Jump to content

The Zookeeper's Wife (film): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→Plot: various minor additions to flesh out the story a little more
Tag: large plot addition
Line 52: Line 52:
Dr. [[Jan Żabiński]] ([[Johan Heldenbergh]]) is director of the [[Warsaw Zoo]], one of the largest in 1930s Europe, assisted by his wife, [[Antonina Żabińska|Antonina]] ([[Jessica Chastain]]).
Dr. [[Jan Żabiński]] ([[Johan Heldenbergh]]) is director of the [[Warsaw Zoo]], one of the largest in 1930s Europe, assisted by his wife, [[Antonina Żabińska|Antonina]] ([[Jessica Chastain]]).


On 1 September 1939, the [[aerial bombardment of Warsaw]] and [[Invasion of Poland]] commences. Antonina and her son Ryszard (Timothy Radford and later, Val Maloku) barely survive. As Polish resistance collapses, [[Lutz Heck|Dr. Lutz Heck]] ([[Daniel Brühl]]), head of the [[Berlin Zoo]] and [[Adolf Hitler]]'s chief [[zoologist]] and Jan's professional rival, visits the zoo while Jan is away. He offers to house the prized animals until after the war, later returning with Nazi soldiers to shoot the rest. He develops a romantic interest in Antonina.
On 1 September 1939, the [[aerial bombardment of Warsaw]] and [[Invasion of Poland]] commences. Antonina and her son Ryszard (Timothy Radford and later, Val Maloku) barely survive. As Polish resistance collapses, [[Lutz Heck|Dr. Lutz Heck]] ([[Daniel Brühl]]), head of the [[Berlin Zoo]] and [[Adolf Hitler]]'s chief [[zoologist]] and Jan's professional rival, visits the zoo while Jan is away. He offers to house the prized animals until after the war, which he is certain will be a swift German victory. He later returns with Nazi soldiers to shoot the rest, explaining that it is humane as they will not survive the winter. He develops a romantic interest in Antonina.


The Jews of Warsaw are forced into the [[Warsaw Ghetto|Ghetto]]. The Żabińskis' Jewish friends, Maurycy Fraenkel ([[Iddo Goldberg]]) and his partner Magda Gross ([[Efrat Dor]]), seek a safe place for a friend's insect collection. Antonina offers to shelter Magda. Knowing they can be executed for helping Jews, Jan and Antonina decide to use the zoo to save more lives.
The Jews of Warsaw are forced into the [[Warsaw Ghetto|Ghetto]]. The Żabińskis' Jewish friends, Maurycy Fraenkel ([[Iddo Goldberg]]) and his partner Magda Gross ([[Efrat Dor]]), seek a safe place for a friend's insect collection. Antonina then offers to shelter Magda. Despite knowing they can be executed for helping Jews, Jan and Antonina decide to use the zoo to hide others and save more lives.


They seek out Heck to propose turning the abandoned zoo into a pig farm to feed the German occupying forces, secretly hoping to bring food to the Ghetto. Heck, in need of a new site for his [[Heck cattle|experiments]] in recreating [[aurochs]] as a symbol of the Reich,{{#tag:ref|While Heck is accurately portrayed as taking part in the pillaging of the Warsaw Zoo, his [[aurochs]] experiments were not conducted in Warsaw, but at the [[Berlin Zoological Garden]].<ref>Heck 1954, p. 140.</ref>|group=Note}} agrees.
They seek out Heck to propose turning the abandoned zoo into a pig farm to feed the German occupying forces, secretly hoping to bring food to the Ghetto. Heck, in need of a new site for his [[Heck cattle|experiments]] in recreating [[aurochs]] as a symbol of the Reich,{{#tag:ref|While Heck is accurately portrayed as taking part in the pillaging of the Warsaw Zoo, his [[aurochs]] experiments were not conducted in Warsaw, but at the [[Berlin Zoological Garden]].<ref>Heck 1954, p. 140.</ref>|group=Note}} agrees.


