Perlasca: Un eroe italiano

Plot synopsis:
The film starts in a Budapest Hotel with a narrative introduction by Perlasca. His chambermaid warns him of a raid of Hungarian Arrow Cross storm troopers coming to arrest him. He escapes and manages gets to the railway station, where he tries to sneak onto a sheep transport wagon. Discovered by a local officer named Glückmar he is arrested (as Italy has surrendered to the Alllies, Italian citizens in Hungary are considered enemies). While he is being taken away, an Allied air strike hits the station and Perlasca escapes.
He goes to an upper-class party to get information from Contessa Eleonora about Resistance members who can help him leave the country. Another squad of troopers, led by Captain Bleiber, arrive on the scene and arrest some guests, including Italian military officers. The contessa uses her Hungarian social rank to get Perlasca out safely and sends him to Professor Balázs, a doctor. Perlasca finds he is sheltering Jews who have left the ghetto, at a time when they are being deported to Nazi death camps.
Perlasca spends the night at his clinic, but the place is investigated by Bleiber and his Lieut. Nagy. Escaping the immediate threat, the Jews leave the house in fear and most are caught and killed by Bleiber and his forces, who had been waiting outside. Perlasce survives with Magda, a young Jewish woman, and her daughter Lili. They reach the Spanish Embassy where, thanks to a safe-passage letter signed by Francisco Franco, he gains an audience with the ambassador Sanz Briz. He sends them to a Spanish safe house, protected by embassy sovereignty. They are accompanied by a local Hungarian Jewish lawyer working for the embassy.
At the safe house, Perlasca meets more refugees from the clinic, and Eva and Sándor, a Jewish couple. He helps get groups to collaborate within the house. He and the lawyer leave the house for s drink but upon his return he recognizes that the house was indeed cleaned up illegally by the Arrow Cross soldiers. He begins searching for Magda first in the railway station where the fascists have already started to gather and load the Jews to wagons ready to roll out.
For the second time, he confronts Glückmar, who helps him . Perlasca is sent to the SS-Führer of the station who is easily bribed and thus lets him compile a list of Jews needed by the Spanish Embassy. He cheats with the list and actually calls more people to his truck than it is permitted, except Magda, who isn't on the train. He then visits an Arrow Cross Interrogation base, where he finds a lot of executed Jews but saves those few who survived the torture with Magda among them. Returning to the Embassy, Briz tells him that the Spanish are withdrawing from Hungary and ceasing to operate. This is the point where Perlasca decides to take on the role of a so-called consul and to lie, saying he is of Spanish nationality and have others call him "Jorge". He refuses to let the Arrow troopers in and acts as if the Embassy is still functioning and is therefore sovereign territory. He organizes education, alert duty and supplies within these buildings. He visits Gábor Vajna, the Arrow Cross Interior Minister of Hungary as consul and claims that the Jews housed by the Spanish are Sephardi Jews. Meanwhile Lt. Nagy – according to the local rules – forces the protected Jews to the streets to clear debris caused by air raids. He then attempts to escort the group to the railway station for deportation, but is stopped again by a dispatch reporting Perlasca's and Vajna's agreement. Then comes the aforementioned encounter with Adolf Eichmann where Perlasca saves the lives of two siblings. He then falsifies 5000 'Schutzbriefs' (protection letters) when he is informed of his own Spanish passport waiting for him at the Hungarian border. He still chooses to stay because Magda's life is in danger. A final raid on the safehouse results in Nagy taking all the Jews (except a half dozen of them who remain in hiding) to the Danube bank, while Perlasca is attending a ball where he tries to borrow a train-wagon for his protégés to be sent to Switzerland. While running away from the safehouse, Magda's father is shot on sight by a young militiaman, who tries to test him by asking him to recite the prayer, "Our father, who art in ... ". As a Jew he can not do so, and the soldier yells, "Where is our father?" When Sándor responds, "I don't know where he is," he is shot immediately. Perlasca and the few remained Jews find shelter at Professor Balázs' flat. At the Danube river the 1944/45 Danube executions take place and despite recruiting aid from Major Glückmer, Perlasca arrives too late to the scene. He manages to save only Eva. Upon hearing the news of plans to burn down the Budapest ghetto and its inhabitants, he decides to convince the Jewish community to take up arms and to fight if necessary. He also makes his final visit to Vajna's office and, with a successful bluff, he convinces him to let the ghetto stand and thus be freed by the Red Army days later. In the final scenes, Cpt. Bleiber is seen hanged in the street and Perlasca leaves the city with the help of Glückmer, who was originally ordered to arrest him because of his previous fascist affiliations.

