The Bond of Brothers (Defiance (DVD))

Member Name: thedevilinme

Product:	Defiance (DVD)
Date:	22/10/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Authentic piece

Disadvantages: Perhaps not enough on the Jewish struggle

Staring - Daniel Craig
Genre -War Film
Suitable - Grown ups
Certificate 18

If you thought Barak Obama's Nobel Peace prize was odd then bare in mind both Hitler and Stalin were also nominated for one, the award never about peace but politics, the fact the prize created by the very guy who invented dynamite a subtle hint to its real roots.

Churchill said that 'History will be kind to me as I intend to write it', his opposite number Hitler in full agreement, the plan all along the moment he returned from the Western Front in World War One to take up his 'unique' political movement. To do that he decided to wipe out his domestic enemies first to rally the German people, they broken by the attrition of war, the demonization of the Jews the way to do it. And once he had done that then why not wipe them all out while he had the chance? That, of course, would be no easy task unless the occupied countries would play along with the hatred and allow the death camps. Sadly many did and the destruction of the European Jews began, along with any other undesirables and minorities that were surplus to requirements. 90% of European Jews were murdered during World War Two. It is a truly horrific statistic and best you remember that the next time Palestinians stir up a war with them. The harrowing 90% statistic is why they are very aggressive when they finally get a home to call their own.

Some say the Jews were allowed to be all but wiped out because they didn't put up a fight, instead staying in the ghettos waiting to be rescued. But the truth is far more vulgar as pretty much the whole of occupied Europe went along with it, France to fascist Spain, Italy to Poland. Whole German and Polish villages were coerced by the SS to kill who Hitler wanted killing and sadly many went along with it.

Defiance, hence the title, is the true story of some who did fight back, a small group of Eastern Europeans Jews who battled against the occupying Germans forces as they hid in Western Russia just to avoid the concentration camps. They armed themselves so to live free in the protection of the Belarusian forests, fighting for the right to die with dignity as other Jews stayed in the big cities and towns wearing those stars and hoping against hope not to be shipped off to those death camps around Eastern Europe, which, alas, they were.

-The Cast-

Daniel Craig ... Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber ... Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell ... Asael Bielski
George MacKay ... Aron Bielski
Alexa Davalos ... Lilka Ticktin
Allan Corduner ... Shamon Haretz
Mark Feuerstein ... Isaac Malbin
Tomas Arana ... Ben Zion Gulkowitz
Jodhi May ... Tamara Skidelsky
Kate Fahy ... Riva Reich
Iddo Goldberg ... Yitzchak Shulman
Iben Hjejle ... Bella
Martin Hancock ... Peretz Shorshaty
Ravil Isyanov ... Viktor Panchenko
Jacek Koman ... Konstanty 'Koscik' Kozlowski

-The Plot-

The Germans occupy most of Eastern Europe and have reached the Polish-Russian border, the pure brutality of the slaughter in the opening scenes of the movie shot in black and white so to highlight its truth in history as it fades to colour to begin the film proper.
The Polish farm of the 'Bielskis' is next in the way of the Nazi war machine, the local cops told to go and kill all the Jews in and around the village so the SS can save bullets for the final battle against the Red Army at Stalingrad.

The Bielski boys: Tuvia (Danny Craig), Zus (Live Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell) are out working the forests when the farm is attacked and their parent's inevitably killed, younger brother Aron (George MacKay) hiding out in the barn with their grandparents. The family have just one pistol with four bullets to defend themselves with and three of those are immediately reserved for the Police Chief and his deputies.

The sons decide to flee the family home and hide out in the woods as the Germans roll through. The forests are full of other Jews from far around and they soon form a community of sorts their. Zus steps up as leader, Tuvia the organiser and motivator. When youngest son Aron is killed in their first food raid Tuvia decides to go into town to find more recruits amongst the Jewish interned community with skills to defend their stand. Some come and throw their stars to the ground in defiance, preferring to live free in the woods and take their chances rather than await the cattle trains to Auschwitz.

When their camp is revealed the Germans send the Polish collaborating cops to clean them out, meaning the Jewish non combatants are pushed ever deeper into the forest for their next encampment as a harsh Russian winter threatens. Their number is increasing with the hunger and tempers fraying, especially between Tuvia and Suz. When they come to blows the arrogant Suz decides to join the Russian partisan army to fight the Germans more effectively and leaves Tuvia to lead the so-called Bielski Regiment, now 200 strong with 40 fighters true. But the problem is the Germans are surrounding them and whilst Suzs Russian partisans are blowing up German trains and troop lines Tuvia`s people are playing chess and arguing over Jewish law on whether God would let them shoot back. But with the Germans encircling the vast forest and beginning to squeeze them they better make up their minds if they are going to fight as it's already pretty one-sided...

-The Conclusion-

Based on a true story, with echoes of the far superior foreign language film 'Come and See', this is a war film first and an examination of the Russian Jewish struggle a distant second, whatever it says on the dust-cover. It does tackle that issue a little on why six million Jews were so passive in the war and didn't organise quicker to stop the genocide. But history shows everywhere in the world that when times are hard the ruling class will turn the working-class on its immigrant population to win votes, as we are seeing now with Nick Griffin. He's no Hitler but if left unchecked the precursor too.

Daniel Craig tries to de Bond here by getting as far away from the iconic tuxedo as possible and it does have that 'I'm not going to be Bond forever' look about it, his terrible Polish ascent up there with Anthony Hopkins Irish one in Fracture. Craig is the first chameleon Bond to be fair and you don't think of 007 when you watch this, a pointer to how good an actor he is. He also looks very Polish with those striking blue eyes and sharp cheekbones so convinces here. This film also enjoys the return of Billy Elliot, Jamie Bell trying to shake off that child actor tag with his right-of-passage return here as the brave young un, no longer a boy that likes to dance with girls. Daniel Radcliffe will also have to make that triple-salco soon.

As a war film it's run-of-the-mill and reasonably cliché but does hold your interest. We have pointless love interests with the brothers and even a Nazi with an eye-patch and Jodhpurs (Cruise; there's no way back to the A-List now son!), as well as tank and some Germans storm troopers that like to run into bullets. Get behind the tank guys! But it's got an earthy authentic feel to it with one of those wailing Jewish violin soundtracks-Oscar nominated here-complimenting the vistas, the film shot purely on location in Lithuanian, not too far from the real Bielski village and encampment in Belarus and all the history that goes with it, the freezing forest locations all too real for the cast and crew, director Edward Zwick.

The acting is slightly wooden but it's forgiven as the action keeps coming and the narrative suitable for your average filmgoers. Again, it's not about the political message. If you want that then you must see 'Come and See', a truly disturbing film on what really happened as the Germans genocide swept across eastern Russia.

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RuN-TiMe - 2 Hours-17 minutes
Imdb.com scores it 7.3 out of 10.0 (24,452 votes)

Any 2 films for 2 nights for a fiver deal at Blockbusters (high street) Mon-Thur only. 8 stamps on your blockbuster freebie card gets you one free rental!
Amazon-£ 5.98 and £ 8.98 Blue Ray.
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= = = = = Special Features = = = = =

-Audio Commentary-

Director Edward Zwick talks about is gruelling movie to shoot.

Defiance-Return to the Forest

Straightforward behind the scenes stuff or the gruelling shoot, three weeks in a Russian winter not the best job in the world.

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Summary: Mini series to come?