Jan collects garbage from the Ghetto for the pigs and sees Jews starving. He begins working with the [[Polish Underground Army|Underground Army]] to transport Jews to safehouses throughout the country. Jews are hidden in the zoo's cages, tunnels, and inside the Żabińskis’ house. After some trepidation, Antonina agrees to help.
Jan collects garbage from the Ghetto for the pigs and sees Jews starving. He also sees a young girl taken into an alley and raped by two soldiers; after they leave, he rescues her. He also starts using the garbage trucks to hide Jews to bring back to his house, working with the [[Polish Underground Army|Underground Army]] to ultimately transport Jews to safehouses throughout the country. Jews are hidden in the zoo's cages, tunnels, and inside the Żabińskis’ house. The couple explain that when Antonina plays the piano late at night, it means it is safe to come out of hiding, but if it is played in the daytime, it means someone is coming and to hide.


The Żabińskis continue smuggling Jews out of the Ghetto. In 1942, the Germans begin deporting Jews to [[Nazi concentration camps|death camps]]. Jan has no choice but to help load them into cattle cars under the Germans' watch.
The Żabińskis continue smuggling Jews out of the Ghetto. Antonina takes a particular interest in the young, still shaking girl and talks to her as she hides out in the basement in an effort to calm her down. In 1942, the Germans begin deporting Jews to [[Nazi concentration camps|death camps]]. At one point, Jan is at a loading station and tries to talk an old friend out of leaving some children he is with behind, but the man refuses...and Jan has no choice but to help load the children into cattle cars bound for concentration camps under the Germans' watch. He also becomes angry at Heck's obvious feelings for his wife and a rift begins to form between the couple.


In 1943, two women rescued by Jan and disguised as [[Aryans]] by Antonina are executed in a Warsaw street. Several months later, after a [[Warsaw Ghetto Uprising|failed uprising]], the Germans plan to liquidate the Ghetto on Hitler's birthday, also the first night of [[Passover]]. While the hidden Jews mournfully celebrate a secret [[Passover]] Seder, the Germans burn the Ghetto, killing those inside.
In 1943, two women rescued by Jan and disguised as [[Aryans]] by Antonina are discovered and executed just outside the boarding house they had moved to. Several months later, after a [[Warsaw Ghetto Uprising|failed uprising]], the Germans liquidate the Ghetto on Hitler's birthday, also the first night of [[Passover]]. While the hidden Jews at the zoo mournfully celebrate a secret [[Passover]] Seder, the Germans burn the Ghetto, killing those inside.


Several months later, Antonina gives birth to a baby girl, whom Ryszard names Teresa. As Heck's attraction to Antonina intensifies, she struggles to fend him off while guarding the secret "guests." Jan participates in the [[Warsaw uprising]] and is captured; Antonina fears him dead.
Jan decides to join the [[Warsaw uprising]], and in a reconciliation, the couple make love before he leaves. Antonina later gives birth to a baby girl, whom Ryszard names Teresa. During the uprising, Jan is shot and captured, presumed dead. As Heck's attraction to Antonina intensifies, she struggles to fend him off while guarding the secret "guests." One day, Heck visits the house unexpectedly and finds only Ryszard there. He politely questions the boy about his parents' whereabouts, but is unable to get any information. Before he goes, he puts a Nazi pin on the boy's shirt and gets him to say "Heil Hitler"...but when Heck is outside and about to get into his car, he mockingly says in a loud voice "Hitler is kaput!" Heck pauses, then leaves.


In January 1945, [[Vistula–Oder Offensive|as Soviet troops force the Germans to retreat]], the enemy begins evacuating Warsaw. Antonina seeks Heck's help to find Jan, but he refuses and accuses her of resistance activity, attacking her in a sexual rage. She confesses that he repulses her, and Heck realizes she has duped him. Antonina helps her guests escape. Magda takes baby Teresa with her as Antonina hides Ryszard in the basement. Heck arrives in a fury with his men, discovering the secret drawings on the basement walls: [[Stars of David]], dates, and guests drawn with animal faces.
In January 1945, [[Vistula–Oder Offensive|as Soviet troops force the Germans to retreat]], the enemy begins evacuating Warsaw. Antonina, determined to know Jan's fate, seeks Heck's help to find him. When he asks what he can expect in return, she slowly begins to undress...but as they kiss, it is obvious she is merely tolerating the moment. Becoming angry and still suspicious, he asks her why her boy would say "Hitler is kaput," while Antonina nervously tries to make excuses. Becoming increasingly sure of her deceit, he accuses her of resistance activity, attacking her in a sexual rage, but is unable to follow through. She finally confesses that she is disgusted by him, and Heck begins to realize how far her deceit has gone. As he calls for his car to go back to inspect the zoo, Antonina races home and quickly helps her guests escape just as Heck and his men arrive. Magda takes baby Teresa with her, but Ryszard insists on staying; Antonina hides him in the basement.


