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

Movie · Documentary

In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Narrated by Academy Award winner Joan Allen, the multi-award-winning "Blesses Is the Match" follows the remarkable journey of this young Hungarian poet and diarist, paratrooper and resistance fighter. Told through Hannah's letters, diaries, and poems, her mother's memoirs, and the recollections of those who knew and loved her (including two of her fellow parachutists), the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine - where she was drawn by the Kibbutz Movement that sought to build an independent Jewish state - to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary. Both devastating and inspiring, "Blessed Is the Match" offers an intimate portrait of a singularly talented, courageous and complex girl who believed that one person could be a flame that burns brightly in even the darkest hours.

2009 · 1h 25m
  • 68%
Starring Joan Allen, Meri Roth, Marcela Nohynkova
Director Roberta Grossman

Trailers

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

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Cast & Crew

  • Joan Allen
    Narrator
  • M‌R
    Meri Roth
    Hannah Senesh
  • M‌N
    Marcela Nohynkova
    Catherine Senesh
  • Roberta Grossman
    Director
  • L‌T
    Lisa Thomas
    Producer
  • Roberta Grossman
    Producer
  • Marta Kauffman
    Producer
  • S‌S
    Sophie Sartain
    Writer

About

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

Documentary

In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Narrated by Academy Award winner Joan Allen, the multi-award-winning "Blesses Is the Match" follows the remarkable journey of this young Hungarian poet and diarist, paratrooper and resistance fighter. Told through Hannah's letters, diaries, and poems, her mother's memoirs, and the recollections of those who knew and loved her (including two of her fellow parachutists), the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine - where she was drawn by the Kibbutz Movement that sought to build an independent Jewish state - to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary. Both devastating and inspiring, "Blessed Is the Match" offers an intimate portrait of a singularly talented, courageous and complex girl who believed that one person could be a flame that burns brightly in even the darkest hours.

68%

TOMATOMETER
Average 6.6
Reviews 22
Fresh 15
Rotten 7

Information

Studio
Docurama Films
Released
2009
Run Time
1 hr 25 min
Rated
Unrated
Region of Origin
United States
© 2008 Katahdin Productions

Languages

Original Audio
English
Audio

English (United States) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
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  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
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  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
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