The Film

Defiance is the latest large-scale epic film directed by Edward Zwick. It has the same shine and feel of some of Zwick's past works. This isn't a bad thing, but Zwick has rarely captured true film "glory" (pun intended). I have enjoyed Zwick's latest output on a certain level. Blood Diamond and The Last Samurai were beautiful-looking films that had epic qualities to them. But those films, like Defiance, never quite find greatness.

The film is set in Belarus during the Second World War and follows 3 Jewish brothers who answer a call to serve their community. This is some deeply heroic stuff here. The three brothers were apparently rabble-rousers before the war began. But when they are faced with the responsibility of their whole town, they choose the higher road and lead the Jews into the forest. In the forest they can live as free people, even as they eke by surviving only through their trust in their community.

This focus on community was one of the more interesting choices the filmmakers made. Yes, this is a story of heroism, and there is a significant amount of action. And yet, the Nazis are outside the forest. The main sources of conflict in this film take place within the forest. These are the conflicts of community.

Zwick is smart enough to know that we've seen a ton of movies about evil Nazis. But we've never seen this tale of heroic, take-charge Jews. So we focus on the themes of strength through community, of responsibility to our families. These are themes that I heartily agree with. Some of my favorite aspects of the Judeo-Christian worldview involve our call to live in community, and to serve one another. Although the film itself doesn't quite attain greatness, Defiance has an ace up its sleeve: this is a true story!

It is impossible for the average viewer to distinguish which details here are Hollywood-influenced and which are true to history. But at the film's close, viewers learn that (through the actions of the Bielski brothers) there are over 10,000 living descendants of the forest survivors. Wow. Just think about those implications. These brothers could have continued their rebellious ways drinking in the local bars and, likely, eventually rounded up by the Nazis. Instead they got in touch with a deeper call of their faith and took the widows and orphans into their care.

No matter what the true details are versus the Hollywood version, there are THOUSANDS living today who owe their lives to a small forest community in Belarus. The facts of history here are simply more fascinating than the dramatization. Yet at the same time, I would know nothing of this story without the telling of Defiance. In the end, I recommend the movie as a redemptive and uplifting tale of heroism... if only to call attention to the real heroism of the historic Bielski brothers.

The Specs

Defiance was filmed on location in locations remarkably similar to the historical Belarussian locations. These are harsh conditions and the Blu-ray visuals penetrate deeply into the forest, which is itself a character in the film. So I really think the clarity of the visuals increased my enjoyment of the film. And, on a side note, Daniel Craig's face was made for Blu-ray! His blue eyes blaze through his dirt and grime-covered face and the image quality is unbelievable.

But the big story about the bonus features available here are the windows into the true history of the story of Defiance. Immediate relatives of the Bielskis are interviewed and their reflections about their fathers are profound. The respect and honor offered to the families during the production of this film were excellent. And the most moving aspect of this whole disc comes with the bonus feature of director Zwick's still photographs of some of the still-living survivors of the Belarussian forest. Living, breathing heroes who are examples of the value of community.