Defiance (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

Clayton Frohman (screenplay) and
Edward Zwick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Freedom begins with an act of defiance!

Plot:

Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish non-combatants.

Plot Keywords:

Forest | Brothers | Jewish | Partisan | Hiding

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Daniel Craig	...	Tuvia Bielski
Liev Schreiber	...	Zus Bielski
Jamie Bell	...	Asael 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
George MacKay	...	Aron Bielski

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44522) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Czech Republic:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:16 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Lithuania

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

The makers considered shooting in Poland and Romania before settling upon Lithuania.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tuvia is holding the crying Zus, Tuvia's head changes positions during the scene from very close (and touching) to away from Zus's head.

Quotes:

Shamon Haretz: Merciful God, we commit our friends - Ben Zion and Krensky - to You. We have no more prayers, no more tears; we have run out of blood. Choose another people. We have paid for each of Your commandments; we have covered every stone and field with ashes. Sanctify another land. Choose another people. Teach them the deeds and the prophesies. Grant us but one more blessing: take back the gift of our holiness. Amen.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Kupalinka

Through suffering and faith they defied their destiny.

I was almost giving up seeing this film because of certain reviews which were not that good. To my amazement , the film turned up to be not good, but excellent. It shows people fighting for their lives, starving, getting to the point where many people loose faith and come close to being like animals. That is when you need a good leader which the Bielski brothers certainly were. And what good actors, Live Schreiber as Zus , what a performance, also Daniel Craig faultless as Tuvia. When you see all that killing, done by men (and women) trying to survive and also in some cases, revenge, you wonder how peaceful, good persons can change and become violent, when circumstances demand. And pray that those times will never happen to us. Spare us from being the Chosen People, says the Rabbi, overcome by anguish in a touching scene. But it is through suffering and faith that these people defy their destiny. My mother and father left Bielorus before the war. But most of their close ones did not.