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Korczak

1990 1h 55m Biography List
Tomatometer 3 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Idealistic pediatrician Janusz Korczak (Wojtek Pszoniak) opens a makeshift orphanage in an abandoned school in Warsaw's Jewish ghetto during World War II, soon providing shelter to over 200 children whose parents were either killed or sent to concentration camps. Korczak does his best to protect his innocent charges from the collapse of law and order that's happening in the streets outside, resisting calls to save himself while hoping the Nazis will spare the orphans from the camps.

Critics Reviews

View All (3) Critics Reviews
Philip French Observer (UK) Andrzej Wajda has directed three of the greatest movies to emerge from the experience of World War II but he stumbled badly with Love in Germany and has found neither the right tone nor the appropriate form for Korczak. Oct 18, 2023 Full Review Christopher Tookey Sunday Telegraph (UK) A film which is often heavy-handed and flat-footed in its naturalism but always has its heart in the right place: like a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical without the music. Oct 17, 2023 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid If Korczak isn't an artistic success, it's very much a historical success, offering a brief and powerful film school for interested filmmakers, and thus leading to better films. Aug 22, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (8) audience reviews
Audience Member (****): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member A haunting and powerful film of a true hero of the Holocaust who doesn't seem to get the world wide recognition that he deserves. He was protective of his orphanage children and was willing to sacrifice himself for the opportunity to save them (if one existed) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Good Polish flick. The acting is nothing special and it's in black and white pre-Schindler's List. Hmm... The story and tribute to the man who inspired it is the real winner. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie is not about the life of Dr. Janusz Korczak but rather about the last weeks in his life. The film is not a great one, but can be recommended because the theme is interesting. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Reduced me to a sobbing heap. Unbearable. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a profoundly moving movie. I saw it at the local rep cinema and was left silent for a time after the credits rolled. The true story is about a Polish doctor who goes out of his way to save children in the Warsaw Ghetto from being sent to Auschwitz (the ending does not compromise what we know happened.) Deserves to be as well known as Schindler's List Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Korczak

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Korczak

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Movie Info

Synopsis Idealistic pediatrician Janusz Korczak (Wojtek Pszoniak) opens a makeshift orphanage in an abandoned school in Warsaw's Jewish ghetto during World War II, soon providing shelter to over 200 children whose parents were either killed or sent to concentration camps. Korczak does his best to protect his innocent charges from the collapse of law and order that's happening in the streets outside, resisting calls to save himself while hoping the Nazis will spare the orphans from the camps.
Director
Andrzej Wajda
Producer
Regina Ziegler, Janusz Morgenstern
Genre
Biography
Original Language
Polish
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 12, 2016
Runtime
1h 55m