Heck enters the house in a fury and discovers the secret drawings on the basement walls: [[Stars of David]], dates, and guests drawn with animal faces. He then hears a noise and sees Antonia's son in hiding, who tries to escape outside, but is stopped at gunpoint by Heck and his men. Heck locks her in one of the cages and threatens to shoot Ryszard, ignoring Antonina's pleas as he drags her son out of eyesight. A shot rings out and Antonina collapses in grief. But a moment later, as Heck walks back towards his car, Ryszard returns to her side, unharmed, and Heck leaves the zoo for good.
⚫
Heck threatens to shoot Ryszard, ignoring Antonina's pleas as he drags her son away. A shot rings out and Antonina collapses. Ryszard returns unharmed, and Heck leaves the zoo for good. Antonina and Ryszard join the march out of Warsaw, bringing a rabbit and one of Heck's young bison. As they leave their home and the city is liberated, they release the bison into the woods.


⚫
Antonina and Ryszard join the march out of Warsaw, bringing a rabbit and one of Heck's young bison. As they leave their home and the city is liberated, they release the bison into the woods.
⚫
Four months after the [[German Instrument of Surrender|Nazi surrender]], Warsaw begins rebuilding. Antonina, Ryszard and baby Teresa return to find the damaged zoo still standing, along with Jerzyk, their loyal zookeeper. Jan returns home, having survived a prison camp.


⚫
Four months after the [[German Instrument of Surrender|Nazi surrender]], Warsaw begins rebuilding. Antonina, Ryszard and baby Teresa return to find the damaged zoo still standing, along with Jerzyk, their loyal zookeeper. Finally, much to everyone's shock, Jan returns home, having survived a prison camp.
⚫
In the film's final moment, the Żabińskis paint [[Star of David|Stars of David]] on all the cages in the zoo.


⚫
In the film's final moments, the Żabińskis paint [[Star of David|Stars of David]] on all the cages in the zoo.
⚫
An epilogue reveals that the Żabińskis saved 300 people. Lutz Heck returned to Berlin, where his zoo was destroyed by Allied bombings, and his efforts to recreate [[aurochs]] failed. The Żabińskis were recognized by Israel ([[Yad Vashem]]) for their righteous acts and defiance against the Germans.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Righteous Among The Nations

⚫
An epilogue reveals that the Żabińskis saved 300 people and that all but two survived. Lutz Heck returned to Berlin, where his zoo was destroyed by Allied bombings, and his efforts to recreate [[aurochs]] failed. The Żabińskis were recognized by Israel ([[Yad Vashem]]) for their righteous acts and defiance against the Germans.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Righteous Among The Nations
|url=http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4035464
|url=http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4035464
|website=Yad Vashem |access-date=16 April 2017}}</ref> The Żabińskis rebuilt the Warsaw Zoo, which remains open to this day.
|website=Yad Vashem |access-date=16 April 2017}}</ref> The Żabińskis rebuilt the Warsaw Zoo, which remains open to this day.

Revision as of 00:04, 22 April 2021

The Zookeeper's Wife
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNiki Caro
Written byAngela Workman
Based onThe Zookeeper's Wife
by Diane Ackerman
Starring
CinematographyAndrij Parekh
Edited byDavid Coulson
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
Production
companies
  • Scion Films
  • Electric City Entertainment
  • Tollin Productions
  • Rowe/Miller Productions
  • Czech Anglo Productions[1]
Distributed byFocus Features
Release dates
  • 8 March 2017 (2017-03-08) (Warsaw)
  • 31 March 2017 (2017-03-31) (United States)
  • 21 April 2017 (2017-04-21) (United Kingdom)
Running time
126 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Czech Republic[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[4][5]
Box office$26.2 million[2]

The Zookeeper's Wife is a 2017 war drama film directed by Niki Caro, written by Angela Workman and based on Diane Ackerman's non-fiction book of the same name.[6] The film tells the true story of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews from the Germans by hiding them in their Warsaw zoo during World War II.[7][Note 1] It stars Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl and Michael McElhatton.

