Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story
| 08 April 1985 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Reviews
    edwagreen

    Super outstanding film dealing with the exploits of Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg. He saved a great number of Hungarian Jews marked for extermination during the Holocaust.Richard Chamberlain was never better in any of his mini-series. Proudly nicknamed the king of mini-series, Chamberlain etched an unforgettable portrayal of this hero for all times.The story begins as Chamberlain, a young Swedish college student from an affluent family, mocks Adolf Hitler. Truth be told, the world didn't know the horrors that this all-time modern madman would heap on modern civilization.How Chamberlain (Wallenberg) ran with Swedish documents and passed them out to Hungarian Jews was memorable. Instantaneously, the Hungarian Jews were Swedish citizens and therefore protected under Swedish authority.Remember the miracle when, at the end of the war, many Hungarian Jews lost their protection and were placed in a barn that the Nazis were ready to blow up. Who can forget their faces as they huddled together and chanted the "shema" to sanctify the al-mighty's name? It would be left to Wallenberg to rescue them at the last minute from certain death.Needless to say, the world was a much poorer place when Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets,imprisoned, and never heard from again.He is certainly a leading member of the righteous-those Christians who risked their lives to save Jews during the darkest period of history in this century.Chamberlain gave a phenomenal performance which will long be remembered.

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    rwilliams-33

    This movie is truly remarkable. It is a complete mystery to me why I can't find it for sale---when there is such drivel available in so many venues. If anyone has ideas I would truly appreciate it. I'd pay $50 if I could find it. Maybe I should copy all of these comments and send them to Blockbuster's CEO.I am intrigued by one viewer's comments that this movie inspired controversy. Chamberlain is retired but surely he doesn't regret this effort. He did an outstanding job.I made my kids watch this when it was on AMC once---surely someone can take this video and cut some DVDs.I'm amazed that the Holocaust museums and the different Wallenberg foundations and related organizations don't have this for sale as an educational vehicle.

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    morenoapb3

    After much searching, I was able to obtain a copy of this miniseries though the tape is not all that clear, and some of the dialogue is hard to pick up. Since this has NEVER even been released on video, which in itself is ridiculous, I am just happy to have been able to view this wonderfully produced and acted miniseries based on the truly heroic Swedish Diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg. Filmed on location in 1984, the realistic surroundings add immensely to the depressing aura of that entire period, and Wallenberg's personal courage, charm, and sheer "balls" in taking on Adolph Eichmann and the Nazis in Budapest is very well represented by Richard Chamberlain's terrific performance, giving the audience a true sense of what Raoul Wallenberg was really all about. The supporting cast are all excellent as well, particularly the actors portraying Adolph Eichmann,(he bears a physical resemblance as well) and the actors portraying the members of the underground Jewish resistance in Budapest, who initially view Wallenberg's efforts to save Jews with great suspicion. Of course, being that this movie is based on true events, the ending is highly depressing.(SPOILER ALERT!) Because the War is now almost over, you would have hoped that Raoul Wallenberg would have been able to return to his privileged life from an aristocratic family in Sweden, and enjoy much praise and adulation for his courage in saving 100,000 Jews. Instead, sadly and horribly, he is snatched by the Soviets, never to be heard from again, despite many diplomatic efforts to find out what happened to him in the Soviet prison system. A most tragic end for a most wonderful and courageous hero!!

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    anombrerose

    This is an excellent movie about one of the finest heroes of the 20th century. An attractive young scion from an old Swedish banking family reaches the point where he can no longer tolerate what he sees happening to Jews in Europe during WW2, and decides he has to do something about it. Conferring with a senior Diplomat, he gets himself some minor position in the Diplomatic Corp. and immediately begins to use that position to do something about it. What he does, and how he does it, is so simple, yet so amazing, and most of all, surprising, even shockingly successful.Totally Politically Incorrect. Can we expect Hollywood, who dissed "The Passion", utterly, to appreciate this piece of work, either, and help market it? I think the fact that others have found this work so unavailable, from a proved actor of the caliber of Richard Chamberlain speaks volumes. This miniseries made many powerful enemies in its day. Sometimes if you bombard the classic movie channels with requests for an "oldie", they will eventually play it, perhaps a year later.

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