Escape from Sobibor (1987) (TV)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Jack Gold

Writers:

Thomas 'Toivi' Blatt (manuscript "From the Ashes of Sobibor")
Richard Rashke (book)

Release Date:

12 April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Plot:

During WWII, the death camp at Treblinka had an escape, causing the Commandant at a similar camp in...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Nazi | Jew | Poland | German

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Alan Arkin	...	Leon Feldhendler
Joanna Pacula	...	Luka
Rutger Hauer	...	Alexander 'Sasha' Pechersky
Hartmut Becker	...	Sgt. Gustav Wagner
Jack Shepherd	...	Itzhak Lichtman
Emil Wolk	...	Samuel
Simon Gregor	...	Stanislaw 'Shlomo' Szmajzner
Linal Haft	...	Oberkapo Porchek
Jason Norman	...	Thomas 'Toivi' Blatt
Robert Gwilym	...	Chaim Engel
Eli Nathenson	...	Moses Szmajzner
Kurt Raab	...	Sgt. Frenzel
Eric P. Caspar	...	Capt. Franz Reichleitner
Hugo Bower	...	Sgt. Beckmann
Klaus Grünberg	...	Sgt. Bauer (as Klaus Grunberg)

Runtime:

143 min | 120 min (DVD version)

Country:

UK | Yugoslavia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Avala, Yugoslavia

Company:

Zenith Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: The head SS-Sergeant is referred to as a "Hauptscharführer," however he wears the insignia of a "Sturmscharführer" which is one rank higher.

Quotes:

Stanislaw "Shlomo" Szmajzner: I will do anything for revenge, even if I have to die for it.
Leon Feldhendler: How old are you?
Stanislaw "Shlomo" Szmajzner: How old do you have to be?
Leon Feldhendler: You are old enough.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Pianist (2002)

lasting impression

It was interesting to read another viewer's comments about this film. I have seen Schindler's List and it didn't touch me anywhere near as deeply as Escape from Sobibor. I first watched it in my teens and it was this film, more than anything I'd seen previously about the Holocaust, which had the greatest impact. The story, of course, is based on truth and is full of painful, heart-wrenching scenes. Nothing has ever presented the Holocaust to me in a more vivid, more graphic, more powerful way.

It's amusing that some people can watch a film and it barely registers with them. Others can see the same film and have a completely different reaction to the experience. But that's people for you, the great variety that is the spice of life. For me, Escape from Sobibor was a very emotional experience and it had a major impact on me. But don't take anyone else's word for it. We all see things differently - go and see it yourself.