User reviews

I always have very low expectations of made for TV movies as they tend to be poor in comparison to feature films. But this one actually impressed me. The focus of the film was not the entire holocaust, but it focused on the Warsaw ghetto uprising of the Jews (the previous reviewer might have saved themselves some trouble had they simply read that beforehand) so the writing and characters were focused and good and it was all based on true people and events. The sets were well-constructed. I had forgotten I was watching a TV movie. A good cast. Good acting. Much of the cast was unknown, most of them not even Jewish. Donald Sutherland and Cary Elwes gave outstanding performances as did John Voight. Definitely worth viewing. Many good extras on the DVD as well.

In 1939, after the invasion of Poland, Reinhard Heydrich chief of Gestapo began to place all Polish Jews in ghettos, where they could slowly die of hunger and disease. The campaign was to be administered by the Waffen-SS the party's military formations that fought as integral units in the armed forces. The Warsaw ghetto was the largest of these segregated areas established by the Nazis in Poland. In 1940 Heydrich, using the excuse that the spread of typhus had to be contained, set up a special section 11 miles in circumference enclosed by a brick wall 10 feet high . The cost was paid by the Judenrat (whose leader named Adam Czerniakow is perfectly played by Donald Sutherland) , the Jewish Council of twenty-four-members, which was in charge of Jewish affairs inside the ghetto . The daily struggle against hunger and disease is aggravated by the German demands for "deportations to the east" that many begin to suspect are camouflaged mass murders . Later on , there takes place the upheaval by a handful of fighters .

This is an emotionally tale and very decent drama about a group of Jews from uprising until terrible ending in the Warsaw ghetto . Jon Avnet correctly directs a spellbinding portrait about the holocaust with intense drama , action and spectacular as well as sad scenes . A splendid all-star-cast gives magnificent acting in real-life characters such as Leelee Sobieski as Tosia Altman , David Schwimmer as Yitzhak Zuckerman , Stephen Moyer as Kazik Rotem, Sadie Frost as Zivia Lubetkin , Radha Mitchell as Mira Fruchner , Mili Avital as Deworah Baron and special mention to Hanz Azaria who is excellent in a complicate and suffering role . An of course , we can not forget the great John Voight as Major-General Jurgen Stroop who carried out the brutal repression . Emotive as well as sensitive musical score by the classical Maurice Jarre . Impressive and adequate production by the Spanish Benjamin Fernandez who previously had designed ¨The others¨ and ¨Daylight¨ . Evocative and atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Denis Lenoir .

Adding more details over largely described on the movie regarding 'the Warsaw ghetto uprising', the events happened on the following manner : From 300 to 400 died daily in the Warsaw trap. More than 43.000 starved to death during the first year. Children crazed by hunger crawled through the sewers to the non-Jewish sectors of the city to smuggle in a bit of food. People were no longer moved by the sight of men and women falling dead on the streets. The Nazi authorities began intensified measure on July 22, 1942. As a memorial to Heydrich, Heirich Himmler ordered all Jews except those already in concentration camps to be deported .The ghetto and all labor camps would then be destroyed. Mass deportations to the gas chambers of Treblinka began. In two months 300.000 Jews were eliminated. The Judenrat was ordered to deliver 6.000 Jews daily for deportation. Each day thousands were driven by guards through the gates.Young Zionists, pioneers training to go to Palestine, mobilized first to be followed by members of the Polish workers party . On July 28, 1942, the Jewish Combat organization consisting about 1.000 men and boys was formed. All resolved to kill as many of their tormentors as they could before they died.The Jews fighting from rooftops, cellars, and attics,Poles outside the ghetto now began to send in more revolvers, grenades, and dynamite. In 1943 the guerrillas divided into twenty-two groups built an intricate network underground cellars and tunnels ,linked with command posts . In April 19,1943 German troops moved in on the ghetto to send all who were left to Treblinka in a final action. First came the armed trucks, tanks, and armored cars. The ghetto fighters poured a hail of bullets, grenades and bombs, the fighting went on for twenty-eight days. The guerrillas fought to the last . Many committed suicide at the moment before capture. The Germans dragged survivors from the cellars and rubble. Fewer than 100 escaped, the last 60000 Jews had been exterminated or killed in the explosions and fires.Polish sources reported that the fighters had killed 300 Germans and wounded 1000. From Warsaw Jewish resistance moved to swamps and forests .

