Product Details

• Actors: Bolek Polívka, Csongor Kassai, Jaroslav Dusek, Anna Sisková, Martin Huba
• Directors: Jan Hrebejk
• Writers: Jan Hrebejk, Petr Jarchovský
• Producers: Ondrej Trojan, Pavel Borovan
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Czech (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Czech (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: November 27, 2001
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005QFE6
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,226 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #5 in	Movies & TV > Art House & International > By Original Language > Czech
  #8 in	Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > Czech Republic & Slovakia
  #57 in	Movies & TV > Special Interests > Parenting & Childcare > Pregnancy & Childbirth

• For more information about "Divided We Fall" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A daring comedy of ethics, Divided We Fall takes place during World War II in a small, Nazi-occupied town in Czechoslovakia. Josef and Maria, a childless couple, have withdrawn further and further from reality even as the war circles closer to their eerily quiet town. Josef's decision to sleep through a war he doesn't want to acknowledge is soon tested when the Jewish son of his former employer arrives in the middle of the night seeking refuge. David, the sole survivor from his family, escaped from a concentration camp in Poland and managed to return to the only place he knows in search of help. As they harbor David in their pantry over the next three years, Josef and Maria discover the depth of their resolve, forced to play the role of seeming collaborators in order to save themselves and David. Reminiscent more of Yugoslav filmmaker Emir Kustirica's devastating brand of black humor (Underground, Time of the Gypsies) than the saccharine Life Is Beautiful, to which it has been repeatedly compared, Divided We Fall achieves quite a lot, capturing the pervasive suspicion and betrayal of World War II through the unexpected guise of situation comedy. --Fionn Meade

Product Description
Based on a true story and takes place during world war ii in a small german-occupied czechoslovakian village where josef and marie cizek are a childless couple who struggle to evade detection when they provide shelter to a jewish neighbor who has escaped from a nazi concentration camp. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 06/24/2008 Starring: Bolek Polivka Jarosav Dusek Run time: 122 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Jan Hrebejk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We must help each other, March 27, 2001

By	Marek Vojtko "marco1475" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't think that "Divided we fall" was such a good choice of translation of this movie's name. I personally come from Slovakia, the neighboring country to the Czech Republic, and we understand each other languages - and as my title says, the true meaning is "We must help each other". And that's what is the movie about - about people, their will to help each other, the strenght and weakness of the human character. The DVD is already out in Europe and what I can say is that the movie hasn't lost any of it's charm with the transfer to the DVD. However, as for Europe usual, the DVD had just little to no extras, because of all the different languages they have to pack on the DVD. We will see, if the US-version is better. Of course, you will be able to check it, just look a little bit higher on your screen, there you'll find it ... As I said, we must help each other. Didn't I help you now?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking AND funny at the same time, March 30, 2005

By	Barbara B. (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

Most films about the Nazis and the holocaust are unrelentingly depressing and hard to watch (although we need to). A few are ultimately uplifting. But this one is the only one I can think of that is both heartbreaking and funny at the same time. That's what puts it far above the rest.

The "moral" of the story -- that we must help each other survive through the hard times -- is never heavy handed, but it a natural extension of the situation the characters find themselves in. The ending is a treasure and one that doesn't feel contrived or unnatural.

The only fault I could find is that the first five minutes seem somewhat irrelevant, since I never could figure out for sure who the people were in the "pre war" clips. And it doesn't really matter. You can pick the film up when it reaches "the present" time of the action.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Story of the Holocaust, June 14, 2004

By	David Anderson (St. Cloud, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Divided We Fall" is a great Czech Republic film from 2000, starring Bolek Polivka, Anna Siskova, and Csongor Kassai. It earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. It desplicts a couple, Josef and Maria, from Czechoslavakia (now Czech Republic and Slavakia) who's devastated that they are unable to bear children. Josef begins losing all hope in life. Little do they know that their lives will become affected by the Holocaust. Suddenly, David, one of his ex-employee's family members and a lone survivor of a Polish massacre, enters their apartment in search of help. They risk their lives to hide him from the Nazis.

Through these intense chain of events, the hard-hitting impact is always present. Such powerful theme keeps audiences watching closely. This powerful film desplicts the Holocaust's hardships wonderfully, brutal and beyond heartbreaking. The emotion aspect builds as lives change forever, namely Josef's renewed life outlook. The unique camera effects in certain scenes dig deeper into the characers' surroundings. Such film quality gives the brilliant plot its viewing enjoyment up to the surprising conclusion. The performers add their own sense of emotional value to this, namely Polivka, Siskova, and Kassai. Kassai's captivating performance as David alone offers the unforgettable experience through his character's life threatening struggles.

"Divided We Fall" is yet another great Holocaust-based film that will continue pleasing its audiences. This will not be forgotten by any of them.