The film had its world premiere on 8 March 2017 in Warsaw, Poland, the location of the story, followed by its US premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, on 12 March 2017. The film was released in the United States on 31 March 2017, by Focus Features, and by Universal Pictures International in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2017. It received mixed reviews from critics but a positive response from audiences and grossed $26 million worldwide.[9][10][11]

Plot

Dr. Jan Żabiński (Johan Heldenbergh) is director of the Warsaw Zoo, one of the largest in 1930s Europe, assisted by his wife, Antonina (Jessica Chastain).

On 1 September 1939, the aerial bombardment of Warsaw and Invasion of Poland commences. Antonina and her son Ryszard (Timothy Radford and later, Val Maloku) barely survive. As Polish resistance collapses, Dr. Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl), head of the Berlin Zoo and Adolf Hitler's chief zoologist and Jan's professional rival, visits the zoo while Jan is away. He offers to house the prized animals until after the war, which he is certain will be a swift German victory. He later returns with Nazi soldiers to shoot the rest, explaining that it is humane as they will not survive the winter. He develops a romantic interest in Antonina.

The Jews of Warsaw are forced into the Ghetto. The Żabińskis' Jewish friends, Maurycy Fraenkel (Iddo Goldberg) and his partner Magda Gross (Efrat Dor), seek a safe place for a friend's insect collection. Antonina then offers to shelter Magda. Despite knowing they can be executed for helping Jews, Jan and Antonina decide to use the zoo to hide others and save more lives.

They seek out Heck to propose turning the abandoned zoo into a pig farm to feed the German occupying forces, secretly hoping to bring food to the Ghetto. Heck, in need of a new site for his experiments in recreating aurochs as a symbol of the Reich,[Note 2] agrees.

Jan collects garbage from the Ghetto for the pigs and sees Jews starving. He also sees a young girl taken into an alley and raped by two soldiers; after they leave, he rescues her. He also starts using the garbage trucks to hide Jews to bring back to his house, working with the Underground Army to ultimately transport Jews to safehouses throughout the country. Jews are hidden in the zoo's cages, tunnels, and inside the Żabińskis’ house. The couple explain that when Antonina plays the piano late at night, it means it is safe to come out of hiding, but if it is played in the daytime, it means someone is coming and to hide.

The Żabińskis continue smuggling Jews out of the Ghetto. Antonina takes a particular interest in the young, still shaking girl and talks to her as she hides out in the basement in an effort to calm her down. In 1942, the Germans begin deporting Jews to death camps. At one point, Jan is at a loading station and tries to talk an old friend out of leaving some children he is with behind, but the man refuses...and Jan has no choice but to help load the children into cattle cars bound for concentration camps under the Germans' watch. He also becomes angry at Heck's obvious feelings for his wife and a rift begins to form between the couple.

In 1943, two women rescued by Jan and disguised as Aryans by Antonina are discovered and executed just outside the boarding house they had moved to. Several months later, after a failed uprising, the Germans liquidate the Ghetto on Hitler's birthday, also the first night of Passover. While the hidden Jews at the zoo mournfully celebrate a secret Passover Seder, the Germans burn the Ghetto, killing those inside.

Jan decides to join the Warsaw uprising, and in a reconciliation, the couple make love before he leaves. Antonina later gives birth to a baby girl, whom Ryszard names Teresa. During the uprising, Jan is shot and captured, presumed dead. As Heck's attraction to Antonina intensifies, she struggles to fend him off while guarding the secret "guests." One day, Heck visits the house unexpectedly and finds only Ryszard there. He politely questions the boy about his parents' whereabouts, but is unable to get any information. Before he goes, he puts a Nazi pin on the boy's shirt and gets him to say "Heil Hitler"...but when Heck is outside and about to get into his car, he mockingly says in a loud voice "Hitler is kaput!" Heck pauses, then leaves.

