Anna Paquin’s Hallmark movie “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler” has been released on DVD.
If you missed the TV premiere in April of this year, let me fill you in on this incredible and true story.
Irena Sendler was a Catholic social worker who helped save the lives of 2,500 Jewish babies and young children in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. She used fake identification to pass herself off as a nurse, which allowed her to enter and exit the walled-off ghetto with relative ease. Irena used that advantage to mount the daring and dangerous operation to smuggle children to safety.
Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, and died at age 98 in May, 2008. While alive, she was never comfortable being singled out for special recognition. She always reminded people that smuggling and then protecting all those children represented a collective effort on the part of many brave souls, including couriers, nuns, priests and Polish families, to say nothing of the close-knit band of mostly women who were part of her underground smuggling network.
Anna Paquin researched the life and times of Irena Sendler before filming began in November, 2008, in Riga, Latvia.
“She was extraordinarily strong,” Paquin says, “and extraordinarily modest. She had no sense of being in any way special or heroic. She was angry about what was happening to the Jews she knew personally, and the thousands more she didn’t know. She said the only way she could live through that terrible time was to do something. She felt she had no choice.”
Paquin continues, “When she was asked years later, ‘Weren’t you scared?’ she answered, ‘Yes – but my anger was stronger!’
Read more about “The Courageous Heart Of Ireana Sendler” in our Special with photos, movie clips and a video interview with Anna Paquin.
Special reporter for ‘The Vault’ Gretchen attended the premiere screening of “The Courageous Heart Of Irena Sendler” Monday night (April 13) at the Darryl F. Zanuck Theatre in Hollywood and met Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. Read her article here.
Like
Anna Paquin was just wonderful in this film. It was truly a tragic story, but worth seeing and something that should neve be forgotten.
[Reply]
I remember crying buckets…and telling SM I needed a mop to wipe away all my tears which made him chortle (and I almost fainted).
[Reply]
She was fantastic. Has anyone heard of Emmy buzz for her for this film?
[Reply]
Shadaliza Reply:
July 5th, 2009 at 16:34
Oh yes, it is buzzing…
[Reply]
stephenlovesanna Reply:
July 5th, 2009 at 18:56
Great news, thanks!
[Reply]
I love the movie and I think this is one of the best, if not THE best, things Anna has ever done. I even watched it a second time the day after, hehe
[Reply]
Darn it. I can’t rent it at Netflix yet. T_____T
[Reply]
I’ll have to check this out. Thanks for the info, Shad! :)
[Reply]