The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

2009 "How did one woman save 2500 children?"
7.2| 1h35m| en
Details

Irena Sendler is a Catholic social worker who has sympathized with the Jews since her childhood, when her physician father died of typhus contracted while treating poor Jewish patients. When she initially proposes saving Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, her idea is met with skepticism by fellow workers, her parish priest, and even her own mother Janina.

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MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.
Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
jsmithks "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" (2009)is a true story well worth its time to see. In my 72 years of existence on this Earth, I know of no one with more fortitude, bravery, and compassion than Irena Sendler had when she smuggled 2,500 babies out of the Jewish Ghetto in Germany during World War II. Today, a movie will soon be released telling her story. Also, Irena is in the lineup to be nominated posthumously for the Nobel Peace Prize.
paulnbrowne Very watchable biopic portraying the true life story of Irena Sendler. Although obviously not made on the same budget as Schindler's List, it is still an amazing story of a truly courageous Polish woman. The acting is good overall and excellent by Anna Paquin as the lead. It is another example of how individual people walk into danger, when most people would hide away. If you Google "Life in a Jar" you will get more information on Irena Sendler's amazing life and how her story finally came into the public consciousness in 1999. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Recognized by Yad Vashem in 1965 and supported from the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous in New York City. A very life affirming story.
classicsoncall The words in my summary line were spoken by Irena Sendler (Anna Pacquin) to her friend and co-worker Stefania (Ruby Bentall), and effectively convey the idea that once the Polish women decided to help Jewish children escape the Warsaw Ghetto, they had crossed a line that could ultimately mean life or death. Besides the inspiration these types of film display, one is also reminded of how courageous and selfless the human spirit can be along side the worst kind of human brutality. The story of the Holocaust and the dissolution of families in the name of the master race is one that must be kept alive to remind mankind that evil exists in the world and that often it's too easy to cast a blind eye or even more egregiously, disavow it altogether. Hallmark Productions is to be commended for their realistic and unflinching look at a true life heroine, identified at the end of the film some sixty four years following the events of the story, at the age of ninety five. Blessed with a long life, Irena Sendler will remain an inspiration to all who have the opportunity to watch this amazing story.
andrejs-visockis I watched this film last night at its Latvian premiere. It was a relatively big event owing to the fact that it was the first ever Hollywood production shot entirely on location in Riga. The film's theme is without any doubt an important one and the real life Irena Sendler definitely deserves to have a film made about her life. I'm just not sure that this was the film It is, of course, one thing that they shot the film in Riga, Latvia and not in Poland. Before the screening, one of the producers claimed that it was no longer possible to make a film about the Warsaw ghetto in Warsaw since everything had been destroyed during the war. That may be true, still others have managed. I understand that this film has been made for the American audiences who wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Madrid and Reykjavik but let's be honest, it didn't actually feel very Warsawy. Riga went through similar events during WWII, so the events depicted in this film didn't feel inaccurate against the actual background of the city of Riga but it just wasn't Poland.However, that wasn't the biggest problem. Mediocre and unconvincing acting aside, everyone not only spoke broken English (plus they had public signs in English!!!) but they also spoke the way Americans do in Hollywood productions - I love you, son - I love, daddy. Excuse me but no one actually speaks with each other like this in real life in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else really for that matter. And what was it all about with this sudden outburst of cautious randiness in the closet? Yes, of course, we need a bit of fully clothed and well-tempered romance to make the Hollywood mission complete.In many ways, this film tried to be Schindler's List. They even put some real life footage of Irena Sendler at the end of the film, just like they did it in Spielberg's film. But both these films, while touching upon very serious and important matters, flop entirely in terms of authenticity and believability. In other words, cheap Hollywoodisation of European history.