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Review: Defiance
The story of Oskar Schindler, the industrialist who saved the lives of roughly 1200 Jews during the Holocaust, timelessly depicted in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 epic, is a somewhat celebrated one. The tale of the Bielski Partisan group, who salvaged even more lives than Schindler and his famous list, is relatively unknown. But that is inevitably about to change with Ed Zwick’s latest historical adaptation.
The film is based on the book by Nechama Tec, which charts the little-known true story of Tuvia Bielski and his brothers, who helped more than 1200 Belarusian Jews escape the Nazi’s by leading them into the depths of the Naliboki Forest. It is an extraordinary story that one would have assumed would have been snapped up, and adapted for the screen long ago. Also one would hope it was a story that would get the big screen treatment it so clearly deserves. Disappointingly, Zwick’s film is unlikely to become a classic Holocaust picture that can rightfully hang itself in the Hollywood-Holocaust-Film Hall Of Fame.
This is evidently not due to a lack of a good premise. This over-shadowed story could have been a perfect set-up to a brilliant war epic. But somehow Zwick’s attempt fails to feel any more than hollow.
Again this has nothing to do with the performances that come out of this film. Craig, in a film he signed on to BB (Before Bond) not AB (After Bond), puts in a somewhat believable performance as the revolutionary leader, even if an English accent sometimes hijacks the Russian one he adopts for the role. Similarly Jamie Bell and Live Schrieber put in convincing turns as the 2 remaining Bielski brothers.
It just so happens that the film has been fairly Hollywoodised, not least because of the director’s keen eye for action that can be seen in his earlier work, most obviously with Blood Diamond. He seems to put action before the sake of the character or developing anything other than narrative conventions. This is not to say we are looking at a Michael Bay Holocaust film, nor someone who doesn’t whole-heartedly believe in his theme. However, Defiance, like Blood Diamond, is as much education as entertainment, and until he falls in love with people as much as issues, he will remain undone by his desire to make a difference.
This coupled with the fact those action sequences that give the film any important credence, are free of any bloody violence. This neutering of the film again creates this sense of a vacant story that does not reflect the setting. This, coupled with the fact the film is 30 minutes too long and cannot find an appropriate conclusion adds up to something that had the potential to be astounding, and ended up being only reasonable.
The film is based on the book by Nechama Tec, which charts the little-known true story of Tuvia Bielski and his brothers, who helped more than 1200 Belarusian Jews escape the Nazi’s by leading them into the depths of the Naliboki Forest. It is an extraordinary story that one would have assumed would have been snapped up, and adapted for the screen long ago. Also one would hope it was a story that would get the big screen treatment it so clearly deserves. Disappointingly, Zwick’s film is unlikely to become a classic Holocaust picture that can rightfully hang itself in the Hollywood-Holocaust-Film Hall Of Fame.
This is evidently not due to a lack of a good premise. This over-shadowed story could have been a perfect set-up to a brilliant war epic. But somehow Zwick’s attempt fails to feel any more than hollow.
Again this has nothing to do with the performances that come out of this film. Craig, in a film he signed on to BB (Before Bond) not AB (After Bond), puts in a somewhat believable performance as the revolutionary leader, even if an English accent sometimes hijacks the Russian one he adopts for the role. Similarly Jamie Bell and Live Schrieber put in convincing turns as the 2 remaining Bielski brothers.
It just so happens that the film has been fairly Hollywoodised, not least because of the director’s keen eye for action that can be seen in his earlier work, most obviously with Blood Diamond. He seems to put action before the sake of the character or developing anything other than narrative conventions. This is not to say we are looking at a Michael Bay Holocaust film, nor someone who doesn’t whole-heartedly believe in his theme. However, Defiance, like Blood Diamond, is as much education as entertainment, and until he falls in love with people as much as issues, he will remain undone by his desire to make a difference.
This coupled with the fact those action sequences that give the film any important credence, are free of any bloody violence. This neutering of the film again creates this sense of a vacant story that does not reflect the setting. This, coupled with the fact the film is 30 minutes too long and cannot find an appropriate conclusion adds up to something that had the potential to be astounding, and ended up being only reasonable.
Adam Jelley
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