Tags: good versus evil, murder, tragedy

Review:
People who care.
Perlasca.Un eroe italiano (2002) tells about Giorgio Perlasca, a man who once lived and did something most people were afraid to do or just didn't care.He saved many Hungarian Jews from concentration camp in 1944.He did care and actually do something while the rest of the world stood still and did nothing.Luca Zingaretti gives a strong performance in this Alberto Negrin's TV movie.This movie awakes feelings of anger and despair in you.It's hard to hold your tears.When you see a scene where the mass execution takes place you are at the same time very sad and very angry.Why did all this have to happen?
Why couldn't anybody get Hitler killed?
Why couldn't there have been more people like Perlasca?
The original title means An Italian Hero.That's what Giorgio Perlasca was; a hero..
Schindler's List part II.
The title summarizes it all: this is a second version of Schindler's List: a fascist who finally saves the jews by all means he has...
What's the big difference?First of all, it's the peculiar setting in time and place.
During World War II, Hungary chose the side of the Axis, until Horthy, the dictator seeked for contact with the Allies in 1944 (the walls of the Third Reich were crumbling at that time).
Hitler then supported the Hungarian Nazi's (who never were a part of the regime of Horthy), the Arrow Cross Party, to take control.
They immediately introduced a severe jew prosecution and extermination.
These facts are little known.
So, it's strange to see the uniforms and symbols of the Hungarian Nazi's, because they are unfamiliar to us.Second, where Spielberg was a bit wary of showing too many horror, the Italians didn't hide a thing.
For instance the mass execution scene where couples were tied up on each other and the husband executed, dumped in the Danube so the wife drowned isn't suitable for children.This movie may be stamped forever as Schindler's List II, but it's better..
Moving biography about an Italian businessman changing name and posing as a Spanish Ambassador who helped save thousands of Hungarian Jews from Nazi persecution.
Biopic movie about an Italian man named Giorgio Perlasca who along with the Spanish ambassador , Angel Sanz Briz , saved hundreds of Jews in Budapest .
Giorgio Perlasca is the main subject of this 2002 television series "Perlasca: The Courage of a Just Man" , a man who once lived and did something most people were afraid to do or just didn't care as he saved many Hungarian Jews from concentration camps in 1944 .
The real happenings being filmed on location in Hungary and powered by splendid acting .
This is a staggering evocation of the Jew's saviour , Giorgio Perlasca , finds its voice in Luca Zingaretti .
Giorgio Perlasca, an Italian veteran of the Spanish Civil War along with Angel Sanz Briz , a Spanish diplomatic who was sent to Budapest in 1942 carried out saving the lives of 5,200 Jews from the Holocaust by issuing them fake Spanish papers ; as Spain was neutral in the war , this made the difference between life and death for those Jews .
In his new false assignment, Giorgio starts immediately to hide , shield and feed a lot of Jews issuing Spanish fake safe conducts for the Jews of Sephardic origin and all the Nazi as well as the Hungarian authorities believe him .
When the Nazi occupied Hungary, in 1944 , instead to leave , he directed an original escape for multitude of Jews and was in contact with other heroes of that time , such as Raoul Wallenberg and , of course , Angel Sanz Briz .
Perlasca together with other volunteers , running incredible risks had saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from a tragic death .
Incredibly Perlasca succeeded to save Jews directly from the hands of Nazi authorities at the train station .
By doing so he saved about 5000 to 6000 Jews lives at the end of the WWII , Bucarest , 1944 .
This hero, after the war terminated in 1945 , was completely forgotten .
A Tour-De-Force and labor of love for benefactors Giorgio Perlasca and Angel Sanz Briz who finally garnered the attention and respect they deserve .
Perlasca inevitably became drawn to save Jewish as the man who turned an unlikely hero and saviour of a race not his own , being well performed by Luca Zingaretti , he is top-notch all the way throughout , only faltering in an out-of-character breakdown at the ending .
This exciting flick in ¨The Schindler's list¨ style contains intense drama , emotion , thrills , chills , violence , and ordinary Nazi brutalities .
