Defiance: An Analysis of Cinema through a Historical Lens

Edward Zwick’s Defiance (2008) dramatizes the true story of the Belarusian Jewish Bielski brothers who took several Jewish survivors under their wing while struggling to survive under the brutal onslaught of Nazi German forces. By utilizing the history of Nazi prowess to form the main narrative conflict,  Zwick creates a riveting film that is simultaneously engaging and academically relevant.

The “villain” in the film is essentially the Nazi regime, with the film being set up as a classic underdog tale of Jewish survivors facing the combined might of the Einsatzgruppen, local Auxiliary Police, and German military forces. One of the primary reasons for the immense difficulty of the Bielski brothers’ mission is the varied and multi-pronged approach of the Nazi fighting machine. Under the supervision of Himmler and Heydrich, the  Einsatzgruppen were instrumental in mass killings in conquered territories and are the reason for the initial displacement of the family. The collaborative force of local police under the supervision of  occupying Germans becomes the reason for the death of the brothers’ parents and the target of their vengeance.  Later in the film, the brothers have to evacuate the camp in response to the attack of German ground troops, which serves as a demonstration of the intelligence and technical might of the German forces. 

Every struggle the Bielski brothers face in Zwick’s Defiance is underlied with historical facts regarding the violent power of the Nazi Regime.