User reviews

Director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen sure picked his young protagonist well -- Jordan Kiziuk as Alex in the Danish film "The Island on Bird Street" practically carried the film by his undeniably superb performance. The film is about a Jewish young boy, bordering teens, his survival "adventure" in Poland during Nazi occupation.

How heartwarming can an uneasy wartime premise be? It actually achieves beyond "Jakob the Liar" -- Alex's courage, his creative ways in taking care of himself when he's all alone, his tenacity and steadfast belief that his Dad would come back for him…hold its own. And there is suspense: we fear for him, we want him to succeed, we pain, and we felt angst and joy with him. The set of his hide-out is somehow graphically appealing: a solitary, broken brick wall arrangement, with atmospheric lighting, and momentary interludes: a solitary dog on a street, paper off the ground dancing in the wind…

Music is by Zbigniew Preisner (Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Trois couleurs: Bleu" 1993, "Rouge" 1994, "The Double Life of Veronique" 1991, also "Fairy Tale: A True Story" 1997), hauntingly complements the plot. This may not be of Hollywood stature likened to "The Schindler's List", yet it's a small film with powerful impressions. It's a life-affirming story. Alex hanged on to hope -- we can, too.

I came to this film cold. I turned on the TV between housework and getting ready for the family to come home at the end of the day. I missed the very beginning but was soon captured by the film.

I enjoyed it that much I tried to loan the book from my local library but was told it was out of print and not available. I would still like to compare the film with the original book as I often find that by their very nature books deal with thoughts and feelings in more depth.

I feel that the film gives a glimmer of insight into the times and trials of Jewish families during the war. I am someone born over a decade after the war ended, in a European country not really touched by the ravaging of the Jews. Someone who does not know anyone personally touched by these affairs. Someone who is a parent. I'd recommend this film to anyone who meets those criteria.

I re-watched it again on 22nd January and had my 16 year old daughter watch it. I felt it warranted this second watching and my daughter also approved of it. This is the type of film that could be shown to High school students.

In Poland, the eleven year-old Alex (Jordan Kiziuk) lives with his father Stefan (Patrick Bergin) and his uncle Boruch (Jack Warden) in a Ghetto hidden when the Germans make the "selection" to send people to the concentration camps. When the dwellers are withdrawn from the Ghetto to the trains, Alex stays alone with his house mouse Snow waiting for the promised return of his father. Along the months, he stays hidden in a derelict building reading "Robinson Crusoe" and other books. His routine life changes when a German soldier will shoot two Polish resistance members and Alex kills him with his gun.

"The Island on Bird Street" is a little unknown gem based on a true story of survival of an eleven year-old boy in a Ghetto in the German occupied Poland. Jordan Kiziuk has good performance and the music score is excellent. In 1997 it was successfully released on VHS in Brazil but unfortunately was forgotten by the distributors. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Coragem e Esperança" ("Courage and Hope")

i was a little uncertain when i was first introduced to this film...my friend had bought it and it really didn't seem interesting, i mean come on...another nazi v. jew film but i was surprised...

this story is origional following a little boy who is left alone and is being hunted by the nazi's. his courage comes from a book and his best friend is a little mouse named snow...

the story follows the boy as he decides to wait in dangerous territory for his father, whom although was taken away, promised to return...

this is a touching story and a great chapter for anyone iterested in this tragic time period...

Left alone to fend for himself in the rubble of the Warsaw ghetto, 11 year old Alex (Jordan Kiziuk) must try to survive and also avoid the ever-present Nazi soldiers in this gripping, intensely moving film. The viewer becomes totally involved with Alex and his plight, as he courageously and inventively continues to avoid detection. The acting, particularly that of young Kiziuk and the late Jack Warden as his kindly uncle Baruch, is superb. The dialog is fairly sparse, letting Alex's expressions and body language show his fears and emotions, which are masterfully rendered. The production design is incredible, and one feels transported to that time and place. The musical score is appropriately somber and haunting, and the cinematography stunning. Some reviewers have commented on the British accents of several characters, but I don't feel that it's a detriment. Overall, an outstanding cinematic achievement, deserving of its many awards. Appropriate for older children (12 and up), though there are several scenes that contain violence. Well worth seeking out, this is a film you won't easily forget. Highest recommendation.