WWII, and the Holocaust in particular, is a very interesting subject. There has probably never been more interest from the public towards everything that concerns this war, which started already more than 65 years ago. Every week new books, documentaries,... are published with new theories, with evaluations of some important (often Nazi) personalities, with information about the concentration camps,... Because most of the survivors have already died or will die soon, the stories of the last eye-witnesses will get lost if not registered on tape or camera. But all these stories are also a good base for movies and mini-series like this "Uprising".

"Uprising" tells the story of the Nazi oppression of the Jews in the Ghetto of Warshaw and their rebellion against it, which started in 1943. It all begins in 1939 with the growing list of prohibitions and regulations leading to the virtual imprisonment of about half-a-million Polish Jews in an old district of Warsaw. Their daily struggle against hunger and disease is made even worse when the Nazis demand for "deportations to the east". Many begin to suspect that the deportation of these groups of laborers are actually camouflaged mass murders and at the end of 1942 they start to realize that they are all doomed. They decide that, if they have to die, they better die in honor by taking up the arms against their oppressors. They start building hidden shelters and bunkers in the basements and cellars of the buildings, often with tunnels leading to other buildings and start collecting arms and ammunition for the battle which will begin on 19 April 1943...

Even though I must say that overall I liked the series, I can't say that it was always very convincing. There were a couple too many problems with it that really bothered me. One for instance is the way all the people are depicted. The heroic Jews don't have to expect any help from the arrogant and anti-semitic Polish Catholics who know exactly what is going on, but don't care. The Poles only want to help when offered enormous amounts of money and even then are very reluctant. In reality the Poles also suffered a lot under the German oppression and without their help there would probably never have been a Jewish Uprising. And no, I'm not a Pole myself, so I'm not saying this to justify my people's actions, it's just the way it was.

Another thing that I really didn't like was the use of the languages. The Germans speak English most of the time, except for when they are giving some short orders, than you'll hear them talk German. The producers and director have to make a choice, either they all speak German or English, but not a mix of the two. And about the language I also have another remark. Can someone please tell me why those purely American actors, who all know how to speak normal English, speak with that funny, but also incredibly annoying accent? Do they really believe I will not recognize Leelee Sobieski, David Schwimmer,... when they talk in a slightly different way? I'm not asking that they speak Polish, I'm sure they can't, but don't make a fool out of yourself by trying to convince people that you are talking another language, just by adding such an accent, it can never work...

Still, even though the series isn't always historically accurate, uses a range of annoying accents and is too stereotypical when it comes to the roles of the different people, not everything about it was that bad. The acting for instance is good. In my opinion this was the best role I've ever seen Leelee Sobieski play and all the other actors did a nice job too. I certainly liked Jon Voight as Major General Jurgen Stroop, but it is Cary Elwes, who played Fritz Hippler (the director of "Der Ewige Jude" or "The Eternal Jew"), who certainly deserves to be mentioned as well.

All in all this isn't a bad series. If you try to see it as a drama based on actual events, rather than to see it as a 'documentary reconstruction', than you certainly should be able to enjoy it. There are some nice action scenes, some good acting and other interesting features. You just will have to try to see past some major flaws... I give this series a score between 7/10 and 7.5/10.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Uprising despite its obvious flaws. A good story is told how Warsaw Jews defy the Natzis, but it is all too simplistic and frought with inaccuracies. All the Jews are young and handsome while Poles are plain looking middle aged people with tattered clothing ,unwashed,and with bad teeth. They also are all indiifferent to the plight of the Jews , and will only help if given money or threatened by the courageous and noble Jews. Poles on thother hand are just voka swilling mercenaries. In truth the Warsaw Ghetto uprising could never got off the ground without the assisrance of the Polish underground. Nowhere in this movie are Poles given credit for their contributions to this effort. Like the Jews they too were victims of the Natzi atrocities, but you'd never know that from wathing this film. Uprising is a great story with some serious deficiencies. A more balnced portrayal of the plight of Polish Jews , and Polish Catholics would have really educated the public about this moment in history. Unfortunately this did not happen.

Never again should Hollywood make another Holocaust movie. The genre is worn out. This mini-series is competently done, but it really doesn't add anything. Not listening closely to the commercials for the show, I had originally thought the story was about the Warsaw uprising in 1944 when the Polish home army rose up to fight the Germans with the approach of the Soviets. When I started watching and found out what it was about, the first thought in my mind was "not another one". Plus, the links to the websites at the end make the series seem more like an attempt at propaganda than a straight retelling of a story.

