The film "The wife of the zoo keeper", the description of which many had learned before the premiere, was released on world screens on March 12, 2017. This is a historical drama based on real events. The action takes place during the assault on Poland by German troops in 1939. The war film was nominated for various film awards, but earned mixed reviews. "The wife of the zoo keeper" is a story not about animals, but about people.
basic information
The film "The Wife of the Zoo Caretaker" was shot based on the book of the same name by Diane Akerman, who relied in her work on the diaries of Antonina Zhabinskaya, the main heroine of this story. Director’s chair was taken by the New Zealand winner of various cinematic awards, Nicky Caro, known for the films “Coach” and “Northern Country”. The script was taken up by Angela Workman, as well as the author of the original source, Diane Akerman. The first screening of the film took place on March 8 in Warsaw. It is the Polish capital that is the main scene of history. In Russia, the premiere took place on April 13.
Plot
In short, “The Wife of the Zoo Caretaker” is another movie story that touches on one of the most tragic pages of human life - the Holocaust, during which more than five million Jews died. The plot of the film opens with an episode of a summer sunny day at the Warsaw Zoo, whose animals are visited by Antonina Zhabinskaya. Local ranger Yang is her husband.
In the evening, guests come to the house to the spouses, including the German biologist Dr. Lutz Heck. The next day the war begins. The bombing of the city by German planes leads to the destruction of the cells of the zoo. Animals scatter around the city. Dr. Heck comes to Antonina and Jan and says that the zoo will be completely liquidated because there is no animal feed. The biologist takes part of the animals to Germany, promising to return them to Poland after the war, the Germans shoot another part. Some time later, the persecution of Jews begins in Warsaw, who are either killed or resettled in the ghetto.
Jan and Antonina come up with a plan whose goal is to shelter the Jews in the zoo. Spouses suggest that Dr. Heck organize a farm on the territory of the former menagerie to feed the German troops, thereby resuming the work of the zoo, in the basement of which a whole Jewish colony is hiding. Throughout the rest of the film, the Zhabinsky continue to be engaged in the salvation of Jews, many of whom could have been on the site of the ghetto burned. The final scene shows the liberation of Warsaw by Soviet troops.
Roles and characters
The list of actors "Zoo Caretaker's Wife" is led by Jessica Chastain, known for the films The Servant and The Tree of Life. The actress approached the performance of the role of her heroine Antonina Zhabinskaya seriously and responsibly. In an interview with one magazine, Chastain said that she always dreamed of playing the role of strong women in the spirit and character. To work in the film, Jessica was preparing with a special teacher, because Antonina came to Poland from St. Petersburg. The speech was supposed to be not just in Polish, but also with a neat Russian accent.
Jan Zhabinsky was played by Johan Heldenberg, an actor of Belgian origin, known in small cinema circles. The role of the German biologist was played by Daniel Bruhl, a German actor who worked on projects such as Inglourious Basterds, Fifth Power, and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Production
In 2007, Diane Akerman's book, The Wife of the Zoo Caretaker, was released. A few months later, Angela Workman began work on a screenplay script. In 2013, director Nicky Caro and starring Jessica Chastain joined the project. in 2015, the contract was signed by other project participants. The shooting took place in Prague. In the movie "Zoo ranger's wife" he raised more than $ 26 million with a budget of 20.
History reference
The Warsaw Zoo was opened in 1928 and had more than five hundred species of animals, most of which were destroyed during World War II. During the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, a pig farm operated in the zoo, and hundreds of Jews were hiding in the cellars of the garden. In 1946, it was decided to restore the menagerie. Today, its walls contain more than 4000 animals.
The Zhabinsky family was awarded the prize of the Righteous of the World for the salvation of more than three hundred Jews. After the end of the war and his return to Warsaw, Jan continued to engage in scientific work. On the Polish radio, he conducted more than 1,500 thousand programs, and in 1947 he edited the genealogy book of bison. Antonina was engaged in writing. She wrote two children's stories, published memoirs about the days of the occupation "People and Animals" and published the book "Our House at the Zoo". Spouses Zhabinsky in the photo below.
Critics reviews and ratings
Critics around the world leave mixed reviews about the film. “The wife of the zoo keeper” is praised mainly for the brilliant acting of Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl, who is not the first time playing the role of a Nazi. It is noted that the actor in this role was able to demonstrate two sides of the Reich officer: devotion to duty and ordinary humanity. Critic Mick LaSalle wrote in a San Francisco magazine that the film captures from the first seconds, that it achieved its greatness through the flickering of the human soul. LaSalle also noticed how skillfully directed by Caro threaded a thread of narration through military external events into the internal trials of people and animals.
The popular IndieWire review portal included Zoo Caretaker's Wife in the list of the best films of the year, explaining that because of painful dramatic twists, the heart clenches and tears come to my eyes. At the same time, the site criticized the acting, calling it the "anchor" of the picture. Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times stated that Nicky Caro and Jessica Chastain created an “emotionally satisfying wife” in their work. Popular critic Jacob Soll called the military drama "the first feminist film about the Holocaust." Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that the movie is timid and sterile, almost childish. Polish reviewers expressed their friendly support for the picture, calling the adaptations of such stories modern at any time. On the Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has 61 percent approval based on 160 reviews, ranking 6.2 out of 10.
Spectator reviews
"The wife of the zoo keeper" was watched by millions of people. Of course, there is no consensus. Most viewers write about the positive impact of the trend, in which recently you can often see not military actions, but the stories of people who lived during the war. Other moviegoers write that this picture has nothing to do with the reality of what happened. They write that romantic scenes have no place in such films, and many characters look implausible.
They notice that even though the film is fiction, it still uses the facts from the diaries of a woman who existed not only on the screen. These are the reviews about "Zoo ranger's wife"