On April 19, 1943, the Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. Seven hundred and fifty fighters fought the heavily armed and well-trained Germans. The ghetto fighters were able to hold out for nearly a month, but on May 16, 1943, the revolt ended. The Germans had slowly crushed the resistance. Of the more than 56,000 Jews captured, about 7,000 were shot, and the remainder were deported to killing centers or concentration camps .....75 survived to tell this great heroic story..... .

Last night i saw the film "Uprising" which first of all made me proud of being a Jew and even more pride in living in Israel...."Uprising" is a fantastic, epic and breathtaking portrayal of the heroic yet doomed Jewish uprising in the Warsaw ghetto. It's a realistic, fantastic production combining a brilliant edge-of-your-seat story with all of the brilliant cinematography .If you also have seen 'The Pianist' to compare is the only logical thing to do for the early scenes in both movies. Both movies start in 1939 with the Nazis invading Poland. I have to admit that I was impressed here, because most things looked exactly the same as in 'The Pianist' and that is a movie you believe immediately. Both movies show us the Warsaw-ghetto and there I saw the first little differences. In Roman Polanski's 'The Pianist' it really looked like hell, a place so terrible there could not be a better place. In Jon Avnet's 'Uprising' it looks like a place where you would rather not be, but especially the main characters are still in pretty good clothes and look quite happy and too optimistic. May be they already knew what they were going to do almost three years later. The ghetto in 'The Pianist' is also a lot more crowdy.
'The Pianist' also shows the horror more often, more cruel and without any emotions, I was shocked more often. But in the first place 'Uprising' is not a movie about the horrors, but about a group of heroes. So here is where the comparison ends because in 'The Pianist' we follow one survivor out of the ghetto who survives with pure luck and in 'Uprising' we follow the group that eventually will start the uprising in the Warsaw-ghetto. Hank Azaria is a revelation as Mordechai Anielewicz, leader of the band of ghetto resistance fighters. He has a rare screen presence that surely makes him destined for Hollywood greatness – he is a mega-star of the future, hopefully in serious roles like this one, too. David Schwimmer is surprisingly good as well – he should drop all that Friends rubbish immediately and concentrate on more weighty stuff like Uprising. He works well in this film, presumably drawing on his own family ancestry for inspiration.The best performance was from Cary Elwes who played Fritz Hippler. He directed 'Der Ewige Jude' ('The Eternal Jew') and Elwes does something nice with the character although his part is not very big. Sometimes I thought this movie was implying that Hippler was not a real Nazi with his sarcastic remarks. If that was true I am wondering how he could make a movie like 'Der Ewige Jude'. In the end I watched an interesting and well made movie about the uprising in the Warsaw-ghetto. A good movie that probably can give you some new insights in this part of the World War II history in general and about start of Zionistic heroism and the real reason Israel was born.....
Other Great Holocaust movies that are classics include "Schindlers List" and "Life is Beautiful".....See a further list below....
[This message was edited Tue Apr 20 1:28:39 2004 by PusherMan]

The reason I pick this film is because of the "deep impression" imperative of the question. When I was relatively young (I guess around 10), I remember watching Escape from Sobibor. It may not be the best made or most delicate film (and it may indeed be somewhat derided by some for the way in which at times it appears that the picture is striving to be quasi-action with regard to an appalling subject matter), but my Lord it left an imprint on a kid of 10. It was my first real exposure to the Holocaust (I don't recall being taught it until secondary school), and one scene in particular holds my memory: when streams and streams of naked women and children are being led in patient queues to the chambers, and the piles of bodies crudely thrown onto wagons around the back. One (woman or child?) attempts to flee from the queue and is savaged by a soldier's dog. I haven't seen it for a while, but I think, of all the films I have seen, it is possibly the most instructively horrendous. Particularly for a young un.

TheFrog said:

Yes i remember the film very well...good choice.....another uprising of the Jews in the death camp of Sobibor, with the escape of three hundred Jews, is brilliantly presented in this awesome film. The excellent Alan Arkin performs Leon Feldhendler, a natural leader, organizing and motivating the prisoners , Rutger Hauer, has also a marvelous performance as Alexander 'Sasha' Pechersky, a Russian POW. The gorgeous Joanna Pacula played Luka, a very brave woman. The explanation of Leon to a new prisoner, why they should dance, play, laugh and make love after the execution of their families, is very touching and respectful. It is indeed an amazing lesson of survival.

Schindler's List left an impression on me.

Schindler's List left a deep impression with me as did The Pianist.

PusherMan said

amistad

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

Me too. Especially The Pianist. I couldn't watch it in one sitting because it was so intense. Also, Europa Europa.

roots....

schindler's list. also, i visited dacchau years ago. .. . it reeked of despair and cruelty. made an impression a movie can't compare to. man's inhumanity to man, which continues in various forms today ethnic wars in africa, where hundreds of thousands of people are wiped out not only by warring ethnic tribes but my the militia.. ..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/h...592045.stm
[This message was edited Mon Apr 19 17:39:45 2004 by XxAxX]

This is a short list of great Holocaust films :

1 - The Pianist
2 - Schindlers List
3 - Uprising
4 - Life is Beautiful
5 - Escape from Sobibor
6 - Europa Europa
7 - The Grey Zone
8 - Hanna's War
9 - Triumph of the Spirit
10 - The Devil's Arithmetic

.....no.....
Wrong movie
[This message was edited Tue Apr 20 2:32:02 2004 by gooeythehamster]

noepie said:

For the sake of clarity and sanity, the rest of this movie will NOT be in Polish.

gooeythehamster said:

what did u have posted? annie?

sosgemini said:

The Girl With The Red Hair.

Which is not a holocaust movie, but a WWII movie.

CookieMonster said:

same difference..no?

sosgemini said:

Erm..no
WWII movies can be an excuse for BANGBANGBANG Guns From Navarone etc.

I would not, as Noepie does, put The Producers on the same list as the movies mentioned here.

The Girl With The Red Hair is a Dutch WWII movie about resistance fighter Hannie Schaft, who got killed by the then occupants of Holland. Beautiful movie.

Sophie's Choice !!

Fhunkin said:

Fhunkin said:

Great Choice....I forgot about that one..

[This message was edited Tue Apr 20 7:15:38 2004 by PusherMan]

The Anne Frank movie also.

the holocaust mini series when i was like 13,

shindlers list of course

7 beautys and

most receantly

the grey zone




the impression from these are deeply embedded

CookieMonster said:

its a joke silly, "red" hair....get it?