War is a living nightmare, wreaking its destruction on innocent lives and civilizations. It casts deep wounds that shape our history, present circumstances, and potential prospects for the future.
War has been a central theme in all of human history since its inception. It inspires both captivation and terror, with stories of bravery, resilience, and courage, as well as violence and death. It is the peak of danger – where any semblance of safety or security ceases to exist for those who fight. All that remains are humanity’s yearning for survival against insurmountable odds.
Hollywood has no shortage of war films meant to both awe and educate. Some promote the best humanity can offer as people come together for a common cause. Others reveal the horrific truth behind conflict’s brutality and man’s capacity for harm on an unimaginable scale.
Here is the ultimate fan selection of the top...
War has been a central theme in all of human history since its inception. It inspires both captivation and terror, with stories of bravery, resilience, and courage, as well as violence and death. It is the peak of danger – where any semblance of safety or security ceases to exist for those who fight. All that remains are humanity’s yearning for survival against insurmountable odds.
Hollywood has no shortage of war films meant to both awe and educate. Some promote the best humanity can offer as people come together for a common cause. Others reveal the horrific truth behind conflict’s brutality and man’s capacity for harm on an unimaginable scale.
Here is the ultimate fan selection of the top...
- 3/19/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Come and See"
Where You Can Stream It: The Criterion Channel, YouTube
The Pitch: A naive teen joins up with the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Belarus, only to be cast loose amid the horrors of war in Elim Klimov's visceral 1985 nightmare odyssey.
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Soviet anti-war film described by its late director as "a plea for peace" seems like a relevant reminder of the suffering once caused by false liberators in the same region. Just recently, a Russian paratrooper became the first soldier in the country's military to flee to an undisclosed location and speak out against the invasion in the global press. In an interview with CNN, he said that he and...
The Movie: "Come and See"
Where You Can Stream It: The Criterion Channel, YouTube
The Pitch: A naive teen joins up with the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Belarus, only to be cast loose amid the horrors of war in Elim Klimov's visceral 1985 nightmare odyssey.
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a Soviet anti-war film described by its late director as "a plea for peace" seems like a relevant reminder of the suffering once caused by false liberators in the same region. Just recently, a Russian paratrooper became the first soldier in the country's military to flee to an undisclosed location and speak out against the invasion in the global press. In an interview with CNN, he said that he and...
- 8/30/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Although The Painted Bird is only director Vaclav Marhoul’s third film (his previous works include Smart Phillip [2003] and Tobruk [2008]), it is, in short, an epic masterpiece of cinematic accomplishment.
In an effort to spare their child the horrors of the Holocaust, a Jewish couple send their son Joska (Petr Kotlár) to live out the war in safety with a relative somewhere in the Eastern European countryside. But, when the child’s guardian unexpectedly dies, the now homeless boy is forced take to the open road and endure a hostile world now governed by hate, fear, and violence. Struggling for survival, he journeys through a world besot by locals and villagers driven by prejudice, superstition, and their own rules. But, when the war ends, his fight for survival may just become one for his soul as well as his life.
Based on Jerzy Kosiński’s 1965 novel, Marhoul’s script is...
In an effort to spare their child the horrors of the Holocaust, a Jewish couple send their son Joska (Petr Kotlár) to live out the war in safety with a relative somewhere in the Eastern European countryside. But, when the child’s guardian unexpectedly dies, the now homeless boy is forced take to the open road and endure a hostile world now governed by hate, fear, and violence. Struggling for survival, he journeys through a world besot by locals and villagers driven by prejudice, superstition, and their own rules. But, when the war ends, his fight for survival may just become one for his soul as well as his life.
Based on Jerzy Kosiński’s 1965 novel, Marhoul’s script is...
- 7/17/2020
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
"I want to go home!" IFC Films has debuted an official Us trailer for the extra-bleak Czech war drama The Painted Bird, originally titled Nabarvené ptáce in Czechia. This originally premiered at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals last fall, and earned mixed reviews, praising the raw intensity of this harrowing war-is-hell feature. Written & directed by Czech filmmaker Václav Marhoul, and adapted from Jerzy Kosinski's novel of the same name, it's about a young Jewish boy wandering around Eastern Europe alone during WWII. The B&w 35mm film is described as an "evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II." The Painted Bird is a dramatic story examining the immediate relationship between terror and cruelty on one side and innocence and love on the other. The film stars Petr Kotlár as The Boy, plus Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands,...