There was a similar mini-series in the early 80's about the same topic although the name escapes me. So NBC is incorrect when it says this has never be discussed before.

On the night the Emmys awarded "Anne Frank" the best miniseries of 2000-2001, NBC began airing yet another WWII-era epic which has to be the odds-on favorite for the trophy next year. This is as fine a miniseries as I have ever seen. David Schwimmer, Leelee Sobieski and Hank Azaria are all highly believable in their roles as Jewish resistance fighters. Donald Sutherland and Jon Voight turn in fine performances in lesser roles. And director Jon Avnet delivers a compact, credible piece of little-known history regarding the Warsaw ghetto uprising. For a small screen effort, one has to be amazed at how closely the style resembles that of big screen efforts like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List". All in all, a well-done miniseries that deserves a second viewing. How often can one say that about any miniseries.

GOOD. I like films based on real events, especially involving the events of Nazi-occupied Europe. This is an interesting mini-series made for TV. It has good movement and seeks to portray as much as possible the facts that occurred. The pace is fast as if the author wanted to condense as many scenes as possible within its 3 hours. The cut of the scenes is typical of films for TV. Recommended for those who like films about war.

A masterpiece of sorrow and shame. No this does not mean it lacked the qualities of a exceptional movie but rather it means that it made me feel sorrow for the Jews during World War II. This made for TV "movie" is beyond any another of its kind in the making today. Uprising has no limits in its ideas and messages. It does not hold back the truth but rather tells the story of a group of Jews in the ghetto, using a naturalistic style. The plot is intriguing from the beginning and never fails to keep you sliding up instead of down in your lazy-boy. Moreover, the message is what needs to really be looked at in this film.

So, what makes this film have such an impact? The actors and the characters they played are the answer. Leelee Sobieski is simply incredible and on the contrary to many of David Schwimmer's TV shows or movies, he plays the part of a serious, brave, and invincible Jew, who is looked at as a leader among his people. Many new faces are seen in this movie and they all do a fantastic job.

The entertainment value is beyond comparison with any other made for TV movie. This was not a cheap movie to make and the actions scenes are not little exploding apples on an indoor movie set. Buildings are blown to pieces, Jews and Germans are slaughtered throughout the movie and tortured. You will not walk away from this movie without learning more about World War II and the Holocaust. Uprising is implicit in its message and entertaining to the very last second. If you are a history buff, an action fan, or someone who just simply likes Leelee Sobieski or David Schwimmer, I highly recommend Uprising for you. When it comes out on DVD on December 18, 2001, I would for sure get it, and watch it over and over again.

I really do hate to say that any movie comes close to Saving Private Ryan, but Uprising does, and ironically, it is a made for TV movie which makes it even that much better. Take the time to rent this or buy the DVD when you can, it is well worth the purchase.

"Uprising" tells an interminably long tale of a bunch of Jewish WWII freedom fighters in Poland's Warsaw Ghetto who managed to become a thorn in the side of the German occupation forces. By the numbers and looking every bit like the budget-conscious t.v. flick it is, "Uprising" is flat, stagey, manipulative, uninspired, and almost 3 hours long. Little more than a lot of semihistorical busyness, contrived suspenseful moments, stereotypical sneering Germans soldiers brutalizing the helpless Jew with the usual assortment of naked corpses scattered about, this flick is a failed attempt at tweaking history for the sake of entertainment. Nonetheless, the film may have some value for people young enough to have not yet had their fill of holocaust films with enough time on their hands to contend with the long run time. (C)

I saw this film in Australia with a relative who survived the Ghetto uprising. He said that, in spite of some inconsistencies, it was as accurate as film could portray it. While it is true that there was more than one resistance faction, and sometimes they were at odds, the essence of the event is portrayed well. The Polish Resistance's attitude was mixed, but my relative, who was a courier in and out of the Ghetto said that many individual Poles risked their lives to hide him. The woman who escaped with the baby at the end of the film is also related to me. Her husband, who was killed in the first days of the uprising, was a major planner and organizer. Of course, it affected me greatly since my mother originally came from Warsaw and I lost many relatives.