In January 1945, as Soviet troops force the Germans to retreat, the enemy begins evacuating Warsaw. Antonina, determined to know Jan's fate, seeks Heck's help to find him. When he asks what he can expect in return, she slowly begins to undress...but as they kiss, it is obvious she is merely tolerating the moment. Becoming angry and still suspicious, he asks her why her boy would say "Hitler is kaput," while Antonina nervously tries to make excuses. Becoming increasingly sure of her deceit, he accuses her of resistance activity, attacking her in a sexual rage, but is unable to follow through. She finally confesses that she is disgusted by him, and Heck begins to realize how far her deceit has gone. As he calls for his car to go back to inspect the zoo, Antonina races home and quickly helps her guests escape just as Heck and his men arrive. Magda takes baby Teresa with her, but Ryszard insists on staying; Antonina hides him in the basement.

Heck enters the house in a fury and discovers the secret drawings on the basement walls: Stars of David, dates, and guests drawn with animal faces. He then hears a noise and sees Antonia's son in hiding, who tries to escape outside, but is stopped at gunpoint by Heck and his men. Heck locks her in one of the cages and threatens to shoot Ryszard, ignoring Antonina's pleas as he drags her son out of eyesight. A shot rings out and Antonina collapses in grief. But a moment later, as Heck walks back towards his car, Ryszard returns to her side, unharmed, and Heck leaves the zoo for good.

Antonina and Ryszard join the march out of Warsaw, bringing a rabbit and one of Heck's young bison. As they leave their home and the city is liberated, they release the bison into the woods.

Four months after the Nazi surrender, Warsaw begins rebuilding. Antonina, Ryszard and baby Teresa return to find the damaged zoo still standing, along with Jerzyk, their loyal zookeeper. Finally, much to everyone's shock, Jan returns home, having survived a prison camp.

In the film's final moments, the Żabińskis paint Stars of David on all the cages in the zoo.

An epilogue reveals that the Żabińskis saved 300 people and that all but two survived. Lutz Heck returned to Berlin, where his zoo was destroyed by Allied bombings, and his efforts to recreate aurochs failed. The Żabińskis were recognized by Israel (Yad Vashem) for their righteous acts and defiance against the Germans.[13] The Żabińskis rebuilt the Warsaw Zoo, which remains open to this day.

Cast

Historical context

The Warsaw Zoo pictured in 1938, a year before the outbreak of World War II.
Jan Żabiński, the director and superintendent of the Warsaw Zoo

The Zookeeper's Wife is based on Diane Ackerman's non-fiction book of the same name, which relied heavily on the diaries of Antonina Żabińska, published in Poland as Ludzie i zwierzęta (translated as: People and Animals) (1968). In key aspects of historical context, the screenplay follows the story of Antonina and her husband, Jan, closely. Both worked at the Warsaw Zoo. Antonina helped her husband who was the director of the zoo. Animals were part of their family's life, and the devastation that resulted from the attack on Warsaw and the subsequent pillaging of the zoo is well documented. The actions of Lutz Heck and his animal breeding experiments were also a matter of historical record, although the intimate relationship of the protagonist, Antonina and the antagonist, Heck, is exaggerated. However, the defiance of Nazi occupation and ultimately, the rescue of over 300 Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were depicted accurately.[14][15][16] The contributions and participation of the Żabinski children, Ryszard and Teresa (credited as Theresa in the film) were also notable.[8]

Production

Development

In September 2010, it was announced that Angela Workman was adapting Diane Ackerman's non-fiction book, The Zookeeper's Wife.[17] On 30 April 2013, Jessica Chastain was attached to play the titular role as Antonina Żabińska, while Niki Caro signed on to direct the film.[18] On 24 August 2015, Focus Features acquired the US rights to the film, and Daniel Brühl and Johan Heldenbergh signed on to star in it.[19]

Filming

Filming began with the animals on 9 September 2015, and principal photography with the actors began on 29 September 2015, in Prague, Czech Republic.[20][21] Suzie Davies served as the production designer, Andrij Parekh as the director of photography, and Bina Daigeler as the costume designer.[22] Filming ended on 29 November 2015.[23]

