|
|
 |
Escape From Sobibor
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (24th January 2009). |
|
The Film
  Made for television in 1987 and originally broadcast as a two-part drama,Escape From Sobibor focuses on one of the three concentration camps built by the Nazis in Eastern Poland during 1942. As the opening narration tells us, ‘It was here on October the 14th, 1943, that the biggest, most successful prisoner revolt in World War 2 took place’. Escape From Sobibor takes great pains to depict the daily life of the prisoners (including such noteworthy performers as Alan Arkin and Joanna Pacula) who are held in the camp. On arrival of new transport trains, the prisoners (labelled the ‘Railroad Brigade Jews’ by the guard) are ordered by the guards to greet the prisoners arriving on the next train with a smile (‘Remember, we are welcoming these people’, the camp commander tells them). The daily grind of existence within the camp is disrupted by sequences which depict the full horrors of the Nazi ideology, from unprovoked beatings to the mass extermination of groups Jewish prisoners. Some of these sequences are more than a little traumatic to watch, and in its representation of the horrors of Fascism parts of this television drama are at least as disturbing as some of the more famous concentration camp sequences in Steven Spielberg’s later Schindler’s List (1993).  The film spends over an hour highlighting the horrors of the camp and failed escape attempts, until (in a sequence which marks the end of what was originally the first part of the broadcast version of this teleplay) captured Russian soldiers are escorted into the camp ‘to do heavy labour in the North camp’. The Russian soliders are headed by Alexander Pechersky (Rutger Hauer). Pechersky’s arrival energises the camp and sets in motion their plans for a revolt and mass breakout. However, their plans seem to be thwarted by the arrival of a platoon of SS guards…
Video
This release from Network contains the longest version of Escape From Sobibor (142:31 mins – PAL). (Abbreviated versions running c.120 mins have been released on home video in the past.) The two parts have been edited together, with a fade out and fade in marking the end of the first part (after the arrival of the captured Russian troops) and the beginning of part two. This television drama is presented in its original ratio of 1.33:1. Shot on film, Escape From Sobibor appears to have benefited from a substantial budget and, for a drama that was produced for television, it has an expensive-looking aesthetic that rivals many similar Hollywood films of the early 1980s. This DVD contains a very good presentation of Escape From Sobibor. There appear to be no problems whatsoever with the transfer. 
Audio
Audio is presented via a two-channel mono track. This is clear, and dialogue is always audible. There are no subtitles.
Extras
Escape From Sobibor comes packaged with textless material (3:20), which in actuality is a silent and titles-less version of the opening montage. Also included is an image gallery.
Overall
Sometimes harrowing but always fascinating and loaded with some great performances, Escape From Sobibor is an expensive-looking and exciting wartime drama. The fact that it is based on true events makes it all the more remarkable. Network’s DVD contains the full-length version of this two-part television drama, although as noted above the two parts have been edited together into an uninterrupted whole. As a wartime thriller, Escape From Sobibor rivals many similar Hollywood productions, and this DVD comes with a strong recommendation.
|
|||||
|