Sobibor

Holocaust is a very difficult subject to talk, far more difficult when it comes to the movies, because movies such as Schindler's List, The Pianist, Life is Beautiful and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas have already set a high standards for the genre. "Sobibor" though a valiant attempt by director Konstantin Khabenskiy, to tell the tale of the only breakout from a concentration camp in the nazi occupied Poland, falters in many places.

The biggest problem of "Sobibor" is its character introduction, I believe it lacked detail and was pretty rushed, and it failed miserably in connecting to the minds of audiences. Cinematography was very good, along with production design, make up, costumes and music were par. Casting was a big let down. Acting barring a few scenes, was very average overall, not fitting to a movie of Holocaust genre. But it wasn't bad either. Editing could have been a little better, consider the material they had and the final cut. The usage of multiple languages in movie was rather confusing.

Overall, a good one time watch for audiences sans any expectations. "Sobibor" does has some really good & touching scenes, but has far too many flaws in its screenplay & dubbing. While it may not impress audiences who have watched all "great" Holocaust movies, it would be a good watch to young tech savvy audiences. Though there is nothing impressive in the movie apart from a few scenes, it's a "bit different" in comparison to the Holocaust movies of the past.

Its a documentary more then a movie for me, not the way its filmed but i can't watch this as entertainment, because its a difficult movie to watch and its unbelievable what these people had to go through at the hands of the Nazi's Worth watching as a rememberance to all the fallen and the survivors.

Sobibor is based on the real-life events that took place in 1943 German Occupied Poland. It's the story of Soviet Lieutenant and POW Alexander "Sasha" Pechersky (Konstantin Khabensky) who planned and executed the first successful escape from a German Nazi Extermination camp during WW-II. It was the official submission from Russia for 91st Academy Awards.

In 1943, a train arrives at Sobibor Camp with Jewish prisoners with an announcement "Welcome to Sobibor. Welcome to your new lives. This is your new home." None of them was aware that how horrible their lives are going to be there soon.

From the very opening scene of the film, we are served with the horrors of the extermination camp. A group of undressed women was killed in a gas chamber and the insane General watch them till every single woman dies. That's just the starting, and actor-director Khabensky never hesitated to show the gruesome life inside the camp. Most of the film focuses on showing brutal methods used to torture the prisoners. A detailed overview of the camp and it's daily activities was presented to the viewers. It's not easy to watch all these scenes but yet they are true.

The characters are well developed and introduced one by one to viewers before the finale can take place. Later in the film, each one of them contributes in one way or another in the escape plan. Every actor has given a believable performance. Cinematography by Ramunas Greiciusis is nice. The story is a little bit slow and flawed. In my opinion, the planning part should have been elaborated a little bit more.

Sobibor isn't a perfect war drama film. It has some flaws but it definitely documented a detailed overview of the conditions of prisoners from mental as well as physical perspective. It shows us the reason why Jews never dared or planned any revolt. All this makes it a powerful and well-crafted film and one must watch it to salute the heroism and courage shown by those people.

Interesting movie about the known breakout from horrible concentration camp .This notable movie deals with extermination center Sobibór and the subsequent getaway. As Soviet officer Alexander Pechersky leads and organizes a revolt and mass escape of prisoners from Sobibór extermination camp in October 1943 . We see horrors , murders and slaughters against the disgraced prisoners who live with the spectre of a violent and sudden death . Thus , when the incoming transports , mostly Jews , SS soldiers made instant decisions , those who were fit to labors were sent into the camp , others including the children , were dispatched immediately to the gas chambers where approximately one-quarter million Jews were executed . Every day the prisoners have to endure untold cruelty at the hands of the guards and . The flick is nicely starred by Konstantin Khabenskiy as prisoner Alexander Pechersky and Christopher Lambert as ruthless commandant Karl Frenzel . Remaining support cast , though unknown provide fine interpretations. The movie contains an engaging storyline based on the book by Ilya Vasiliev: "Alexander Pechersky: Breakthrough to Immortality" , getting a breathtaking and exciting getaway with a sensitive musical score . The film was well realized , developing compellingly the historical recreation of the tortures , distresses , penury , mistreats and massacres of the unfortunate prisoners and eventually the famous escape from the Nazi Death Camp Sobibor . The motion picture was professionally directed by Konstantin Khabenskiy who also stars an essential role giving nice acting . There's another version about this events ¨Escape from Sobibor¨ (1987) by Jack Gold with great actors as Alan Arkin , Joanna Pacula and Rutger Hauer .

