Review
It is 1941, and World War II rages on; the German army has succeeded in taking over half of Europe and is charging forward into Russia. The superiorly-equipped Germans are able to push back the Russian defenses until they reach Leningrad and Moscow. At this turning point in history, the Russians prepare themselves to die for the survival of these cities. Facing a long and protracted struggle on the battlefield, Hitler decides that he will disperse part of his armored units from Leningrad to Moscow, and, instead of taking Leningrad by force, he will surround the city and starve three million people to death. In the midst of this horrific siege, a young English journalist named Kate Davis becomes isolated within the famished city of Leningrad. She is separated from her friend and lover, Philip Parker, an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. After a bombing raid, news reports announce that Kate has been killed. Though he is shaken to the core, Philip is so overwhelmed with love that he refuses to accept Kate's death, and he begins to investigate. Soon thereafter, he discovers that she is alive and hiding from the KGB somewhere in the city. Kate is able to befriend a Leningrad militia woman and two Russian children. She stays with them, and together they fight for their survival, surrounded by death, starvation, and the bullets of war. Overcoming great difficulties, Philip manages to find Kate and rescues her from the city. But by this time, Kate is bound to an obligation greater than her own welfare. She gives Philip her diaries and returns to Leningrad to fulfill her promise to stay with the children and help them to survive. Leaving her love and safety behind, she makes the ultimate sacrifice to try to save the lives of these two children. "Leningrad" is a powerful story that portrays a special part of World War II as no film has done before. As this poignant tragic tale unfolds, we witness the immensity of the human spirit and the difference one person can make. |