Release

The Zookeeper's Wife had its world premiere on 8 March 2017 in Warsaw, Poland, and its US premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival on 12 March 2017.[24] The film was released in the United States on 31 March 2017 and was released in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2017.[25] It premiered in Spain at the Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival on 22 April 2017.[26] It also premiered in France at the 43rd Deauville Film Festival on 7 September 2017.[27]

A special screening was held at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington DC on 22 March 2017, with a panel discussion including speakers Diane Ackerman, Jessica Chastain, Niki Caro and Angela Workman.[28][29] Prior to the film's release, Focus Features partnered with the International Rescue Committee to screen the film in cities across the country, including a special screening at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California, and a special screening in New York City, with a panel of speakers which included Chastain, Caro and Workman. The New York screening occurred on behalf of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, and was hosted by activist Steven Goldstein. The film speakers were joined by Sarah O'Hagan of the International Rescue Committee. The evening's topic of discussion was the rescue of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, and the current refugee crisis in Europe.[30]

The film began running on HBO on 23 December 2017.[31]

Reception

Box office

The Zookeeper's Wife grossed $17.6 million in the United States and Canada and $8.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $26.1 million, against a production budget of $20 million.[2]

In North America, the film grossed $3.3 million in its opening weekend from 541 theaters (a per-theater average of $6,191), finishing 10th at the box office.[32] It remained the top grossing indie film in its second, third and fourth weeks of release.[33]

The film remained the top grossing specialty film of 2017 in its fifth week of release, with IndieWire praising the film's release strategy, saying: "Focus’ aggressive push for this Jessica Chastain Holocaust rescue story has paid off with the top result for any specialized audience release since awards season. It won't hit the level of Woman in Gold two years ago ($33 million), but that's more of a factor of the steep decline in overall upscale grosses and more competition at the moment than other differences between the two films."[34] In its eighth and ninth weeks of release, The Zookeeper's Wife was the third highest grossing specialty release of 2017, despite a reduction in its theater count.[35][36] In its tenth week of release, IndieWire said the film "has been a rare specialized standout this spring."[37]

The film remained the top-selling war film for the first three months of its home media release.[38]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 64% based on 180 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "The Zookeeper's Wife has noble intentions, but is ultimately unable to bring its fact-based story to life with quite as much impact as it deserves."[39] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[40] PostTrak reported that over 90% of audience members gave the film a rating of either "excellent" or "very good".[41]

IndieWire listed The Zookeeper's Wife on its shortlist of best indie films of the year, stating: "Niki Caro’s fact-based historical drama is a heartbreaker of the highest order, anchored by an understated performance by Jessica Chastain and a series of wrenching dramatic twists that will wring tears out of even the hardest of hearts."[42] Mick LaSalle, writing for The San Francisco Chronicle, gave the film a 5-star review, saying that it "grabs us from its first seconds" and that:

The Zookeeper's Wife achieves its grandeur not through the depiction of grand movements, but through its attentiveness to the shifts and flickers of the soul. The war was a great external event, but Caro reminds us that it was experienced internally, by the people and the animals who had to try to live through it.[43]

Kenneth Turan, in the Los Angeles Times, says "Niki Caro and Jessica Chastain create an emotionally satisfying Zookeeper's Wife".[44] The AP, the national wire service, says the film "tells a riveting true story" that is "both inspiring and comes as a welcome reminder in this time of uncertainty that even in the face of astonishing evil, humanity and goodness can also rise to the occasion."[45] Jacob Soll in The New Republic heralded the film as the "first feminist Holocaust film".[46]

In a negative review, Variety's Peter Debruge said, "There’s no nice way to put it in this case, but The Zookeeper’s Wife has the unfortunate failing of rendering its human drama less interesting than what happens to the animals — and for a subject as damaging to our species as the Holocaust, that no small shortcoming."[47] In contrast, Variety's Kristopher Tapley wrote that the film deserved consideration as an Oscar contender.[48]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times said the film "was like Schindler's List with pets," writing that it was "so timid and sanitized it almost feels safe for children."[49]