The picture is based on real events , these are the following ones : Sobibór , Chelmno , Belzec and Treblinka were four large death camps in the Lublin district of Poland transformed into extermination centers to implement the policy of genocide thought at the Wannsee Conference . Sobibór was an extermination camp of killing center of Jews , part of their Final Solution , including children and located near the Bug River on the border of the German occupied eastern territories . Some 35.000 Dutch Jews , originally assigned to Auschwitz were sent to Sobibór . All four camps were under the command of SS Odilo Globocnick . There was some minor industrial activity linked to the war effort but the main work was the execution of inmates . Victims were brought to the camp in unventilated transports , and all but a handful were gassed after arrival , the gas chambers could accommodate hundred prisoners at one time , most of their corpses were burned in open pits . On October 14, 1943 about 150 inmates broke out in a desperate riot . Of approximately 600 prisoners who attempted escaped in October 1943 , around 300 succeeded . However, nearly all were ultimately recaptured ; only about 60 people survived . Sobibor along with Treblinka and Belzec , was evacuated in the fall of 1943.

Holocaust films are easily made exploitive, because, in the words of the late and great Roger Ebert,, "we do not need movies to convince us of the evil of ... the Holocaust," but rather, it is a subject better served in "films ... about the ways good men try to work realistically within an evil system to spare a few of its victims." To merely recount the violence that human beings are capable of perpetuating against each other makes for transgressive reflection rather than a useful one, because it denies us hope. Sobibor passes Ebert's test: From the first scene to the last, the horrors of the Holocaust are contrasted against the humanity of its victims and the courage that they ultimately find to rise up and fight back. It helps that the Sobibor camp is more cinematically satisfying, as it represents one of the only successful uprisings in concentration camps - 400 prisoners successfully escaped, led by Russian soldier Alexander Pechersky, and the third act breakout generates genuine tension as the heroes slowly begin to implement a plan that begins with individual acts of violence and ends with a convincing revolution. It is one of the great prison-breaks in the movies, made all the more jaw-dropping when the closing scroll reminds us that it is all true. In contract, Inglorious Basterds (a great film) had to create a fantasy ending that was as emotionally satisfying as the history featured in Sobibor. The scenes leading up to the escape depict the daily lives of both soldiers and prisoners within the camp, in both its banalities and horrors, and there are some truly gory and disturbing moments here, but they never feel unnecessary because of the way that lead actor/director Konstaintin Khabenskiy depicts these events through the eyes of the prisoners who, slowly but surely, refuse to be victims any longer. Khabenskiy makes for a dogged and convincing hero, but it is Christopher Lambert's depiction of Karl Frenzel, the Nazi administrator of the camp, that really elevates the film's tension-Lambert plays the part as a man barely holding onto his sanity, having internalized the suffering that he constantly orders and witnesses. It is the most chilling portrait of an unhinged Nazi official since Ralpph Fiennes in Schindler's List. Less successful is Khabenskiy's decision to suggest a romantic connection between Pechersky and a female prisoner that he knew before the war, mainly because I struggled to believe an opportunity for such a romance convincing in this setting; nevertheless, this relationship is well-acted and leads to one of the best character exchanges in the film. Sobibor is the Russian submission for the 91st Academy Award for best foreign language film. The film was shot in Lithuania, in six languages: Russian, Polish, German, Dutch, Yiddish, and English. This helps give the film the epic scope of a truly international production, and that is exactly what it feels like. This is one of the best films centered on the theme of the Holocaust that I have ever seen-well-acted, handsomely stages, filled with sobering imagery, and ultimately, a satisfying resolution that makes an often difficult journey worth taking. What begins as a tragedy ends as a victory; the film's success, and whether or not we accept the set-up of the first two acts, hinges on the execution of the escape. Khabenskiy absolutely delivers. I would be very happy to see this film appear on the list of nominees.