35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sobibor for small televisions, January 17, 2001
This is a great story- about triumph under the most extreme of circumstances. Its based on actual accounts of witnesses and has the tension and drama only a true story could provide. The problem is that the 4x3 dvd transfer is so bad it looks like a nearsighted and or drunk technician took a wonderful movie and smeared it onto a dvd in a fit of stupor. Please- see the movie on tv-but dont even think about buying this dvd unless you have a 5 inch tv.
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61 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A moment of clarity in history's darkest hour!, September 22, 2003
I'm very glad this amazing piece of work is finally on dvd. Scape of subibor focus in the only successful concentartion camp uprising of WWII and the holocaust. Functioning as one of the three (sobibor, belzec and treblinka) Operation Rainhard extermination camps during the first half of the war, the camp's main responsability was to eliminate as many "non-desireble" people as possible and was one of the first camps that incorporated the infamous gas chambers as a method of systematic dispousal.I won't review the movie because it's a must see for anyone interested in the horrifying event that ended the life of more that eleven million individuals (more than 6 1/2 million jews, 50,000 Romas (gypsies), 1 million mentally ill and over 3 million other non desireble persons and POWs) sadly about this film, is that for someone that's not familiar with the brutal events of the holocaust, won't find this film shocking, even though it's very powerful. There's no inside look on the atrocities that took place at sobibor and the insightful view of the place where more than 250,000 people were muedered; is pretty overlooked...I believe it's probably the fact that not even the prisioner knew exactly what was going or where was all the people that was send to the showers on the minute they arrived. The story of survival will depress you and the execution escene where the SS Komandant order 13 prisioners that tryed to scape to choose a person each to be executed with then, is simply, on of the heart breaking moments on modern cinema. The movie ends with chaos. this is a real life event and a great lesson of courage and redemption.
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40 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The film of historic accurancy., July 17, 1999
"Escape from Sobibor" is a grim turn inspirational film about the prisoners who, after careful planning, managed to escape from Sobibor. 300 died during the escape whereas the other 300 managed to live during and after the escape. The actors, especially Alan Arkin, Rutger Hauer, and Hartmut Becker, gave memorable & magnificant performances. Becker was telling & excellent in portraying one of the chief SS men in charge of the camp, sargeant Wagner. The actresses, especially Joanna Pacula, also played with upmost effectiveness & familiarity with the history behind Sobibor.
The film is historically as accurate as it can be, with scenes so telling of the torture of the prisoners hated due to dangerous & distorted ideologies. The picture, not as masterful as "Schindler's List", is well done nevertheless with artistry & sophistication. The acting measures up to the acting in "Schindler's List."
My only hope is that this video recording is not abridged, for the complete film is two hours & thirty minutes. If the video has the complete version of the film, my recommendation exists very strongly. If the abridged version exist, hesitations should occupy your mind.
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