A beautiful story of a little boy's love and faith in his father set during a time of great shame for all mankind. A lesson we still revisit now! Good acting etc but the script dragged at times and I would have liked to know more about the other characters that came and went.Who was the character that was shot and then nursed by the boy? A polish freedom fighter or a Jewish man on the run? Why was the Doctor arrested? etc etc. 7/10

This movie is fantastic, one of the best I have ever seen in a long time. I was surprised to see that it is from 1997 because until I turned onto BBC2 today, I had never even heard of it.

Although this is a simple, some say linear story of Nazi Germany vs the Jewish community telling of one boys struggle to survive on his own to wait for his father, it really draws you in.

In the same vein as movies like DARYL, or Finding Neverland, it does not rely cheap gimmicks. Instead we find a gripping a story that draws you in. You become attached to the characters and really feel for them. It stirs up quite a bit of emotion. I was dancing all over the room at one point biting my nails.

This is a fantastic story with some brilliant acting. The main focus is on Alex, played by Jordan Kiziuk. Im surprised he hasn't done anything before or since as he played a brilliant part, even if his accent is a little dodgy.

The director has done a fantastic job in the telling of the story. It is one of those underrated films that you must watch if you ever get a chance.

I had mixed feelings, after seeing "The Island on Bird Street".

The boy playing Alex was great, it was a very good choice not to portray him as some kind of hero, but just as a frightened, yet ingenious boy. Watching him really made this movie worth while. But, except for the boy's character, the director only used cliches. It would have been a much better movie if he would have evaded them. My vote: for the movie 6 out of 10, for the boy 9 out of 10!

This story was great. I was on the edge of my seat worried for the boy the whole time. It brought out a strong emotional response considering there is so little dialog. Almost as good as Schindlers List if not so much an epic. Makes you want to go after the Nazi's yourself. Because of the Nazi's this boy endures and is forced to do things that a Little boy should never have to do. He survives only due to his ingenuity, bravery, and the compassion of a few that don't agree with what the Nazi's are doing to Jews in Poland. A must see, but bring your Kleenex. It has very little dialog, but the visual story and the music set the mood.

First i have to say i despise the extremely strong british accents of the cast. Detracts so much from the experience (movie takes place in poland); the spoken german by the soldiers sounded equally as convincing....

That aside, the movie starts off slow and a little weird with choice of lighting, backdrops, scene cuts.. Couple up with the way the cast talks it feels like a stage play which isn't really that great of a thing to have in a movie. It manages to recover around midpoint and become a compelling story that ditches that stage feel as much as it can - keep in mind the filming location is basically a confined space.

By the end i cared what would happen to alex and if he would make it. It also sparked interest at what would happen to the other characters too, some of which we have known very briefly and they have very limited screen time. Yet they put in enough there for you to get the general idea of them; something today's movies are incapable of achieving it seems. Giving you the ilk of a character in 30 seconds is a lost art and that is done here very well.

This is not a war story as much as it is a survival story and ones faith in their family. It drives the point that no matter what, and who you meet in life, family is always something that will be dearest. There could have been so many choices that could have gone another way but they stuck with the lead being stubborn, for lack of a better word. Ultimately that paid off because it complimented the storyline well.

The ending is a little dubious and could be taken in several ways... was it real, was it not.. it leaves open the door that some of it was imagined but that is up to everybody to see it how they want to see it. Movie really leaves both options open as logical conclusions. Once you get to the end scene you will see why I am having a mention of this.

I was entertained, despite the over the top british cast and that weird stage feel for part of it... it fixed itself and became a solid movie.

