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IMDbPro

The Zookeeper's Wife

  • 20172017
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
43K
YOUR RATING
Johan Heldenbergh, Jessica Chastain, and Timothy Radford in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
The real-life story of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during World War II. In 1939 Poland, Antonina Zabinska and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinska, have the Warsaw Zoo flourishing under his stewardship and her care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are forced to report to the Reich's newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck. To fight back on their own terms, Antonina and Jan covertly begin working with the Resistance, and put into action plans to save lives out of what has become the Warsaw Ghetto, with Antonina putting herself and even her children at great risk.
Play trailer2:24
7 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History
Keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, must save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion in WWII Poland.Keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, must save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion in WWII Poland.Keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, must save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion in WWII Poland.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
43K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Niki Caro
  • Writers
    • Angela Workman(screenplay)
    • Diane Ackerman(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Jessica Chastain
    • Johan Heldenbergh
    • Daniel Brühl
Top credits
  • Director
    • Niki Caro
  • Writers
    • Angela Workman(screenplay)
    • Diane Ackerman(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Jessica Chastain
    • Johan Heldenbergh
    • Daniel Brühl
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 97User reviews
    • 154Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos7

    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:24
    Trailer #1
    A Guide to the Films of Niki Caro
    Clip 1:27
    A Guide to the Films of Niki Caro
    Jessica Chastain Introduces a Clip From 'The Zookeeper's Wife'
    Clip 2:27
    Jessica Chastain Introduces a Clip From 'The Zookeeper's Wife'
    The Zookeepers Wife
    Clip 1:01
    The Zookeepers Wife
    The Zookeepers Wife
    Clip 0:42
    The Zookeepers Wife
    The Zookeeper's Wife
    Featurette 1:02
    The Zookeeper's Wife
    Jessica Chastain Answers Fan Questions About 'Zookeeper's Wife'
    Video 1:36
    Jessica Chastain Answers Fan Questions About 'Zookeeper's Wife'

    Photos239

    Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Johan Heldenbergh in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Jessica Chastain and Timothy Radford in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Daniel Brühl in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Arnost Goldflam and Johan Heldenbergh in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Johan Heldenbergh and Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Niki Caro, Jessica Chastain, and Magdalena Zemanova in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Niki Caro in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Johan Heldenbergh in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
    Niki Caro and Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jessica Chastain
    Jessica Chastain
    • Antonina Zabinska
    Johan Heldenbergh
    Johan Heldenbergh
    • Jan Zabinski
    Daniel Brühl
    Daniel Brühl
    • Lutz Heck
    Timothy Radford
    Timothy Radford
    • Ryszard Zabinski (Younger)
    Efrat Dor
    Efrat Dor
    • Magda Gross
    Iddo Goldberg
    Iddo Goldberg
    • Maurycy Fraenkel
    Shira Haas
    Shira Haas
    • Urszula
    Michael McElhatton
    Michael McElhatton
    • Jerzyk
    Val Maloku
    • Ryszard Zabinski (Older)
    Martha Issová
    Martha Issová
    • Regina Kenigswein
    Daniel Ratimorský
    • Samuel Kenigswein
    Frederick Preston
    • Miecio Kenigswein
    Theo Preston
    • Stefcio Kenigswein
    • (as Theodore Preston)
    Viktoria Zakharyanova
    • Stefania Keningswein
    • (as Viktoria Zakharyanová)
    Goran Kostic
    Goran Kostic
    • Mr. Kinszerbaum
    Arnost Goldflam
    Arnost Goldflam
    • Dr. Janusz Korczak
    Marian Mitas
    Marian Mitas
    • Stefan
    • (as Marián Mitas)
    Martin Hofmann
    Martin Hofmann
    • Szymon Tenenbaum
    • Director
      • Niki Caro
    • Writers
      • Angela Workman(screenplay)
      • Diane Ackerman(based on the book by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Jessica Chastain Through the Years

    Jessica Chastain Through the Years

    Take a look back at Jessica Chastain's movie career in photos.
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All the animals you see are real, there is no CGI use.
    • Goofs
      When the children are singing the Four Questions, they are using the modern Safardic pronunciation and tune rather than the Ashkenazi, used in eastern Europe.
    • Quotes

      Antonina Zabinski: You can never tell who your enemies are, or who to trust. Maybe that's why I love animals so much. You look in their eyes, and you know exactly what's in their hearts. They're not like people.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jessica Chastain/Joe Manganiello/Gary Clark Jr. (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Continental Bounce
      Written by Hans Zander

      Courtesy of APM Music

    User reviews97

    Review
    Top review
    A welcome addition to Holocaust cinema.
    "The risk of the Holocaust is not that it will be forgotten, but that it will be embalmed and surrounded by monuments and used to absolve all future sins." Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman

    With no end to the sad stories of the Holocaust, now The Zookeeper's Wife adds another drama out of Warsaw in the early 1940's as the Nazis begin to move Jews into its ghetto and eventually to concentration camps. The truth-based tale is another worthy entry in Holocaust cinema, along with Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008).

    No matter the similarities with Schindler's List (1993) and Inglourious Basterds (2009), this drama is just as nail biting and terrible as the best of them. Antonina Zabinski (Jessica Chastain) watches over The Warsaw Zoo with her doctor husband, Jan (Johan Heldenbergh). Eventually the Nazi command, personified by randy zoologist Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl), takes over. Antonina's empathy for the animals is an antidote to Nazi indifference. I dare you not to be moved by the lyrical opening as she rides her bicycle through the zoo in early morning calling endearingly to the animals or her rescuing a suffocating baby elephant.

    Meanwhile, after being mercilessly bombed, the remnants of the zoo serve as hideaway and eventual transport for hundreds of Jews. Director Niki Caro does an effective job creating tension by cutting between daily activity on the street and the hidden Jews. The concentration on Antonia's face allows for multiple dramatic notes as she navigates between her animals and Jewish charges.

    In fact, another graceful artistic direction is not overdoing the built- in figurative comparison between those hiding and those innocent animals, which are always in the open and vulnerable. A sweet, poetic circumstance usually contrasts with the unimaginable horror. The animals serve as a subtle reminder of lost innocence: "You look in their eyes," and you know exactly what is in their hearts." Antonina

    The Zookeeper's Wife is a first-rate entry in the chronicles of The Holocaust and a powerful reason to continue to tell the story lest it happen again.
    helpful•36
    123
    • jdesando
    • Mar 28, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 7, 2017 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Czech Republic
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Site
      • Official Site (Austria)
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Vợ Người Giữ Thú
    • Filming locations
      • Prague, Czech Republic
    • Production companies
      • Scion Films
      • Czech Anglo Productions
      • LD Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $17,571,660
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,288,835
      • Apr 2, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $26,152,835
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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