Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.. (Winston Churchill)
Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.. (Winston Churchill)
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Four brothers, the Bielski brothers, played an incredible role in the battle against the persecution of Jews in the Second Word War. Their story is the premise behind the film, Defiance, released in the UK on 16th January 2009.
Director and co-scriptwriter, Edward Zwick (with Clayton Frohman), purchased the rights for Nechama Tec’s book “Defiance: The Bielski Partisans” and adapted it for the big screen.
Let me say from the outset that I really did enjoy the film. The story of the Bielski brothers is enthralling especially after some research on my return from the cinema to discover the full story.
The central storyline is true however Defiance deviates from the truth on several occasions. Set in Belarus in 1941, the four Bielski brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asael (Jamie Bell) and Aron (George MacKay) flee into the forest where they hope to find solace after the massacre of their family and neighbours. The brothers are gradually joined by other Jews also seeking to evade the Nazi onslaught. The small group swells into a small community.
Tuvia Bielski declares, “Our revenge is to live”. In theory, just to
make a film depicting that would be a little like Ray Mears’ documentary Extreme Survival. And so, Zwick attempts to add drama and tension by making more from the rivalry of the two eldest brothers, Tuvia and Zus; from Zus’ brooding quiet tension towards his more passive peace-loving brother to all out violent fist fights between the brothers. There are action-packed battles with lots of gun shots, a chase through the forest and altercations with German tanks. Nechama Tec, the authoress of the book on which Defiance is based, stated in an interview with that she was “initially shocked by the film, especially by the intense battle scenes, which included combat with a German tank. These battles never occurred in reality: the partisans tried to avoid combat and were focused on survival.” Tec stated this divergence to the truth was an adaptation made by Edward Zwick to make the film more thrilling and exciting.
Defiance’s representation of the brothers almost sanitizes some of the truth behind their story. The brothers’ actions weren’t always heroic. They intimidated the local farmers to get food for their community and were involved in some unprecedented killings. There is an inquiry still pending about the “Tuvia Bielski brigade’s” involvement in the Naliboki massacre during which 128 people were killed. The film does give a glimpse of the Bielski brother’s darker side – but only a slight glimpse and it is only by reading the full story that you realise the meaning. Scenes of the brothers killing collaborators in cold blood and slaughtering Germans are intense however redeemed. Tuvia asserts “We must not become like them”.
The first suggestion of all not being quite right came at the close of the film when an update of the brothers post-war was shown together with original photographs of the real-life characters – but only of the three eldest brothers. This was that inspired me to investigate more. What had become of Aron? Well, I can tell you what the film did not, Aron has recently been accused of swindling a 93-year-old woman who was a survivor of the Holocaust. Did Zwick leave this out on purpose?
Tuvia was at the head of the Bielski camp and so accordingly the role is played by the most prominent actor. Daniel Craig plays a good part giving Tuvia a sense of strength and determination that anchors him as the head of the family and community.
Liev Schreiber creates a strong character with a convincing relationship with his brothers; he is confrontational and somewhat resentful towards Tuvia and yet protective and caring towards his younger siblings.
Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame) brings the community aspect delightfully to the forefront. Bell as Asael and Mia Wasikowska as Chaya’s blossoming relationship and forest wedding lift some of the despair and gravitas of the film.
The part of Aron was played by actor George Mackay who is commendable for his portrayal of a scared young boy.
Highlights in film for me were some of the scenes showing the development of the hidden forest community. Woman folk collude to support and hide a pregnancy against the rules of the community. Danish actress, Iben Hjejle, as Bella, Zus’ forest partner, gives a notable performance weaving fragility with durability.
Down points were some of the clichéd scenes in the film. Tuvia imparts a morale boosting speech atop a white steed which he then shoots to provide much needed food for the camp and a grenade exploding close to Tuvia creating battle-induced deafness.
The cinematography with the dramatic backscape of the Lithuanian woods, particularly the scenes in the snow, is stunning. The costumes designed by Jenny Beavan looked authentic but appeared to be too clean and new to have survived forest life.
The soundtrack, penned by James Newton Howard, is mainly brooding strings complimenting the melancholy of the film. The survivor theme, recurring several times throughout the film, is based on a mournful violin played by Joshua Bell.
The film is classified 15 and runs for 137 minutes.
And so in summary, I thought the story of the Bielski’ brothers and their forest community was remarkable but sadly I felt “Defiance” was not quite as remarkable. I did enjoy the film on the whole but was not awed. It was thought-provoking and inspired me to look further into the truth behind the film. As such I do recommend the film.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Jun 20th, 2009
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