In World War II, the Jewish French musician and cabaret singer Fania Fenelon Goldstein (Vanessa Redgrave) is sent by the Nazis from Paris to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The guards take her clothing and luggage and they cut her hair very short. One day, when she is very weak, she hears someone asking whether any prisoner could sing Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly and she joins the group of musicians that have been spared from the gas chambers to entertain the Nazis performing music for them. She convinces the conductor Alma Rose (Jane Alexander) to invite her friend Marianne (Melanie Mayron),telling that she would be a talented singer. Along the years of abusive treatment, they survive but losing their dignity.

"Playing for Time" is one of the most touching and realistic films about survival and loss of dignity in a concentration camp. I have a great admiration for the awarded Mrs. Vanessa Redgrave and I believe that "Playing for Time" is her best role and performance in her admirable career. I had seen this television film many years ago on VHS and yesterday I saw it in a Brazilian DVD that unfortunately does not have an image of good quality but anyway it is worthwhile watching this to see and never forget how cruel human being may be. My vote is ten

Title (Brazil): "Amarga Sinfonia de Auschwitz" ("Bitter Symphony of Auschwitz")

I was more impressed by Vanessa Redgrave's performance than any female performance , in any medium. As a musician prisoner in a Nazi death camp, she exceeded any of her other brilliant performances. Aside from Vanessa, the movie should not be missed and hopefully released again.

Auschwitz was not a fun place. But this film is too graphic, too long and too much of a downer. It starts well with brutally grim and realistic scenes. But at almost three hours it's just too lengthy. Although the first half is compelling (if depressing),it gets a little silly and loses its credibility in the second half. I can't be specific without creating spoilers. Let's just say all the characters ---the good guys (gals?) and the bad guys both become somewhat ridiculous. The story, apparently based on reality, is about a group of female inmate musicians who form an orchestra for the pleasure of the camp officials including an unconvincing Josef Mengele. But their performances are dreadful. Never has Beethoven's fifth symphony been played so badly nor Puccini's Madama Butterfly sung so hopelessly. And in bad English at that. They might have taken a little cinematic license and given us enjoyable musical performances. From a production viewpoint, occasional interludes of great music, well played, would have provided brief relief from the unrelenting horror of this endless film.