Uprising

Plot

On 1 September 1939, Germany invades Poland, after which a regulation was promulgated that all Polish Jews should move to the new Warsaw Ghetto. As in all the ghettos, a Judenrat was appointed and was responsible for the administration of the ghetto. The film tells the moral dilemmas faced by Adam Czerniaków, head of the Judenrat in Warsaw, who had to carry out orders of the German authorities, including sending Jews to the Treblinka extermination camp.

A group of Polish Jews decide to rebel against the Germans and not to lend a hand to the murder of their brethren. They begin to organize their people to protect the honor of the Jewish people. Czerniaków, as the leader of the Judenrat, objects to this activity, fearing German reprisals against the Jews in the ghetto. By the close of 1942, people living in the ghetto realize they are doomed as deportations to Treblinka began. The rudiments of resistance are planned by Mordechai Anielewicz together with Yitzhak Zuckerman who laid the foundation for the Jewish Combat Organization, Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa (ZOB).

The film illustrates the moral dilemmas of members of the Jewish Combat Organization during the preparations for the revolt: "How to remain moral, in an immoral society?" On January 18, 1943, Germans raid the ghetto again but this time the Jews resist. The Jewish Combat Organization stops the German raids into the ghetto. Germans return on 19 April 1943, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins. In the intervening time, many of the ghetto residents construct hidden shelters or bunkers in the basements and cellars of the buildings, often with tunnels leading to other buildings. The handful of fighters who have weapons take to these shelters, giving the uprising the advantage of defensive positions.

Cast

Leelee Sobieski as Tosia Altman

Hank Azaria as Mordechai Anielewicz

David Schwimmer as Yitzhak Zuckerman

Jon Voight as Maj. Gen. Jürgen Stroop

Donald Sutherland as Adam Czerniaków

Stephen Moyer as Simcha "Kazik" Rotem

Sadie Frost as Zivia Lubetkin

Radha Mitchell as Mira Fuchrer

Mili Avital as Devorah Baron

Eric Lively as Arie Wilner

Alexandra Holden as Frania Beatus

John Ales as Marek Edelman

Andy Nyman as Calel Wasser (loosely based on Izrael Kanal)

Nora Brickman as Clara Linder

Jesper Christensen as Gen. Friedrich Krüger

Cary Elwes as Dr. Fritz Hippler

Palle Granditsky as Dr. Janusz Korczak

Luke Mably as Zachariah Artenstein

Ben Crystal as Julian Wald

Gerd Böckmann as Commissar Heinz Auerswald

Peter Rasez as Captain Szerynski (based on Ghetto Police commander Józef Szeryński)

Filming

The movie was filmed in multiple locations, including Bratislava, Slovakia and Innsbruck in Tyrol, Austria.

Music

The film's soundtrack was the last film score composed by Maurice Jarre, and prominently features the work of Max Bruch, including his Violin Concerto No. 1 during the opening and closing sequence.

Alternate titles

The French title for the film is 1943, l'ultime révolte. The German title for the film is Uprising: Der Aufstand. The Polish title for the film is Powstanie.

Accolades

In 2002, the film received the following awards:

Primetime Emmy Award for Best Stunt Coordination category

American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Mini-Series/Pilot (Network)

Christopher Award for Television & Cable

Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television - Dialogue & ADR, Long Form

Political Film Society Awards for Exposé