Not least because it is apparently a true story. Alex is an 11 year old boy, stuck in an almost empty city awaiting his father's return. The plot, though slow is tense, holding an audience's attention throughout. What I most liked about this film was the sense of realness, as I watched it(though the language was English) I felt that somehow I was in fact watching an actually documentary as it unfolded. the clothes the sets the streets, everything was real. The acting is so well performed I could easily assume that these were real people, in particular Jordan Kiziuk's performance of Alex. The ending was tear-jerking, and I mean big blobby tears that swam in torrents. It was an all-round wonder to watch.

The most successful films about that most enormous of subjects, the holocaust, often take a sideways glance rather than stare full on at the horror; and 'The Island on Bird Street' does likewise, telling the story of a boy left behind after the clearance of the Warsaw ghetto. Unfortunately, the psychology of the child is never satisfactorily realised, turning the film into a mere linear sequence of events, almost like a Boys' Own adventure with little of the context seeping through. The story also ends short of the arrival of the Russians, which might have added a little moral complexity; and overall, seems to suffer from the decision use an English script, especially as some characters put on central European accents and others do not. A reliable plus is Zbigniew Priesner's typically excellent score, but there are other films that offer more real insight into the true nature of life under the Nazi's; for example, try the Czech-set 'Divided we Fall'.

I don't know if the story's true - it might be. Makes you think. At times makes you even feel that it is real - right in very front of you.

I found myself from all the hiding games. The boy's events were partly an adventure - playing hide and seek with the gestapo (panthers) all by himself with his assistant Snow (Friday). And partly a nightmare where the war grips everything away and leaves you no choice but to crawl into your hideout and cry. You really feel&fear for the kid when soldiers come to find the last of the Jews again and again and again...

I think the director made quite a decent job (at least above the average) by telling the story so visually. Not too much talking here - and it is mostly in English, which is odd. Although some scenes I would've done differently.

I didn't know the composer was Z.Preisner until read it here, but you sure will notice a meister at work. At least when the ending credits roll.

What is it about "The Island on Bird Street" that holds such magic? It's a precarious thing, this film. There are obvious faults, such as the jarring British accents and the (at times) cheap-looking cinematography. Then there's every single other thing. The acting is of an unbelievably high standard. Jordan Kiziuk (as Alex) is desperate, fascinating, comedic, frightened. He expresses emotions with such a purity. His face draws you in, wraps you up in his worries and curiosities. Against all odds, he carries an entire film. Also, I must mention the music of Zbigniew Preisner. I grew up listening to his music on my favorite childhood film, "The Secret Garden". His score creates a sense of pure wonder and fear.

From a visual standpoint, I found this film off-putting at times. It looks too low-quality, too much like a television production. But in spite of this, it drew me in. By the end of the story, I found myself completely wrapped up inside it. Please see this.

I only heard how awful the struggle was, but watching the movie made me empathize for the struggle. This movie almost transformed me there into the ghetto. I could almost feel what it would have been like for a Jew in the Nazi regime. One of the best movies that I have ever watched and I suggest anyone interested in this topic to watch it.

I would rate it in the same class as Schindler's list, but a contrast in story, since here it is a small kid helping himself and others, at the same time standing his ground in the worst circumstances. One other movie to watch is "Life is beautiful".

Lastly, I think a 10 line review is not necessary to sell a movie of this class

If it wasn't made by Kragh-Jacobsen I would be surprised.

But there are not many directors who can make a movie about a child, a whole movie with one child as a hero, a main character, and avoid one of two possible traps: either make a (usually low-intelligent) movie for kids (and adults who can believe it) and turn hero to superhero who can solve all problems and beat everybody all alone, or make a movie where all tragedies have to happen to a single child so the target adult audience can fill the bucket by draining their tear glandes.

