Tuvia Bielski: “We may be hunted like animals, but we will not become animals.”
These were the words of a Brooklyn immigrant truck driver who saved more than 1,200 Jews from being murdered by the Nazis. After Hitler’s massive June 22, 1941, Operation Barbarossa assault against the Soviet Union, the Nazi Einsatzgruppen and local collaborators quickly captured and killed Jews throughout the occupied territories. Having lost family members and friends, Bielski and his three brothers fought back against German and Belarusian collaborators.
The Bielskis were depicted in the film Defiance, directed by Edward Zwick, which chronicles the brothers’ efforts to protect Jews and oppose the destructive actions of the Nazis. Daniel Craig was outstanding in portraying the character, leadership, and determination of Tuvia Bielski. The film shows how this large group of Jews escaped ghettos and mass shootings, fleeing from the earliest moments of Nazi occupation.
Defiance chronicles the early challenges of establishing “safe havens” in the forest, securing weapons, living near enemies, and militarily cooperating with local Soviet forces. The film honors Tuvia’s mission to oppose the Germans and save as many Jews as possible during the height of the Holocaust. Craig was masterful in demonstrating the many responsibilities Tuvia carried while fighting the Germans and keeping his people alive.
Zwick captured the humanity of these Jewish partisans, who were hunted by the Nazis, lost family members, and endured starvation, typhus, and brutal cold. Later in life, living in New York City, Tuvia died with little money and was initially buried on Long Island. For his heroic World War II leadership, Tuvia was later given a military ceremony by the Israeli government and reinterred at Har Hamenuchot Cemetery overlooking Jerusalem.
Susan Maris: “Daddy, I know who the best baseball player in the world is.”
Roger Maris: “Who’s that, honey?”
Susan Maris: “Mickey!”
Roger Maris: “Oh, who told you that?”
Susan Maris: “Mickey.”
Mickey Mantle: “Hey, she asked.”
These lines appear in 61*, featuring Barry Pepper as Roger Maris and Thomas Jane as iconic 1956 Triple Crown winner Mickey Mantle. The 1961 season was magical, as Mantle and Maris pursued Babe Ruth’s historic 60-home-run record. The film was directed by actor, comedian, and lifelong New York Yankees fan Billy Crystal.
During his youth, Crystal was an exceptional baseball player, starring at Long Beach High School and earning a scholarship to Marshall University in West Virginia. After one year, he transferred to Nassau Community College, studied theater, and later attended New York University, where he studied directing under Martin Scorsese.
Pepper and Jane were emerging actors who had already appeared in hit films such as Saving Private Ryan (Pepper) and Boogie Nights (Jane). Pepper accurately portrayed the quieter, determined, and athletic nature of Maris. Jane was masterful in capturing Mantle’s goodwill and reputation as a consummate team player, though he was less convincing as a baseball athlete, having never played the game before. In later interviews, Jane admitted—laughing—that he had never thrown a baseball or swung a bat. Crystal sent him to the Reggie Smith Baseball Academy, where he learned to swing using unconventional methods, including a sword and a piece of lumber.
Despite his lack of baseball experience, Jane’s acting was superb in conveying the character traits that made Mantle a beloved Yankee. The home run race was accurately depicted, showing the immense pressure both players faced. While Mantle was the fan favorite, Maris had already won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1960 and was an outstanding all-around player. Maris lacked Mantle’s flair and long World Series résumé from the mid-to-late 1950s, but the film showed that, despite some friction, the two men lived together in a Queens apartment and genuinely liked each other.
61* also portrayed no-nonsense manager Ralph Houk, a decorated World War II combat veteran. Veteran actor Bruce McGill convincingly played Houk as a tough former Army officer who stood firmly behind Maris against deranged fans and hostile sportswriters.
President Kennedy: “Say one of those ships resists inspection, and we shoot out its rudder and board it. They shoot down one of our planes in response. So we bomb their anti-aircraft sites, and in response to that, they attack Berlin. So we invade Cuba. So they fire their missiles… and we fire ours…”
While Americans watched the home run chase of Mantle and Maris, President John F. Kennedy faced a pivotal moment in U.S. history. These lines, delivered by Bruce Greenwood as Kennedy in the 2000 film 13 Days, underscore the gravity of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The film begins after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion authorized by Kennedy against Fidel Castro’s communist regime on April 17, 1961. Shortly afterward, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned Kennedy that the Soviets would respond to this display of military weakness. 13 Days explores the challenges Kennedy faced as a young, eager, and inexperienced president confronting the possibility of nuclear war.
Greenwood portrayed Kennedy’s youthfulness, something Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev reportedly noted, saying, “How am I supposed to negotiate with a leader who is younger than my son?” The film re-created Kennedy’s October 22, 1962, address to the nation, informing Americans of Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba.
While Greenwood captured Kennedy’s youth, the film also showed the president’s physical suffering. Kennedy sustained combat injuries during World War II when his patrol torpedo boat, PT-109, was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. He also suffered from numerous ailments throughout his life, including scarlet fever, irritable bowel syndrome, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, ulcers, and Addison’s disease. 13 Days depicted Kennedy taking medication and using a rocking chair to alleviate chronic pain.
One notable omission in the film was the relationship between Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. The two men were stark opposites—Kennedy from wealth, Johnson from poverty, from different regions, and with a mutual distrust. Johnson was largely absent from meetings depicted in the film, despite his likely presence during key briefings. Years later, Caroline Kennedy recalled her mother’s conversations, noting that her father never trusted Johnson and even contemplated replacing him to prevent Johnson from becoming president.