VARIOUS: Daniel Craig treads the red carpet for the London premiere of his latest film, 'Defiance'
Record ID:
219033
VARIOUS: Daniel Craig treads the red carpet for the London premiere of his latest film, 'Defiance'
- Title: VARIOUS: Daniel Craig treads the red carpet for the London premiere of his latest film, 'Defiance'
- Date: 8th January 2009
- Summary: VARIOUS OF ACTRESS ALEXA DAVALOS TALKING TO MEDIA (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF DANIEL CRAIG TALKING TO MEDIA (2 SHOTS) CAMERAMAN FILMING CRAIG ALONG
- Embargoed: 23rd January 2009 12:00
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- Reuters ID: LVACK5DSH8NMBXRC46AEYWATNIJD
- Story Text: Hundreds of fans braved freezing London weather to see the stars of 'Defiance' at the film's UK premiere at Leicester Square on Tuesday (January 6).
Taking a break from his role as super-spy, James Bond, Daniel Craig tread the red carpet to promote the film in which he plays a WWII Jewish resistance fighter.
'Defiance,' which is based on true events, follows the little known story of the Bielski brothers, played by Craig, Leiv Schreiber and Jamie Bell.
The three Jewish brothers escape Nazi-occupied Poland after their parents are killed to hide in woods they have known all their lives.
As they are joined by other survivors, the brothers have to decide whether to continue to hide and protect their fellow refugees, or to join partisan Russian forces and actively attack Nazi occupiers and collaborators.
The oldest of the three, Tuvia (Craig), elects to stay in the harsh wilderness to rebuild what community he can and support a swelling number of survivors - which includes the sick and elderly. His hot headed-brother, Zus (Schreiber - soon to be seen opposite Hugh Jackman in the upcoming 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'), joins the Russian resistance to fight and exact revenge on occupying soldiers - and collaborators -in a series of raids and ambushes.
Over the course of the film, as the brothers face discovery by the Nazis, starvation, and threats from within their own camps, they come to realise the importance of community.
Craig, who hadn't heard of the story until he read the script, said he instantly attracted to the project and believed that it was a story that needed to be told - especially in light of modern conflicts.
"One of the reasons I think the story is important is because this is very recent history and a lot of the way we look at the world and live in the world is shaped because of that history and stories like this need to be told because it's not that long ago," he told Reuters.
After having helmed such films as 'Glory,' 'Blood Diamond,' and 'The Last Samurai,' director and co-writer Edward Zwick is no stranger to historical dramas set in times of conflict.
He agreed that the historical story of survival was relevant in relation to recent and current armed conflicts that have seen civilian communities displaced or under attack.
"I think to see refugees displaced, going from one place to the other, is one of the salient images of our time, and to try and think about resistance and the nature of resistance by a people against an overwhelming force is also quite contemporary," he said.
Defiance, which has had a limited release in the United States, opens across UK cinemas January 9. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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