The Zookeeper's Wife
Selfless
Heroine Saves Animals and Jews in Fact-Based Biopic
The
zoo was closed to the public after being repeatedly bombed by the
Luftwaffe during the siege of the city. However, the Zabinskis
continued to live on the grounds with their young son (Timothy
Radford) and the beleaguered animals that survived the attacks.
But
once Warsaw was occupied by the Nazis, the couple was ordered to
report directly to Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl), the Third Reich's
recently-appointed chief zoologist. Despite being married, Heck never
bothered to hide his lust for attractive Antonina, shamelessly
forcing himself on her as they attended to the agglomeration of
exotic beasts scattered around the premises.
Knowing
that resistance was futile and might cost her her life, Jan directed
his wife to submit to the unwelcome advances. And he understandably
ended up feeling utterly emasculated by the frustration of failing to
prevent her being pawed by the creepy Hitler henchman.
Nevertheless,
the Zabinskis did find an avenue of retaliation: the Polish
resistance movement. Joining the Underground, they secretly helped
smuggle Jews destined for the concentration camps out of the Warsaw
ghetto. Furthermore, they hid the escapees on the grounds of the zoo
at a time when death was the punishment for attempting to liberate a
Jew.
Directed
by Niki Caro (Whale Rider), the picture stars Jessica Chastain as the
fearless and endearing title character. The two-time, Academy
Award-nominee (for The Help and Zero Dark Thirty) delivers another
quality performance, which is no surprise given how Caro has
previously coaxed Oscar-nominated work out of a trio of talented
actresses (Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Keisha
Castle-Hughes).
A
bittersweet biopic belatedly paying tribute to an unsung heroine who
selflessly put her life on the line in the face of unspeakable evil.
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, mature themes, smoking, sexuality and brief nudity
Running time: 126 minutes
Studio: Scion Films
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: The Zabinski Family; The Making of The Zookeeper's Wife, and deleted scenes..
To see a trailer for The Zookeeper's Wife, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJNFeHHGGN4
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