Polish "Schindler" Hits The Small Screen
A film about Irena Sendler, the lady who saved about 2500 Jewish children from the Holocaust, was aired in the U.S. last week.
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler stars Anna Paquin as the eponymous hero who smuggled children out of the Nazis' Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw. Mrs Paquin's real-life counterpart, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee who only gained international recognition in her 98th year, was always modest about her achievements, saying that she could have done more. However, historians point out that even helping one person of Jewish descent was enough to merit the death penalty for the entire family of a "good samaritan".
The film, which stars several Polish actors, has gained largely favourable reviews in the American press.