Polish reviewers expressed a strong positive response to the film, which spoke to their history. The Krakow Post stated: "On a universal level (the film) is a prayer for sanity and the civilized values of charity, empathy, and humanity in any time which finds itself threatened to be ruled by mass insanity, hatred, and barbarism. Lessons derived from this darkest period of recent history can never be untimely."[50]

Alexandra Macaaron, in Women's Voices For Change, gave the film a rave review, noting that The Zookeeper's Wife is a rarity among Holocaust films, and is distinguished by its female perspective on war and the struggle to protect every living soul, strangers and friends alike.[51]

Accolades

At the 2016 Heartland Film Festival, held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana, The Zookeeper's Wife was awarded the "Truly Moving Picture Award"; emblematic of the festival's goal to "inspire filmmakers and audiences through the transformative power of film."[52][53]

The Zookeeper's Wife was awarded the Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2017 Seattle Jewish Film Festival.[54]

In April 2017, Political Film Society USA nominated The Zookeeper's Wife for its PFS award, in the category "Human Rights".[54]

List of Accolades
Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
Heartland Film Festival 2017[55] Truly Moving Picture Award Niki Caro Won
Women Film Critics Circle 2017[56] The Invisible Woman Award Jessica Chastain Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle 2017[56] Best Woman Storyteller (Screenwriting Award) Angela Workman Nominated

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In 1968, the state of Israel honored both Antonina and Jan as "Righteous Amongst the Nations".[8]
  2. ^ While Heck is accurately portrayed as taking part in the pillaging of the Warsaw Zoo, his aurochs experiments were not conducted in Warsaw, but at the Berlin Zoological Garden.[12]

