The Zookeeper's Wife

The Zookeeper's Wife

2017 "They gave all they had to save all they could"
The Zookeeper's Wife
The Zookeeper's Wife

The Zookeeper's Wife

7 | 2h6m | PG-13 | en | Drama

The account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion.

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7 | 2h6m | PG-13 | en | Drama , History , War | More Info
Released: March. 31,2017 | Released Producted By: Scion Films , LD Entertainment Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.focusfeatures.com/thezookeeperswife/
Synopsis

The account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion.

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Cast

Jessica Chastain , Daniel Brühl , Johan Heldenbergh

Director

Suzie Davies

Producted By

Scion Films , LD Entertainment

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Reviews

Maria D I just loved this film. The animals deepened my perspective on this horrific historical period. In many ways they symbolize mankind's inclination to impose cruelty and spread hate to the most innocent, the most loving beings. To see corruption imposed on the most undeserving made me reach a level of empathy and emotion I never even knew I had. The enormity of evil of the human race is depicted through these animals and their reaction to the bombs, their fear and inability to understand what is happening really shows how distorted and disturbing and disconnected war is from all living things and this movie really shows how in so many ways we are one of the weakest and most cowardly species on this planet.
proud_luddite Based on a true story: the title character, Antonina Zabinska (Jessica Chastain) assists her husband Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh) in caring for the Warsaw Zoo, showing great affection and connection with the animals. After Germany invades Poland in 1939, the couple work together to smuggle Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to live in hidden spaces of the zoo and their home.This particular Holocaust story is certainly worthy of being told. It is in the same vein as "Schindler's List" in which citizens risk their own safety and lives to help others in great need.The trouble for "The Zookeeper's Wife" is perhaps in its timing. The best films in the Holocaust genre (including "Schindler's List") have raised the bar so high that it becomes more and more difficult to meet, let alone surpass, existing levels of greatness. The most recent great examples include "Phoenix" and "Son of Saul"- each released within the last three years.The English language is used in the film and spoken with Polish accents. While this helps to add authenticity, it is sometimes difficult to understand when the actors are speaking softly.The directing style in "The Zookeeper's Wife" (by Niki Caro who did a great job with "Whale Rider") is perhaps too standard though the same could be said of the screenplay by Angela Workman based on the book by Diane Ackerman. The early scenes of the invasion and the ghetto are powerful. And who couldn't envy Chastain as she provides affection for a couple of adorable lion cubs. While we can feel tension in the movie's second half, the overall effect just doesn't match those of other films on this subject. There seems to be an emotional distance between the characters and the audience.Had this film been released over a decade ago, it might have fared better. But compared to similar films of this era and earlier, it comes up wanting.
tubaman-8 I don't usually write reviews, but I saw this movie last night and after reading some of the reviews on this page I had to respond. This movie apparently brought out the Nazi apologists who found it necessary to write reviews about how the Nazis "weren't that bad" and why do movies keep depicting them that way. These revisionists need to be called out for what they are, white supremacists.This movie tells the true story about a family that used their zoo to rescue 300 Jews from death in the Warsaw Ghetto or ultimately death in a death camp, which is what happened to most of the people who survived the ghetto before it was burned down. These revisionists are trying to say that the Nazis weren't that bad, but I was on the board of directors of the Holocaust Center of Central Florida in the mid 90s and knew a number of holocaust survivors quite well. Their stories if anything make the events portrayed in this film somewhat tame in comparison. The Nazis should have been portrayed as even more callous and evil to be accurate. As for the movie, I did find that it wasn't the most effective telling of this true story. A number of embellishments were made to the story, I assume for dramatic effect, but many of them just didn't work. To me some of them made what was already an incredible story become completely implausible. I'm not going into detail so as not to give out any spoilers, but I suggest that people should read the book if they want to know the real heroism of this couple. I also found the dialog somewhat stilted at times and the story presented in a somewhat disjointed way.Still, the movie provides another reminder of the evil that was Nazi Germany and how there were people who heroically risked their lives to try to fight back against it. I may have liked it more if I hadn't already known the story and read the book, but overall I found it to be a good, if not great movie.
Icarus Alexander Too slow. The Nazis killed everything that moved. Jews, gypsies, camels, eagles, and mexicans, ok the last killing was committed by Donald Trump. The movie was too slow, really no story to tell. The accents were annoying and the kids sure were well fed for being in an occupied Poland. Jessica Chastain has great lips that's what i kept thinking. No need to make this movie. How about Jessica hunting down Kim Jong Un like she did with Osama bin Laden. Now that's a movie that needs to be made.