The German atrocities are depicted matter of factly as a by-product of sheer Nazi evil .
The highlights of the movie are the thrilling as well as disturbing scenes happen on the train station as when Perlasca attempts to save a lot of Jewish and the brutal executions when the Jews are thrown by the river .
Well shot on location in Budapest , due to the sensitive nature of the story .
Excellent performances from main starring Luca Zingaretti who uses his powerful physique and intelligence as a protective buffer ; Elena Arvigo as Anna , she is watchable as a good Jewish , Marco Bonini , Amanda Sandrelli , Stefania Sandrelli's daughter, and special apparition of Mathilda May as Contessa Eleonora .
And brief appearance by Tamás Puskás as infamous Nazi chief Adolf Eichmann who personifies perfectly evil .
Evocative as well as colorful cinematography by Stefano Ricciotti .
Impressive as well as sensitive musical score by the great Ennio Morricone in his usual style .
In the picture appears historical characters who had an important role on the sad deeds such as Raoul Wallemberg , a Swedish diplomat who also saved thousands of Jews and disappeared when Stalin's troops entered in Hungary ; Angel Sanz Briz though when the Red Army approached Budapest he was ordered to leave for Switzerland ; and , of course , Adolf Eichmann in charge of Jewish transport trains .
This stirring TV picture compellingly directed by Alberto Negrin was based on real events , these are the followings : Hungary chose the side of the Axis , until Horthy , the dictator sought for contact with the Allies in 1944 though power of the Third Reich was falling at that time .
Miklos Horthy is the Hungarian ruler Admiral , Hitler then supported the collaborating Szalasy who took power over Hungary .
Later on , the Arrow Cross Party takes control to carry out politics about Jews extermination , including their transport to concentration camps .
They immediately introduced a severe Jewish prosecution and elimination .
There appears Giorgo Perlasca ; during the 1920s he was an Italian Fascist supporter, fighting in Africa an in the Spanish civil war where he deserved a safe conduct for Spanish embassies .
After some years, disillusioned by fascism, he is a fresh supplier for the Italian army.
When the Nazi occupied Hungary, in 1944, instead to leave he escaped to the Spanish embassy in Budapest using his old safe conduct and becoming a Spanish citizen , changing name into Jorge Perlasca .
When Angel Sanz Briz , the Spanish consul, is removed, Perlasca immediately substitutes him , like if he was officially appointed from Spanish authorities .
After that time Perlasca continued his labor with fake documents , posing as the Spanish Ambassador after Spain closed down their embassy .
Later on , he achieved to save thousands of Jews from martyrdom and massacres .
He was subsequently recognized by the Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem of Israel, and gave his heirs the title of Righteous Among the Nations .
And recently the Hungarian government gave him the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary..
Worth watching.
Luca Zingarelli is great as Perlasca.
It is a story about courage in the face of oppression and tragedy.
Perlasca was a fighter for the Spanish & Italian fascists and changed over to his human side when confronted by the brutality of the fascists against the Hungarian Jews.
Not Jewish himself, he risked his life against the Nazis and saved almost 6,000 Jews, posing as the Spanish Ambassador after Spain closed down their embassy.
Zingarelli's performance is astounding and you are on edge the entire film - as his monumental energy in not letting one victim die if he can disallow it, comes into view throughout.
There are many touching human moments where people connect in the film.
How Perlasca plays with the children, how he deals with young & old alike.
How he deals with so many in shock with tenderness, strength and decency commands your attention in this very long film.
I believe it was supposed to be watched over two nights in Italy, but I watched the 3 hour movie in one sitting.
Great performances including Magda and Farkas, the consul.
Bring popcorn..
Totally Awesome.
I am so totally in awe of the movie I would first like to start by thanking the people at NETFLIX for making this, and other similar, movies available to its viewers.
The performance of the cast created a lot of emotion in me, I especially liked Luca Zingaretti and the Nazi officers.
BRAVO!
The power of the story by Enrico Deagilo kept my attention to the very end.
How could have people been so cruel to their very own countrymen?
No matter how dire the situation there is always compassionate people, like Perlasca, who are willing to step forward and attempt to correction the situation no matter what it will cost them.
I am a big believer in the study of history and believe that those who don't are doomed to repeat it.
The music by Ennio Morricone makes the movie even more appealing.
This movie should be required viewing by all students in the world getting ready to graduate from high school.