Escape From Sobibor (1987) – Encore Review

This past Tuesday was a Jewish Holy Day where we refrain from eating and drinking for 25 hours in order to remind us of the destruction of the Two Holy Temples. In order to try and connect with the somber feeling of this day, every year I try to watch films dealing with another attempt to eradicate my religion; The Holocaust. This year, I watched 4. Here is my fourth and final review:

“Better to escape and live. That would be real revenge ” – Leon

Number of Times Seen – At least 10 times (12 April 1987 on TV, DVD, 18 Jul 2013 and 1 Aug 2017)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – Based on the true story of how a group of 600 prisoners found a way to escape from the Nazi Death camp of Sobibor.

My Take on it – This is a film that is very dear to my heart.

I recall thirty years ago when it debuted on Tv and how much fanfare there was around it because it was such a breakthrough production. 

I believe it was shown without commercials and the fact that there were scenes that went against what was normally shown on network tv which showed how important an event it was for those days.

The story itself is amazingly told and we get some very developed characters who allow us to feel some kind of bond with them.

This is such an uplifting story that always hits home due to its themes about hope in the most dire of circumstsnces.

The cast is superb and Alan Arkin and Rutger Hauer are both amazing as the leaders of the uprising.

Obviously a story like this needs to be Hollywoodicized yet it doesnt take that much away from the impact of what they are trying to tell us here.

This film is among my all time favorite movies and due to the fact that I’ve seen it so many times over the past thirty years, I have come to know the story and the characters so well that despite the somber storyline,  watching these characters and seeing how the story plays out always uplifts my spirit.

Bottom Line – Amazing film that gets so much right.  Such an uplifting story about people who only had hope for survival to cling to. Cast is great with Hauer and Arkin doing superb jobs as the leaders of the uprising.  Obviously some of the story was Hollywoodicized but that still doesn’t take away from the impact of the story itself.  This is among my favorites movies and I despite its somber storyline, watching the story and characters always uplifts my spirits whenever I’ve watched it over the past thirty years. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia –  When it premiered on CBS in 1987, about 31.6 million Americans saw the film. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (no change from original review)

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