- 2/26/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the most anticipated re-releases of the year is Janus Films’ 35th anniversary restoration of Elem Klimov’s gut-wrenching World War II saga Come and See, a coming-of-age film from hell if ever there was one. If one visual stands out in Klimov’s masterpiece it is the haunted face of its star Aleksey Kravchenko staring directly into the camera. Kravchenko was only 14 when he starting filming but he seems to age visibly before your eyes during the film’s 142 minute running time.That face has naturally been the basis of most of the best posters for the film over the years, most especially Igor Pavlovich Lemeshev’s superb design above in which the title is printed in tiny letters between Kravchenko’s seen-it-all eyes. Sovexportfilm used Lemeshev’s poster in various international territories and it is to my mind one of the all-time great movie posters.Janus Films’ 2020 U.
- 2/17/2020
- MUBI
"He endured iniquity from many people." Eureka Entertainment has unveiled an official UK trailer for the Czech war drama The Painted Bird, originally titled Nabarvené ptáce in Czechia. This premiered at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals last fall, and is Czechia's official submission to this year's Academy Awards (for last year). Written & directed by Czech filmmaker Václav Marhoul, adapted from Jerzy Kosinski's classic novel of the same name, it's about a young Jewish boy wandering around Eastern Europe alone during WWII. The raw B&w 35mm film is described as an "evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II." The Painted Bird is a deeply dramatic story examining the immediate relationship between terror and cruelty on one side and innocence and love on the other. The film stars Petr Kotlár as The Boy, along with Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Harvey Keitel,...
- 1/2/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
IFC Films has acquired the U.S. rights to “The Painted Bird,” a Holocaust drama starring Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel and Udo Kier that played at Venice and Toronto earlier this year, the distributor announced Tuesday.
“The Painted Bird” is directed, written, and produced by Václav Marhoul and is based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski. The foreign language drama will be the official Oscar submission from the Czech Republic. IFC Films is planning a theatrical release for 2020.
The film was praised on the festival circuit for its bleak, unsparing look at Holocaust atrocities and evil, but the nearly three-hour saga, all in black and white on 35mm film, also prompted walkouts among moviegoers and split some critics.
Also Read: 'The Painted Bird' Film Review: Jerzy Kosiński Adaptation Is Gruesome, Poetic Epic of Inhumanity
“Marhoul’s film isn’t shy about the steady stream of ugliness, and that...
“The Painted Bird” is directed, written, and produced by Václav Marhoul and is based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski. The foreign language drama will be the official Oscar submission from the Czech Republic. IFC Films is planning a theatrical release for 2020.
The film was praised on the festival circuit for its bleak, unsparing look at Holocaust atrocities and evil, but the nearly three-hour saga, all in black and white on 35mm film, also prompted walkouts among moviegoers and split some critics.
Also Read: 'The Painted Bird' Film Review: Jerzy Kosiński Adaptation Is Gruesome, Poetic Epic of Inhumanity
“Marhoul’s film isn’t shy about the steady stream of ugliness, and that...
- 9/24/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
IFC Films is no stranger to controversial films or awards contenders, and the distributor’s latest acquisition handily ticks both of those boxes. The home of such films as “Boyhood” and “Phoenix” has picked up the U.S. rights to Václav Marhoul’s controversial Holocaust drama, which recently prompted mass audience walkouts during its screenings at both Venice and Tiff. The film, the first ever made in the “invented” Interslavic language, has already been selected as the Czech Republic’s Oscar selection for the Best International Feature Film.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Jerzy Kosinski, the film took Marhoul over a decade to make and is billed as “a meticulous 35mm black and white evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II. The film follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies,...
Based on the acclaimed novel by Jerzy Kosinski, the film took Marhoul over a decade to make and is billed as “a meticulous 35mm black and white evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II. The film follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies,...
- 9/24/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “The Painted Bird,” the critically acclaimed and controversial adaptation of the Jerzy Kosinski novel. The film will be the Czech Republic’s Oscar entry for the foreign language category at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Directed, written and produced by Václav Marhoul (“Smart Philip”), the film is an unsparing look at the horrors of the Holocaust. Its violence reportedly prompted audience walkouts at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, but also drew rave reviews for its uncompromising depiction of evil.
