Watch Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh

Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh is a stirring and moving documentary from 2008 that chronicles the life and legacy of the remarkable Jewish poet, writer, and resistance fighter, Hannah Senesh. The film is directed and produced by Roberta Grossman and features voiceovers by Joan Allen, Merle Feld, and Claire Bloom. The documentary combines archival footage, clips from dramatic reenactments, interviews with scholars, contemporaries, and historians, as well as personal recordings and diaries kept by Senesh herself.

Born in Hungary in 1921, Hannah Senesh was a talented writer and poet who was inspired by her Zionist values and her desire to help her fellow Jews to volunteer for the British Army as a paratrooper during World War II. Her courage and bravery led her to join a small group of Jewish commandos who were sent behind enemy lines to rescue Allied pilots who had been shot down over Yugoslavia. Tragically, her mission was doomed from the start, and she was captured by the Nazis, tortured, and finally executed at the young age of 23.

Blessed Is the Match is a poignant and deeply personal portrait of an extraordinary woman who, despite enduring unspeakable suffering, remained resolute in her convictions and committed to her principles until the very end. The film is a tribute to Senesh and all those who fought and died for the freedom and dignity of the Jewish people during the darkest days of the 20th century.

The documentary is expertly crafted, combining beautiful cinematography, powerful narration, and stunning archival footage to create a vivid and immersive experience that transports viewers back in time to the era of the Holocaust. The reenactments are particularly well done and lend a sense of immediacy and urgency to the story, while the interviews with experts and scholars help to provide essential context and analysis.

One of the most striking aspects of Blessed Is the Match is how it vividly depicts Senesh's life as an artist, as well as a resistance fighter. We see her love of poetry and music, her friendships, and her romantic relationships. These personal details help to humanize Senesh and make her more relatable, and they also serve to emphasize the depth of her sacrifice and the tragedy of her untimely death.

Another strength of the documentary is how it explores the fraught relationship between Jewish resistance fighters and their Arab neighbors. Senesh was keenly aware of the complex political and social tensions that existed between Jews and Arabs, and this is reflected in her writing and her personal beliefs. The film does an excellent job of highlighting these issues and providing a nuanced and sensitive portrayal of the complexities of the time.

Overall, Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh is a powerful and deeply moving documentary that offers a unique perspective on one of the most important and tragic moments in modern Jewish history. The film is a fitting tribute to the life and legacy of Hannah Senesh, and it is sure to resonate with audiences of all backgrounds and faiths. Highly recommended.

Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh is a 2009 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0 and a MetaScore of 49.