Hank Azaria is the new Rodney Dangerfield. Why? Because he gets no respect! For instance, Hank Azaria is the star of the movie. He does an excellent job with a polish accent. He must have spent months in the gym buffing up for the role and he is in most of the movie. Then again, he is not listed as the lead star of the movie. This honor goes to Leelee Sobieski, whom, is only in no more than half the movie and has very little lines. Then again, she did go nude for about 15 seconds. While you do not see Mr. Azaria's backside or front side, Ms. Sobieski covers some of what God gave her, while the rest is on display for the audience's liking. This is a good television movie. Powerful and entertaining. Still, this movie's fanbase is made up of teenage boys who want to see Leelee Sobieski's 15 seconds of nude fame. Pity, this is a decent movie and worth watching.

David Schwimmer

This rates 7 for addressing the issue of Poles, Jewish councils and police who were complicit in these horrors. It's perhaps not in it's scope to mention the Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian & Ukrainian Einsatzgruppen responsible for so many atrocities, or even the mob violence that happened in many of these areas. It's always best to blame the SS, even the Germans do. But then it gets into fantasy land, they all look like Israeli freedom fighters, their armbands are the flag of Israel not the hated star of David imposed by the Nazis. It also fails to relate the importance of the Russian army proximity, and the Free Polish government in England. Any Polish risings were doomed as the Russians would not fight someone else's war.

Since the early 90's, America and more notably Americans are on a steep learning curve about the existance of holocaust. Unfortunately, the view is always being told from just one perspective, and this TV-novela is no exception. There are a few good movies about the holocaust: "Schindler's List" while not being the best, tries to be more or less objective; Wajda's "Korczak" does a better job, but does not have enough of the muscle to be well known internationally; and a slew od documentaries (usually found on your local PBS channels), that give the information from all sides without taking on a slant of any sort. "Uprising" is definitely NOT one of the best movies; it belongs in the worst kind, filled with propaganda and inaccuracies. It repeats the same formula used in so many holocaust movies in the recent years: "good Jews, evil Nazis, dumb Soviets, indifferent Poles". It adds nothing of value to the discussion, with the exception of being rather offensive to the Poles and having a higly visible Zionist slant (escape to Palestine). What makes me disenchanted, and not just by this movie, but by countless others before it, is that one group's ignorance (Americans in general) is being replaced by other group's (media tycoons riding the holocaust bandwagon) subjective opinions. WWII in Europe was not JUST about the holocaust, and the holocaust was not JUST about the Jews. I'm still waiting to see a movie that will address ALL of the targets of Nazi persecution in the holocaust: Jews, Roma, gays, Catholic priests, Greeks and countless others. And while there is no denying of the evil and insanity of Hitler's plan, I'd like to see a little more objective analysis of why and how it happened, and not the simplistic view being presented in EVERY Hollywood movie on this subject.

A civilian step to four or five german soldiers with a handgun,he shoots with one hand while walking! Guess who won the the pistol vs machineguns duel? The civilians killed them all!Even a trained S.W.A.T man can not do that. This kind of stuff could be OK in a John Woo film, but is inacceptable in a half-documentary war movie, this kind of action scenes may be fun for some audiences but also ruined the whole movie.

Ok, so I admit that this thing didn't suck half so bad as I had feared it would, and was all in all rather entertaining, but ground-breaking it was not. It failed to offer anything that previous, and more artistically rendered stories had not. If you go in for this genre it's worth a look though.

I did not quite know what to expect when I sat down to watch this. The tv ads looked ok, but I thought it would be like most mini-series where the characters stand around talking for 3/4 of the film with a few unrealistic, tamed down action sequences litered about. I was shocked when it turned out that this movie was actually really, really good. It is packed with action, triumph, sorrow, hardship and any other element that may make a film great. The battle sequences are extremely well done and almost rival those in Saving Private Ryan, almost(they are nowhere near as gory). It is also quite graphic for a tv movie, with babies drowning, naked bodies being thrown about, and even a guy getting tortured with a blow torch. It is nowhere near the level of Shindler's List(but that can be expected), but it is far, far better than that resent piece of propaganda crap Pearl Harbor. A great film and possibly even one of the year's best.

