dr. Majkowski
Steve Speirs	...	Piotr
Paul Freeman	...	Monsignor Godlewski
Michelle Dockery	...	Ewa Rozenfeld
Danuta Stenka	...	Hanna Rozenfeld
Iddo Goldberg	...	Jakub Rozenfeld
Maja Ostaszewska	...	Jadwiga
Krzysztof Pieczynski	...	Dr. Janusz Korczak
Rebecca Windheim	...	Karolina Rozenfeld
Olga Boladz	...	Zofia
Leigh Lawson	...	Rabbi Rozenfeld
Scott Handy	...	Michal Laski

Storyline

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

---

Plot Keywords:

social worker | warsaw ghetto | foot torture | poland | anti semitism | 

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

CBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian German Latvian Polish

Release Date:

19 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Irena Sendler Project

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltmedia, CBS, Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's opening prologue states: "World War II rages through Europe. In occupied Poland, the Germans have established the Warsaw Ghetto for all the Jewish residents of the city. Over 440,000 Jews are forced inside its walls . . . There are some Poles who want to help . . . "

---

Quotes

Irena Sendler [owa]: One child is not enough!

---

Connections

Featured in The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009)

User Reviews

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler was a very compelling tale of a woman's attempt to save many Jewish children from the concentration camps

Months after my dad taped this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on DVD disc, I finally got to watch The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler with an aunt of mine today. This based on a true story account taking place during World War II of a young Polish woman's saving of thousands of Jewish children from the Gestapo is one of the most touching of such films I've yet seen. Anna Paquin brings warmth and compelling gravity to the title role and I'm not ashamed to admit that when Irena was being tortured by the Nazis, I nearly cried. In fact, I wish she had also gotten an Emmy nomination and not just Marcia Gay Harden as her mother, Janina Sendler, compelling as she was also. Also compelling were a couple of the children showcased: Sergei Novik-Marchenko as Jasio and Elea Hofland as Anna. And while Goran Visnjic as Stefan didn't have much time in his role, he still made a little impression in how his character loved Irena so when it was revealed in the end text that the two were eventually married, I was touched to know that he was indeed real! And then finding out Ms. Sendler was nominated for a Nobel prize while her real-life visual was shown made me so glad this movie was made after getting recognition when she eventually got found out by some high school students before her death in 2008. So if you go to a nearby Hallmark store and find a VHS or DVD of this movie, I highly recommend you watch The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.