Hanna's War

This is one of the best war movies I've seen. This movie shows how much some people had to fight for their people during the war. Good movie to watch.

-MICHAL

The cinematography is brilliant, some of it (the seashore scenes in Israel) visual poetry. Donald Pleasance is superb as the smiling villain, a character he has done so well in other films. But on the whole, this movie is overwrought, overly long and a bit over the top. I've seen operas where people don't take as long to die as they do here. Are these real people and is this a true story? The closing credits lead you to believe that. But I was a little suspicious. It wouldn't be the first time Hollywood has used phoney "what happened to them" capsules in the closing credits to enhance a fictional story. I'm also impressed how Hanna keeps her lipstick perfect right through basic training, a parachute jump into enemy territory, riding with the partisans and being tortured. But then thats Hollywood I guess. Overall it's quite a watchable film despite these criticisms.

I'm sorry to disagree because I really love the story and the heroine. The movie tells a spectacular story. It's hard to make a movie as good as the story of Hannah Senesh, so it is understandable that it falls a bit short. It is worth watching and could be a good tool to teach children with. There is a scene or two of brutality but the honor of this young paratrooper, a model for feminism decades before there was such a thing as politically correct, comes through despite the failings of the director and writers.

As a another reviewer states Hanna's War is an outstanding film about an outstanding person, Hanna "Anniko" Senesh, who would become the Jewish Joan Of Arc. Unfortunately I diverge in opinion not agreeing that Miss Detmers as the lead is too beautiful to be taken seriously as a resistance fighter. In truth for me her performance is not held back by her beauty but makes it all the more stark in the terror of the sadistic brutality as a resistor she faces. Maruschka Detmers performance is brave, poignant, heartfelt or understood, and totally believable. In other words for me "In the zone." from the opening credits. If you would like to learn about the suffering of someone else for something they believe in and be impressively entertained give Hanna's War with Maruschka Detmers a try. My hat is off also to Ellen Burstyn as Hanna's mother a much well known and famous actress who could have made effort to walk off with the film. In that it is a team effort perhaps of two actress' but not an All About Eve situation.

This is a movie in my lifetime, that truly left a mark. For the passion of life, and the evil that works to prevent it.