The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009)

This is a TV movie (CBS) on the true life of Irena Sendler, who served as a nurse in Warsaw during World War II. She could see what was happening all around her and decided to do something about it. So she started getting Jewish children out and into Polish homes. This led her to being involved in the Polish underground. It was originally called 'The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler' and did not have a misrepresentative 'war' action cover either, as it does in the UK release – which is shameful in its money grubbing attempt to mislead the public.The film is told in linear style and traces her efforts right the way through the life of the ghetto. It is reasonably well made with some good period detail but it is also nakedly sentimental almost from the start. That is forgivable bearing in mind the subject matter.It does balance things up as it develops and we get some nasty Nazi's but this is not an action packed war movie it is a character driven story. It is really about the people who cared and risked their lives to save others. The acting is all adequate but some of the children really ought to think of an alternative career option (yes I know they are young – but so was Shirley Temple) and everyone speaks in English as this was made for US TV. It was filmed in Riga too so some very nice settings and in the end it is a brilliant way to remember another brave and kind woman who put others before herself.

"The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler" (2009)is a true story well worth its time to see. In my 72 years of existence on this Earth, I know of no one with more fortitude, bravery, and compassion than Irena Sendler had when she smuggled 2,500 babies out of the Jewish Ghetto in Germany during World War II. Today, a movie will soon be released telling her story. Also, Irena is in the lineup to be nominated posthumously for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I came upon this movie by accident .. it was on TV late one night .. I did not see it from the start so did not know who was to be hero and who the villain ... but as the film progressed the heroism of Irena became apparent , and incredible what she would do to help children who were strangers to her.... It was amazing too and heartbreaking at the same time to see what a difficult choice those Jewish parents had to make . Knowing the only way their children could survive was for them to give up everything these parent held dear .. the language , their religion , the whole sense of themselves .. The previous reviewer said he did not think it as good as Schinder's list . this I found offensive , and thought he had not "got' the film as I had .. Terrible things happened during WW2 lots of them .. some we know about, and some we do not, and may never .. but it is not a competition ! This film told a tale which was new to me and I was very pleased to have turned the TV on late that night ..

A very fine holocaust film dealing with Irena Sendler's helping 2,500 Jewish children escape from the ghetto and face certain extermination.The film is quite a change for Anna Paquin, who shows she can act unlike her 1993 totally undeserved supporting Oscar win for "The Piano."This excellent film shall serve as an inspiration to us all. Unfortunately, we could not discover what happened to many of the children after the war. Unfortunately, their parents must have perished.This is a film of great virtue, moral courage, the embodiment of a total triumph of the human spirit under such adversity.Marcia Gay Harden, a terrific actress, has the role of the mother. Despite the fact that her part is generally understated, Harden displays that rare virtue of a parent caught up in what is right in such an era of horror.Highly recommended.