The Wall

It could be said that without the incredible success of the ABC miniseries Holocaust in 1978, CBS might have thought twice before greenlighting the ambitious, three-hour TV docudrama The Wall four years later. Adapted by Millard Lampell from his own 1960 Broadway play, which in turn was inspired by John Hersey's 1950 novel, The Wall is the heartbreaking but inspiring story of the heroic Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. When it becomes obvious that every Jew in Poland is doomed to be shipped off to the Nazi work and death camps, some 650 members of the newly formed Jewish Fighting Organization mount a last, brave stand against nearly 3000 German soldiers. The story is told through the eyes of Warsaw Jew Dolek Benson (Tom Conti, in his first American TV appearance), who is a passive observer of the atrocities all around him until he learns the truth about the Nazi's "resettlement" program. Rachel Roberts, cast as a former schoolteacher, made her final appearance in this film; she passed away shortly after production ended. Filmed on location in Sosnowiec, Poland and first telecast February 16, 1982, The Wall earned a Peabody Award the following year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide (NYTimes).

I agree with most of the posts and was impressed with the setting, huge number of extras used, and overall quality of the movie. But I was distracted by how too often their clothes were new and even at the end when they were running out they looked like they were in a fashion show. Also it was distracting that Lisa Eichhorn's eyebrows were finely plucked as if she would be concerned about looking like she was going to be in a fashion magazine. But that was the director's fault and whoever was in charge of makeup and costumes fault. I have seen this story done in other movies and think it is a very important message. My father fought in WWll and as a child I heard stories about the war and on TV there were always documentaries about it which had a great impression on me. It concerns me that in 2016 there seems to be a lot of fascism being supported.

I was only 13 when I saw this movie, but I still remember it after all of these years. I think it was one of the movies that I never got over because it hit home as to how much the Nazi's destroyed the lives of countless families.

Many of the actors in the cast made their first professional appearances in this film. Some have gone on to successful careers, although many of them stated in interviews that they would never forget the experience of working on this film.

The cinematography is phenomenal and the depictions of life under Nazi rule quite accurate. I gained a new respect for holocaust survivors after this film. When you see this film, you realize that the horror and fear was something that these people faced every day.

Shortly after watching it, my grandparents told me how my uncle managed to live through a Nazi Prison Camp. If you are a Schindler's List fan, you will probably enjoy this movie. I recommend it to anyone who not only wants to see what happened, but feel it as well.

Like the previous person, I saw this along time ago... I must have been only 11 years old. However, this film had a tremendous impact on me. I remember I was in the den watching Laverne & Shirley (or some crap), and my mom told me to turn it off and watch that movie with her.

Needless to say, and a kid I was completely blown away by the atrocities portrayed in the film. It had a dramatic impact on my life.

I can't really remember if it was a GOOD film or not, but given the fact that watching that film literally changed my view of life, I can say it was pretty memorable.

Eric

I saw this film over twenty years ago. Still remember the acts of sublime heroism and cowardice depicted convincingly by the cast. I didn't mind the the few historical inaccuracies, because I still felt that the film was true to the desperate situation in the Warsaw Ghetto at that time. I think that this was the first time that I saw Lisa Eichhorn. I have been a fan of her work since.