Larry Adams is wrong when he questions the historical accuracy of the film Uprising. Marek Edelman and Simha Rotem ("Kazik"), both former ZOB Ghetto fighters, were advisors on set during the making of the film and commended its authenticity. The Polish Home Army gave minimal help to the Jewish fighters even though they had considerable caches of weapons organised through the Polish Government in exile in England. In a documentary about the making of the film, Marek Edelman said the Jewish fighters, numbering around 750, got a mere 100 weapons or so from the Poles, some pistols, rifles and explosive material (he called it "powder"). The pistols proved useless once the fighting started. The Poles attitude was that Jews would not be good fighters so weapons were wasted on them. They, the Poles, argued that they had to conserve their weapons for their own rebellion when the Russians arrived to provide support. They paid a terrible price because the Russians stopped on the far bank of the Vistula and let the Germans decimate the Poles. Stalin wanted any potential Polish leaders destroyed before a Soviet takeover. If the Jews had strong Polish support, why didn't the Poles fight alongside them in the ghetto or at least help to organise a rescue effort from outside? Apart from a feeble attempt to blow a hole in the ghetto wall they did nothing.In his book,"Resistance", Israel Gutman, Professor of Jewish History at Hebrew University, describes the Easter Sunday celebrations on April 25th as depicted in the film, with Poles dancing to music and children riding carousels, hawkers selling Easter treats etc a stone's throw from the burning ghetto where Jews were dying.The Jews fought and died alone. Many Poles did indeed help Jews to survive in hiding,for example the Zegota organisation, but many also informed on them, betrayed them to the Germans or blackmailed them in their desperate circumstances. When the Poles own uprising took place in 1944 a company of Jewish fighters, among them former members of the ZOB, led by Yitzhak Gutterman, actively participated in the campaign. Uprising is a tremendous film that genuinely endeavours to portray the heroism and tragedy of the Jewish Ghetto rebellion. As director, John Avnet, said "I just let the story tell itself."

Uprising manages to combine interesting and relatable characters with an almost completely true-to-life story. No embellishment needed; this really happened. It does bear mentioning that eyewitness accounts describe the ghetto as unbearably crowded (whole families to a single room, etc.), which the movie does not depict. Also, Mordecai Anielewicz was only 24 when he died. Actually, many of the characters were significantly younger than depicted (teens and early 20s, rather than 30s). The actors are amazing, so I don't mind, but I think it's worth noting. Overall, a surprisingly incredible movie. If you really are interested in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, read The Bravest Battle by Dan Kurzman (nonfiction). Fair warning tho: it may give you nightmares. What incredible people those in the ZOB were 🇮🇱

If you have to choose between this movie and the Pianist, please choose the later. By far the greater movie of the two. Although Uprising might not be a totally bad movie (if it was made about a fictional event) It seems to totally miss the point. The helplessness the desperation, the sheer agony of the whole event is turned into some action flick riddled with cheap accusations, while the ordinary Jews are portrayed as a heroic group of commandos that don't miss a shot and can take on the well trained Nazi forces. Sobieski's acting definitely deserves notice, but she should be ashamed! Herself being half Polish she's taking part in falsification of history that not only discredits her people but also creates a false account of what the remaining Jews tried to do... That is die with dignity and honor, revenge the atrocities, with little to no hope of escaping alive. Any serious resistance lasted a few days, with a few random shots being fired for another couple weeks after. The fighters that have managed to escape the total destruction of the ghetto, joined the well planned massive Warsaw Uprising few months later... Which although much bigger and successful at first suffered a similar faith. Being cut off from the outside with Soviet forces standing on the east side of the river and the western allies who's policies it represented restraining themselves to only some air supply drops (only one British soldier fought in the uprising, with thousands of Polish soldiers defending Great Britain and their Capital) the movie makes no mention of the later uprising, one of the biggest in history that was planned for months to overthrow the German occupation. The heroic action scenes would find their place there. But instead of making a movie with the ideology of Masada, you're given this... monstrosity. If you decide to watch this movie try to keep in mind that both uprisings are combined for you into one happy Hollywood package. Both uprisings that seem so similar at a far glance, but with completely different reasoning behind them.

I live in England and bought this film through recomendation from a friend. But what I would like to know is why was the film not released worldwide in cinemas? The cast, particularly Donald Sutherland and David Schwimmer, was hugely impressive, the effects second to none and the subject not yet explored by any preceeding picture! So if anyone can tell me the reason for this I would much appreciate it because I believe that the film should have been exposed to a much wider audience.