In a five star review, the Guardian’s Xan Brooks acknowledged the movie was a tough sit, but added, “I can state without hesitation that this is a monumental piece of work and one I’m deeply glad to have seen. I can also say that I hope to never cross its path again.”
Variety‘s Guy Lodge also praised the film,...
Directed, written and produced by Václav Marhoul (“Smart Philip”), the film is an unsparing look at the horrors of the Holocaust. Its violence reportedly prompted audience walkouts at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, but also drew rave reviews for its uncompromising depiction of evil.
In a five star review, the Guardian’s Xan Brooks acknowledged the movie was a tough sit, but added, “I can state without hesitation that this is a monumental piece of work and one I’m deeply glad to have seen. I can also say that I hope to never cross its path again.”
Variety‘s Guy Lodge also praised the film,...
- 9/24/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Hard-hitting Venice Film Festival competition movie The Painted Bird has been selected by the Czech Film and Television Academy as the Czech Republic’s international Oscar entry.
Described as an “evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II,” director-producer Václav Marhoul’s black-and-white 35mm Holocaust feature follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and The Boy is on his own, wandering through the countryside, from village to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, The Boy suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants and he witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosinski (Being There), the dark drama prompted a number of walk-outs at Toronto and Venice due to its tough subject matter.
Described as an “evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II,” director-producer Václav Marhoul’s black-and-white 35mm Holocaust feature follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and The Boy is on his own, wandering through the countryside, from village to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, The Boy suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants and he witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosinski (Being There), the dark drama prompted a number of walk-outs at Toronto and Venice due to its tough subject matter.
- 9/16/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
"Come and fetch me." Celluloid Dreams has debuted a promo trailer for an indie film titled The Painted Bird, which is premiering at the Venice Film Festival this fall playing in competition. Written & directed by Czech filmmaker Václav Marhoul, the film is adapted from Jerzy Kosinski's classic novel of the same name, about a young Jewish boy wandering around Eastern Europe alone during WWII. The B&w 35mm film is described as an "evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II." The Painted Bird is a deeply dramatic story examining the immediate relationship between terror and cruelty on one side and innocence and love on the other. Starring Petr Kotlár as The Boy, with a cast including Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands, Lech Dyblik, Aleksey Kravchenko, Petr Vaněk, and Barry Pepper. This looks intense and evocative, a work of cinematic art.
- 7/28/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Variety has been given exclusive access to the international trailer for Vaclav Marhoul’s “The Painted Bird,” which world premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival, and screens at the Toronto Film Festival in the Special Presentations section.
The cast, led by Petr Kotlar, includes Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands, Barry Pepper, Lech Dyblik, Jitka Cvancarova and Aleksey Kravchenko. Celluloid Dreams has world rights to the film, with Celluloid Dreams and CAA Media Finance co-representing the U.S. rights.
The black-and-white 35mm film, based on Jerzy Kosinski’s novel, is described as an “evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II.”
It follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and The Boy is on his own, wandering through the country-side, from village to farmhouse.
As he struggles for survival,...
The cast, led by Petr Kotlar, includes Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands, Barry Pepper, Lech Dyblik, Jitka Cvancarova and Aleksey Kravchenko. Celluloid Dreams has world rights to the film, with Celluloid Dreams and CAA Media Finance co-representing the U.S. rights.
The black-and-white 35mm film, based on Jerzy Kosinski’s novel, is described as an “evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II.”
It follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and The Boy is on his own, wandering through the country-side, from village to farmhouse.
As he struggles for survival,...
- 7/26/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In honor of “The Florida Project,” which has just started its platform release across the country, what is the greatest child performance in a film?
Jordan Hoffman (@JHoffman), The Guardian, Vanity Fair
I can agonize over this question or I can go at this Malcolm Gladwell “Blink”-style. My answer is Tatum O’Neal in “Paper Moon.” She’s just so funny and tough, which of course makes the performance all the more heartbreaking. She won the freaking Oscar at age 10 for this and I’d really love to give a more deep cut response, but why screw around? Paper Moon is a perfect film and she is the lynchpin.
