Blessed is the Match: the Life and Death of Hannah Senesh
Documentary/drama
Recital Hall
24 January 2010
To begin, this film tells the fascinating, yet relatively unknown, story of Hannah Senesh, a young Jewish girl who was a poet, farmer, philosopher, and most of all a hero. Growing up in Hungary, Hannah was a very gifted child who, against her mother's wishes, made the decision to not attend college and pursue an agricultural career in Palestine. Fortunately, for her sake, she couldn't have left Hungary at a better time, seeing as the Nazi's would occupy that territory not too long after her departure. For the first time, Hannah begins to see the persecutaion of her heritage and, as a result, felt a spiritual calling to join a resistance group and become a paratrooper in an attempt to try and help save some of her fellow people who were in the midst of a horrible genocide. Unfortunately, Hannah is discovered by a Gustapo officer, captured, brutally tortured, sent to trial, convicted of her crimes by her own native country, and ultimately, executed. Not only is this film very educational and emotional, it is very artistic-with very beautiful black and white cinematography and music that is so haunting that it literally sends shivers down your spine. Also, it was great that the producers had acquired so many photos that Hannah had taken, her poetry, and her personal diary. These personal items were the driving force behind the success of making this incredible story come to life.
Typically, in my viewing experience of documentaries, one consistent problem lies within the film that is incorperated in the documentary whenever real-life footage is not available. For the most part, these 'films within a film' usually look cheap, hurridly put together, and have an artistic value equal to that of the masterminds behind films like Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans. I can safely say that, for this film, this is certainly not the case. It was shot in a very clean black and white, with excellent camera work and actors who, although had very few lines of dialogue, conveyed expressions and emotions that continued to make the audience sympathize despite knowing that these were not the actual real life people that were being portrayed. Also, the way this story was told was simple, but perfect. It literally went from the begining of her life to her final days spent inside a Jewish prison with her mother, on the outside, watching her inevitable and horrific fate unfold. Essentially, this is a near-perfect documentary-one that engages the audience emotionally while still reporting the facts and the history behind this tradgic story. In retrospect, Hannah Senesh was truly a great hero, a person whose characteristics, as beautifully said by one of her prison mates and friends, consisted of a perfect combination of "courage and gentleness."