Uprising (2001) (TV) More at IMDb Pro »

"Uprising" is an inspirational story on survival and resistance under impossible odds. However, the film is far from a historical presentation of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The producers filled the film with half-truths and misrepresentations of the Polish assistance to the Ghetto Uprising. The Polish resistance or AK provided any available support eventhough their own munitions were scarce and crude in comparison to the well-armed Germans. One of the famous Jewish fighters, Marek Edelman, stated that the uprising would not be possible without the needed support of the Polish resistance. In addition, Poles provided valuable knowledge on military tactics along with techniques on bomb assembly and other weaponry for guerilla warfare.

The credibility of the film is lost when the general Polish population is displayed with disconcern when the ghetto burned as exhibited during the communion service in the Catholic Church. It is well documented that the Poles were filled with horror, sorrow, fear and helplessness towards he plight of the ghetto Jews. In reality, closing all Polish Catholic Churches would be in the best interest of the Germans since Churches provided a multitude of hiding places for Jewish survivors.

The film falsely depicts the Polish population as well-fed and prosperous under the German occupation while the ghetto suffered. Starvation was the norm for both Jews and Poles while Poles lived in constant fear of unexpected rounded-ups where Poles were murdered in the street or sent to forced labor camps. Normal life in Poland became upturned and violated.

Another impossible scene shows an anti-semitic Polish secretary in the Pawiak or German gestapo headquarters. In reality a great deal of Polish AK blood was spilled on the floors of the Pawiak and a Pole would not be trusted in the Pawiak.

Both Poles and Jews suffered the same loss of life by the murder of 3,000,000 Polish Catholics and 3,000,000 Polish Jews during World World II. The complete ignorance of Polish sacrifice for the ghetto Jews is a disgrace to the Polish Righteous Gentiles. The largest number of Righteous Gentiles, recognized in the Vad Vasham museum in Israel, are from Poland.

In summary "Uprising" is an inspirational film on human resilience against impossible odds but is extremely deficient in historical and factual content. The heroism of the Jewish ZOB resistance fighters offers a great amount of content to motivate viewers. However, the producers of "Uprising" resorted to degrade the immense sacrifice of the Poles to elevate the suffering in the Warsaw Ghetto. Shame on Jon Avnet and his team by resorting to these low and unscrupulous tactics.