Movie Review - "Defiance"

Many have asked, how could the Jews of Europe have been so seemingly passive about and resigned to Hitler's annihilation campaign? Right before and during World War II, they seemed to exhibit a sort of fatalism about the Holocaust, even though Hitler had announced his intentions to exterminate Jewry, both in writing and in frequent speeches? Some have said that this was philosophy at work, a philosophy of passivity against aggression in the hope that at least some of the tribes of Israel could survive in a hostile world. Only the brief Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943 seemed an exception, and this was known to be doomed from the outset.

Well, there was one Jewish group that did fight back against the Nazis, and at least in terms of their own escape from death, emerged victorious against them. The movie Defiance shows for the world the little known story of the Bielski Brothers in White Russia. These 3 brothers, farmers at the War's outset, not only avenged the death of their parents, but recruited a sizable group of ghetto refugees who fought back against the Wehrmacht from the White Russian forests.

The Bielski Brothers were farmers, not philosophers. However, their implicit philosophy was surely a strong commitment to justice, combining a passionate desire to live and, to the extent possible, to bring retribution to the Nazis who had slaughtered their loved ones.

Initially, the Brothers had a short term goal, to avenge their parents' murder against the White Russian police who collaborated with the Nazis. However, they wanted a longer term view, which temporarily led to a sharp difference of opinion. Should they join with Soviet Partisans, even though they were not Communist sympathizers, or should they stay and try to recruit more Jews? The second brother, Zus, decided to join the partisans, which caused a short term rift.

The oldest brother, Tuvia, on the other hand, chose the latter approach. He snuck into a near by ghetto and tried to convince its prisoners to join his small band. Here, he had to exhibit his own philosophy and powers of persuasion against the fatalism of the rabbinical leader. The latter preached that the Nazis needed Jewish prisoners as sources of labor. Also, escape would bring immediate retaliation and murder against those who did not choose to leave. Tuvia’s urging won out and a sizable minority did escape to join him in the forest.

His new band underwent the terrible hardships of Russian winters. Men who had been scholars had to join in backbreaking physical labor. Life-saving drugs had to be stolen from German campsites. Once, Tuvia, when recovering from near-death, was forced to shoot a would-be challenger to his leadership role.

After several years of movement throughout the forests and near defeat, the Bielski Brothers were re-united. By then, German reverses in other parts of Russia, such as Stalingrad, meant their campaign in White Russia had to end. This enabled the Bielskis and their band to escape. Many of them, including Tuvia and Zus, made their way to Western lines. Eventually, the two of them, along with their new wives, emigrated to the United States. Their triumph was virtually unknown until a novel and this movie brought it to a wide audience.

The movie is excellently integrated, filmed, and the script fits in perfectly with the action and conflict. Acting of Daniel Craig as Tuvia and Liev Schreiber as Zus are first rate.

Defiance deserves a full five star rating.

Norman E. Hill, FSA, MAAA, Member AICPA, ASCPA
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