Scandinavian authors are better than any others able to make a real movie about real children. They (as I wrote on another board) understand children as if they had invented them. Unfortunately, some modern, especially Danish movies suffer from Hollywoodization and though some can be good (like Klatretosen) they don't belong to the great tradition, they don't succeed the great movies from former decades.

Kragh-Jacobsen is not a typical example, but among the best. "Bird Street" is not exception, he made several movies about children in very different situations, but in similar style: these movies are about kids, can be watched by kids, but mostly try to present real kids to adults. However, he became worldwide famous by "Mifunes sidste sang". It's not a surprise because many western countries avoid Scandinavian kids movies, because they are too different. British authors used to do something in this style (sometimes even in darker mood like Loach), American kids are too infantile (but still beat adults...), Italians are too mature (because of social context), Czechs forgot that they have children (and were among the best in 70's), so only French authors can stand next to Scandinavians. And these movies don't seem to have audience in USA, either for not being interesting (for kids), or even for being controversial (for adults). As USA creates an opinion in almost whole world, things that are not accepted there usually can't make international success, and are convicted to stay within local region.

"Gummi Tarzan" was one of the first movies which seriously admitted that bullying exists and is a problem. "Skyggen af Emma" (his best work in my opinion) strongly opposes modern world widespread paranoia that makes our lives miserable, almost worthless. In both movies kids are involved in different and firm interactions with other people.

"Island on Bird Street" is a one-actor movie like Spielberg's "Duel". Unlike some dark power personalized in Spielberg's truck driver this movie deals with a very recognizable, yet equally dark power of nazism. And, what some other comments declare to be a fault, I find to be brilliant: Alex is not a superhero. He didn't do much exceptional things. His biggest success was that he survived. He often simply had luck. There are no cartoon Culkin tricks: he is afraid, he hides as every normal kid would do, and sometimes when he seems to do something brave, it is more because of hopeless resignation. But in the same time he can still feel joy in small things and in spite of accelerated maturation he keeps the soul of child and his real age comes to surface whenever allowed by the circumstances.

Two flaws: First, English language, and there is nothing to justify it. Second, the ending which is too false-romantic for reality (not fitting in harsh, cruel world of former 100 minutes)), and too vague if not realistic (being e.g. a dream in agony).

Neither of it should give second thoughts to any of those who believe that kids are still kids, despite what modern society tries to make them to be or make us believe they are. And if you are this kind of person, probably your children are ready to watch it with you.

Good story I guess.

Terrible script and the casting is awful. All the adults speak with an odd German or other accent and all of the children sound fresh from the halls of Eton.

Switched off after half an hour as I found it too tame and wishy washy.

My soul bleeds. I'm sorry for Alex. I am glad with Alex. I was cold with Alex. I was jealous of Alex, I wanted to be alex. and music by Zbigniew Preisner. words are insufficient. I need to find the Blu * ray edition.

So, the setting of this is essentially a story about a kid living in the ghetto with his uncle and his father in Poland under Nazi occupation. The nazis just love rounding up people and murdering the hell out of them because they are evil. Anyhow, this kid is basically all alone and in hiding in these mostly demolished buildings. This film is his tale. The story was excellent. Anybody who watches too many movies about the holocaust or ww2 should do themselves a favor and check this out if it's available to them.

An amazing account of the struggle of an eleven year old boy to survive in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. Excellent photography and a remarkable performance by the young boy.

To see this movie gave me the feeling of what it was like during this time in our history that is sad at what the Jewish people went through. At the same time amazed at what a young boy of 11 could do to survive and live in this period.

Wonderful movie.....solid ten! Remarkable acting and the young star playing "Alex" is one of the most talented child actors ever (he brought me to tears more than once). Best movie on the Holocaust I've seen since Schindler!

The story is excellent. The acting is excellent. The action is excellent. The scenery is great. Every character plays his or her part. No handsome Nazis in this movie. I know my reviews tend to be just praise because I don't like to give anything away about a movie. But if you like spy movies where everything is clever, everything is clever here.