This week’s question: In honor of “The Florida Project,” which has just started its platform release across the country, what is the greatest child performance in a film?
Jordan Hoffman (@JHoffman), The Guardian, Vanity Fair
I can agonize over this question or I can go at this Malcolm Gladwell “Blink”-style. My answer is Tatum O’Neal in “Paper Moon.” She’s just so funny and tough, which of course makes the performance all the more heartbreaking. She won the freaking Oscar at age 10 for this and I’d really love to give a more deep cut response, but why screw around? Paper Moon is a perfect film and she is the lynchpin.
- 10/9/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In honor of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” what is the best war movie ever made?
Read More‘Dunkirk’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Monumental War Epic Is The Best Film He’s Ever Made Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
Howard Hawks’ “The Dawn Patrol,” from 1930, shows soldiers and officers cracking up from the cruelty of their missions — and shows the ones who manage not to, singing and clowning with an exuberance that suggests the rictus of a death mask. There’s courage and heroism, virtue and honor — at a price that makes the words themselves seem foul. John Ford’s “The Lost Patrol,...
This week’s question: In honor of Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” what is the best war movie ever made?
Read More‘Dunkirk’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Monumental War Epic Is The Best Film He’s Ever Made Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
Howard Hawks’ “The Dawn Patrol,” from 1930, shows soldiers and officers cracking up from the cruelty of their missions — and shows the ones who manage not to, singing and clowning with an exuberance that suggests the rictus of a death mask. There’s courage and heroism, virtue and honor — at a price that makes the words themselves seem foul. John Ford’s “The Lost Patrol,...
- 7/24/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
I promise – it wasn’t my plan to have seven of the ten films on this portion of the list focus on World War II. But, if we look back at the biggest international conflicts of all time, World War II is the one that provides the most opportunity. It’s a chance for a number of different countries to look at the same war from different perspectives. In this portion alone, there’s a French film, a German film, a Hungarian film, a couple British/American films, and a few American films – all about varied aspects of World War II.
courtesy of fmvmagazine.com
40. The Killing Fields (1984)
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Conflict: Cambodian Civil War
For all the films made about World War II and larger scale conflicts, the few that depict smaller, more concentrated ones are sometimes more effective. Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama The Killing Fields hones in on Cambodia,...
courtesy of fmvmagazine.com
40. The Killing Fields (1984)
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Conflict: Cambodian Civil War
For all the films made about World War II and larger scale conflicts, the few that depict smaller, more concentrated ones are sometimes more effective. Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama The Killing Fields hones in on Cambodia,...
- 6/10/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The interplay between beautiful and sinister imagery defines much of Marius Holst’s haunting Norwegian prison drama King of Devil’s Island. The bleakly perplexing visage of a harpooned whale dying alongside the arrival of two boys into a brutal prison system generates a stirring metaphor that grows only stronger over the film’s course.
Based on the actual 1915 uprising of Norway’s Bastøy Island, we meet new inmates Erling (Benjamin Helstad) and Ivar (Magnus Langlete) as they are initiated by being paraded around naked in front of their fellow prisoners. It creates an antagonistic atmosphere from the outset, one neither governed nor reprimanded by the prison’s ambiguous director, Bestyreren (Stellan Skarsgård). Violent confrontations are evidently endemic to the environment, no different from the majority of prisons worldwide. Disturbingly, those in positions of power, such as caretaker Brathen (Kristoffer Joner), order senior inmates to administer...
The interplay between beautiful and sinister imagery defines much of Marius Holst’s haunting Norwegian prison drama King of Devil’s Island. The bleakly perplexing visage of a harpooned whale dying alongside the arrival of two boys into a brutal prison system generates a stirring metaphor that grows only stronger over the film’s course.
Based on the actual 1915 uprising of Norway’s Bastøy Island, we meet new inmates Erling (Benjamin Helstad) and Ivar (Magnus Langlete) as they are initiated by being paraded around naked in front of their fellow prisoners. It creates an antagonistic atmosphere from the outset, one neither governed nor reprimanded by the prison’s ambiguous director, Bestyreren (Stellan Skarsgård). Violent confrontations are evidently endemic to the environment, no different from the majority of prisons worldwide. Disturbingly, those in positions of power, such as caretaker Brathen (Kristoffer Joner), order senior inmates to administer...
- 6/28/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
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