Thursday, June 05, 2008

Reel People: Daniel Craig is Tuvia Bielski

The film is Defiance and is directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Last Samurai, Blood Diamond and academy award winning producer).

Tuvia Bielski

Tuvia Bielski was born in 1906, the olderst of four brothers. The Bielski family was a family of Jewish farmers who lived in Stankievichy (present day Belarus) . There four brothers, Tuvia, Alexander (Zus), Asael, and Aron, lived in an area at the beginning of WWII that was under Soviet Control.

In June 1941 when the German's launched the Operation Barbarossa campaign against the Soviet's, they made the city of Navahrudak a Jewish ghetto, where the Bielski family was sent.

In December of 1941 the Bielski brother's parents were killed and the brothers along with 13 others retreated to the forest to create a Jewish resistance combat group led by Tuvia. Men were sent into the ghettos to bring them to Bielski forest camp, which eventually numbered over 1000 men, women, and children. In the forest they made their own city structure including places of worship. The people in the camp primarily lived in underground dugouts.

Tuvia's had a Zionist youth movement background and was dedicated to saving people from death, more than killing Nazis.

By 1943 the Nazis were aware of Tuvia Bielski and offered a reward for his capture. As the war progressed the Jewish Partisans began to also work with Soviet Partisans with Tuvia's brother "Zus" also taking leadership within the group.

The resistance group disbanded in 1944 when Belarus was liberated. At this time the 1230 Bielski partisans emerged from the forest.

Asael Bielski went on to fight with the Soviet Army, and died in 1945. Zus and Aron went to the United States, while Tuvia went to Poland and then emigrated to Palestine in 1945.

Tuvia died in 1987.

Defiance

The story of the Bielski brothers is the dedicated topic of two books: The Bielski Brothers by Peter Duffy and Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec, as well as a 2006 History Channel special The Bielski Brothers: Jerusalem In The Woods.

The film not only stars Daniel Craig as Tuvia, but also features Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, and George MacKay as the other three brothers. Edward Zwick and Clayton Foreman have written the screenplay based on Nechama Tec text.

I would expect to see some technical recognition from the crew of this film, but what about Craig?

Will Daniel Craig get some critical claim or his first Oscar nomination/win for his portrayal of this Real (Reel) Person?

12 comments:

Michael Parsons said...

I think it is all going to be about Liev for this one. There is just something about a film by Edward Zwick that automatically makes me cringe.

Out Of Jersey said...

Now that sounds pretty cool. I never heard about this before. Thanks a lot.

RC said...

@ michael - what makes you think it's going to be about Liev?

crackers and cheese said...

I agree with Michael, I think Liev will shine in this project. Don't know if I'd go so far as to you "It is all going to be about Liev," but he's a very talented actor who I believe deserves more recognition. No nothing about the director, but the subject matter sounds very interesting. I'll probably see this when it comes out.

Anonymous said...

I also think think that Liev Schreiber steals the show, but accorsing the reviews at screeners (f that afirmations are true) this is the perfect film that brings to Zwick double nomination in producer and director and Craig is a good actor, so if the love of Defiance is big so I think Craig has chaces...

Heather said...

This sounds like a good story -- I may have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up.

Anonymous said...

We knew a man who was in this group. This will be an awsome movie and a story that should be told. I shows that not eveyone has to be a victom in a war. I think they will do a fine job with it and this movie will give some u ntold history. Kina a true "red dawn". Mabey the mayor of New Orleans should go see it and figure out how to realy handle a crisis.

Anonymous said...

I LOVED this movie!!! I saw it in a premiere type thing because my grandmother was a member of the actual Bielski partizen group and it was truly a powerful movie! It was great because it showed all the important things that it needed to and they added some "little laugh" lines that lightened the mood a bit but they really did show some horrible things especially when everyone was beating a German man! It really made me shutter and think how could anyone do that? I strongly suggest going to see it!

Anonymous said...

The History Channel is airing their Emmy-nominated Bielski Brothers documentary on January 8th at 11:00PM.

Anonymous said...

This movie-75% false history .Real history- jewisch-german battle -fantasy, not real !

Anonymous said...

Decendants of the Bielski Camp survivors - Do you believe this to be true? I find it offensive to read anonymous saying it is fiction.

Unknown said...

I THOUGHT THE MOVIE WAS OUTSTANDING AND THAT DANIEL CRAIG DID A WONDERFUL JOB. ALL THE PEOPLE WERE VERY REAL AND TTHE THOUGHT OF LIVING IN THE FOREST FOR SO MANY YEARS IS REMARKABLE. THEY SHOWED THAT NOT ALL JEWS JUST WENT TO THEIR DEATHS, BUT FOUGHT AND SURIVIED . I WISH I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING THEM AND ESPECIALLY THE LEADER WHO SAVED SO MANY PEOPLE. HE HAD WONDERFUL COURAGE AND DID NOT WANT ANY NOTICE OF WHAT HE DID.