SYNOPSIS: In times of war, courage is necessary for survival.  Alex, an 11-year-old Jewish boy living in a World War II Polish ghetto with his father and great-uncle, knows too well.  When Nazis come to his city and clear the town, Alex manages to escape with the help of his family, but is left with only his pet mouse, Snow.  Finding refuge in an abandoned building on Bird Street, Alex seeks inspiration from his favorite book, Robinson Crusoe, while he, and Snow, await his father's return.

EDITORIAL REVIEW:  "Imagine if someone came and built a high wall right around your neighborhood, so you couldn't get out."  And so begins the award winning, true story of Alex, a young boy living in an impoverished ghetto during WWII.  Told through his eyes, we follow Alex's seemingly unending journey of survival as he avoids a sadistic Nazi (have you ever met one who isn't?) bent on sending him to the concentration camps.  After escaping "selection", and not knowing whether his father and uncle are dead or alive, Alex begins to improvise using whatever material is available in the ghetto to ensure his survival.  With nothing left but the clothes on his back, and his pet mouse, Snow, Alex seems to come up with ingenious ideas to not only outwit the Nazis but to help those around him who also escape "selection."  As time and the war progresses, Alex slowly begins to realize that his family may not return - but he will never give up hope.  Thanks to Snow and his favorite book, he continues...waiting, but is it all in vain, and what price is he willing to pay for his safety and those around him?  What price are they willing to pay for him?

Has the idea of WWII films with Jewish persecution at the hands of the Nazis been beaten to death? (so to speak)......(ooh, ouch, even I found that in bad taste.).  There are so many films out there along these lines told from so many different points of view, that I actually dreaded watching this movie.  In a week filled with so many screenings to prepare for our site's updates, I had plans on watching this move at 4-times the speed with the subtitles on (I'm a fast reader) so I can at least get the idea and story in about 20 minutes - just enough to make a generic review.  All that changed the moment I heard young Jordan Kiziuk begin a narration of Alex's story.  The soft, timid voice of 11-year-old Kiziuk (who plays Alex), coupled with the all-too-familiar scenery of the Nazi SS uniforms, growling German Shepherds, and war equipment rumbling around a Jewish ghetto, was enough to make me take my hands off the remote and settle in for what was the best 102 minutes of the day.  Sure the story has been told 1000 times, but there is something different this time around that I can't quite put my finger on.  Perhaps it is the strong acting; the times when Kiziuk's performance spoke louder than the scripted dialogue.  Perhaps it was the lack of a musical score which sometimes is needed to carry slow movies through slow periods.  Whatever it was, for a MoW (movie of the week - usually reserved for low budget made-for-tv films), it was damn good.  Well deserving of the 3 Emmy® Awards it won.  Jordan Kiziuk's remarkable and touching performance won him a 1999 Emmy® Award (yay!) and a Special Mention at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.  Oh, and a Young Artist Award also in 1999.  Not bad for a kid who never acted before.

This film was released a few years ago as a Region 2 DVD around Europe.  This is the Region 1 DVD released for North America.  Thankfully the conservative American distributors didn't cut it all up, so expect a European 'feel' to it - just the way the Dutch producers wanted it.

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FORMAT:   (learn more about region coding)
* This DVD will play in North America only.  This DVD should play in most players outside of North America as well, but it's not guaranteed. This DVD will play in any computer DVD-Rom.  This is NOT a DVD-R.

VIEW MULTIMEDIA:  

STARRING: Jordan Kiziuk, Patrick Bergin, Jack Warden, Stefan Sauk.
AVAILABILITY: In stock! Ships within one business day.
LENGTH: 102 minutes.
LANGUAGE: English, with OPTIONAL ENGLISH (SDH) and SPANISH SUBTITLES.
SPECIAL FEATURES: 1.33:1 (4:3 Full screen); 2.0 Stereo; 1 disc; Chapter selection; Previews; Uncut.
VIEWER DISCRETION: Brief nudity, coarse language, violence.
PICTURE QUALITY: Excellent picture quality. (what's this mean?)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Denmark / UK / Germany (1997).
ALSO KNOWN AS: Insel in der Vogelstrasse, Die (Germany) / Řen i fuglegaden (Denmark).
DATE ADDED TO OUR LIBRARY:  October 17, 2008.
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