References

  1. ^ "The Zookeeper's Wife". Czech Film Commission (in Czech). Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)." Box Office Mojo. Retrieved: 22 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Filmu Úkryt v zoo nabízí silný příběh z druhé světové války". Blesk.cz. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  4. ^ "The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)". The Numbers. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  5. ^ Campbell, Christopher (11 December 2017). "The Disaster Artist' and 'I, Tonya' make their mark in an otherwise poor year for biographical movies". Film School Rejects. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Overview: 'The Zookeeper's Wife' (2016)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: 1 April 2017.
  7. ^ Ackerman 2007, p. 2.
  8. ^ a b "The Zookeeper's Wife Movie vs the True Story of Antonina Zabinski". History vs Hollywood. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Box Office: Boss Baby Bumps Beast From Number One". Rotten Tomatoes. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  10. ^ Brueggemann, Tom. "'Wonder Woman' Sends Indie Box Office Straight to Hades - IndieWire". www.indiewire.com.
  11. ^ Brooks, Brian (2 April 2017). "'The Zookeeper's Wife' Debuts To $3.3M; 'David Lynch' Doc Gets Solid Start – Specialty Box Office".
  12. ^ Heck 1954, p. 140.
  13. ^ "The Righteous Among The Nations". Yad Vashem. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  14. ^ "When 300 Jews escaped the Nazi camps by hiding in the Warsaw Zoo". 23 March 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Jan and Antonia Zabinski: The Zookeepers". Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  16. ^ "The Righteous Among The Nations - www.yadvashem.org". Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  17. ^ Orange, Bradford Alan (22 September 2010). "Angela Workman Adapting The Zookeeper's Wife". MovieWeb. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  18. ^ Kit, Borys (30 April 2013). "Jessica Chastain Attached to Star in 'The Zookeeper's Wife' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  19. ^ Sneider, Jeff (14 August 2015). "Daniel Bruhl to Star in 'The Zookeeper's Wife' With Jessica Chastain (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  20. ^ "The Zookeeper's Wife Starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl to Shoot in Prague". Film New Europe. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  21. ^ Daniels, Nia (9 September 2015). "Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl film in Czech Republic". KFTV.com. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  22. ^ Evry, Max. "Jessica Chastain begins production in Prague on 'The Zookeeper’s Wife'." comingsoon.net, 19 October 2015. Retrieved: 20 October 2015.
  23. ^ "On the set for 12/4/15." Archived 2017-06-10 at the Wayback Machine SSN Insider, 4 December 2015. Retrieved: 1 January 2016.
  24. ^ "The Zookeepers Wife." Cinequest Film Festival. 8 March 2017. Retrieved: 30 March 2017.
  25. ^ Lyttleton, Oliver."Jessica Chastain vehicle ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ will skip awards season." The Playlist, 20 June 2016. Retrieved: 8 March 2017.
  26. ^ Mayorga, Emilio (13 April 2017). "Barcelona Film Festival Opens With 'Norman'". Variety. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  27. ^ https://variety.com/2017/film/global/deauville-film-festival-unveils-lineup-doug-limans-american-made-set-to-open-festival-1202535286/ Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  28. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeE7-HkvSk4&t=593s. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  29. ^ https://www.voanews.com/a/the-zookeepers-wife-looks-at-heroism-persecution/3790489.html. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  30. ^ http://www.picturemotion.com/2017/03/28/picture-motion-and-the-irc-collaborate-on-the-upcoming-film-the-zookeepers-wife/ Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  31. ^ https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/25/16688070/netflix-amazon-prime-hbo-now-new-movies-tv-shows-december-2017 Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  32. ^ "‘Boss Baby’ Cleans ‘Beauty And The Beast’s clock with $51M+ Opening; ‘Ghost’ shell-shocked at $20M+." Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved: 2 April 2017.
  33. ^ Erbland, Kate. "The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2017 (A Running List) - IndieWire". Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  34. ^ Brueggemann, Tom. "Arthouse Box Office: Niche Ethnic Releases Overpower Specialty Openers - IndieWire". www.indiewire.com.
  35. ^ https://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/highest-grossing-indie-films-2017-1201764229/ Retrieved 31 May 2017
  36. ^ https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=zookeeperswife.htm Retrieved 31 May 2017
  37. ^ https://www.indiewire.com/2017/06/box-office-specialty-indie-3-idiotas-churchill-bandaid-arthouse-1201836769/ Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  38. ^ https://www.amazon.com/Zookeepers-Wife-Jessica-Chastain/dp/B071RCM1BX/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1506811183&sr=1-2&keywords=the+zookeepers+wife+movie+prime. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  39. ^ "The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)" Rotten Tomatoes (Fandango). Retrieved: 21 July 2020.
  40. ^ "The Zookeeper's Wife reviews" Metacritic (CBS Interactive Inc.). Retrieved: 3 May 2017.
  41. ^ Brooks, Brian (2 April 2017). "'The Zookeeper's Wife' Debuts To $3.3M; 'David Lynch' Doc Gets Solid Start – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  42. ^ https://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/best-indie-movies-2017-so-far-get-out-the-big-sick-1201849542/ Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  43. ^ LaSelle, Mick (30 March 2017). "'Zookeeper's Wife' — World War II from inside Warsaw Zoo". SFGate. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  44. ^ Turan, Kenneth (30 March 2017). "Niki Caro and Jessica Chastain create an emotionally satisfying 'Zookeeper's Wife'". LA Times. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  45. ^ Behr, Lindsey. [1] Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  46. ^ Soll, Jacob. [2] Retrieved: 13 April 2017.
  47. ^ Debruge, Peter. "Film review: ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’." Variety, 20 March 2017. Retrieved: 31 March 2017.
  48. ^ https://variety.com/2017/film/in-contention/midway-oscars-forecast-indies-streaming-platforms-1202477799/ Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  49. ^ Holden, Stephen. "Review: In ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife,’ the Holocaust seems tame." The New York Times, 30 March 2017. Retrieved: 31 March 2017.
  50. ^ http://www.krakowpost.com/14750/2017/08/review-zookeepers-wife-film Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  51. ^ https://womensvoicesforchange.org/the-zookeepers-wife-an-extraordinary-true-story-of-humanity.htm Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  52. ^ "Heartland Film Festival." heartlandfilm.org, 2016. Retrieved: 2 April 2017.
  53. ^ "Awards: 'The Zookeeper's Wife' (2017)." IMDb. Retrieved: 2 April 2017.
  54. ^ a b https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1730768/awards. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  55. ^ "Truly Moving Picture Award". Heartland film. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  56. ^ a b "The 2017 Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=The_Zookeeper%27s_Wife_(film)&oldid=1019189590"