'Phoenix' is based on a melodramatic novel by Hubert Monteilhet which was made into a 60s film about a Holocaust survivor returning to find her former lover, believing her to be dead, now involved with her daughter, leading to a tale of betrayal & murder. In 'Phoenix' the emotional story takes precedence over the melodrama/thriller elements, the film about the emotional journey of a survivor & the husband who may or may not have betrayed her.
The film begins with a film-noir atmosphere, though it's quite apparent that this isn't a thriller but more a study of love, betrayal & deception. It's slow burning in pace, with hints & revelations rather than convoluted plot twists. The film is framed by two key songs, Cole Porter's 'Night & Day', one of romantic longing , the other Kurt Weill's 'Speak Low'.
Nelly is a singer who has survived Auschwitz but suffered physical disfigurement so that her face has to undergo reconstruction. She is supported by her friend Lene, who plans a new future for them in Palestine. Lene asks Nelly to sing but she no longer has the strength & confidence to do so. Nelly is also obsessed by her husband & accompanist, Johannes 'Johnny' Lenz ('Johnny' conjuring up 'Surabaya Johnny', another cabaret song), who now works as a bottle-collector (& possible pimp?) at the Phoenix night-club frequented by US servicemen. The hues of the club are shot in red, haunting & dream-like ('Only mad-men can enter', Steppenwolf) with echoes of 'Red Road', another film about a woman in pursuit of a man.
Nelly is still in love with the husband, who she cannot bring herself to believe betrayed her to the authorities despite Lene's misgivings. Lene is protective of Nelly, even giving her a revolver; a detail which proves to have tragic significance later though not in the way we expect. Nelly encounters Johannes once again, who is struck at once by the likeness she bears to the wife he now believes is dead. And so begins a ruse to use Esther, the alias used by Nelly, to act like his wife so that he can use her to claim her fortune.
Nelly, acting out her role as Esther, goes along with the scheme, perhaps as a way of reliving the past & getting close to Johannes, even though this is simply yet another deception (self) within a deception. Johannes clearly has no understanding of what victims endured; the dramatic irony is that we, the audience, are probably more aware than Nelly is. He gives Esther/Nelly, the chic Parisian dress his 'dead' wife used to wear, the flowers resembling lips (Judas' kiss). Nelly is emotionally confused at how a survivor could wear such a bright dress (as if her true self is speaking). Johannes brushes her qualms aside, revealing that he has no understanding of the emotional/psychological suffering a survivor has gone through – in contrast to Lene who will pay the ultimate price.
Trapped in the past, Nelly has survived Auschwitz but emotionally she has remained in 1944 before her arrest. She remains quite literally in the dark when she confides in Lene at night, who struggles to make her see the truth. On a bike ride with Johannes, she murmurs languidly that if he betrayed his wife, then it must have been inadvertent. But she is abruptly brought to reality by the loss of the one person who showed her genuine love & support & leaves her damning proof of Johannes' guilt. It could be seen as another betrayal, this time of trust.
The film is about not only a physical disfigurement but the moral one that has taken place within Johannes himself. There is one scene where Nelly & Johannes make their preparations in a hotel room & Nelly watches him through the frosted glass: she now sees through him, or perhaps the blurred outline suggests she never really knew him.
The final confrontation & 'revenge' is low-key but perhaps all the more powerful for that rather than contrived melodrama. Nelly, who has been hesitant & reluctant to sing, sings 'Speak Low' which becomes a song of farewell. The final image is striking of a woman walking out of a door, bathed in sunlight. Nelly finally sees that the past can be no more. She has been re-born emotionally, so to speak.
The film begins with a film-noir atmosphere, though it's quite apparent that this isn't a thriller but more a study of love, betrayal & deception. It's slow burning in pace, with hints & revelations rather than convoluted plot twists. The film is framed by two key songs, Cole Porter's 'Night & Day', one of romantic longing , the other Kurt Weill's 'Speak Low'.
Nelly is a singer who has survived Auschwitz but suffered physical disfigurement so that her face has to undergo reconstruction. She is supported by her friend Lene, who plans a new future for them in Palestine. Lene asks Nelly to sing but she no longer has the strength & confidence to do so. Nelly is also obsessed by her husband & accompanist, Johannes 'Johnny' Lenz ('Johnny' conjuring up 'Surabaya Johnny', another cabaret song), who now works as a bottle-collector (& possible pimp?) at the Phoenix night-club frequented by US servicemen. The hues of the club are shot in red, haunting & dream-like ('Only mad-men can enter', Steppenwolf) with echoes of 'Red Road', another film about a woman in pursuit of a man.
Nelly is still in love with the husband, who she cannot bring herself to believe betrayed her to the authorities despite Lene's misgivings. Lene is protective of Nelly, even giving her a revolver; a detail which proves to have tragic significance later though not in the way we expect. Nelly encounters Johannes once again, who is struck at once by the likeness she bears to the wife he now believes is dead. And so begins a ruse to use Esther, the alias used by Nelly, to act like his wife so that he can use her to claim her fortune.
Nelly, acting out her role as Esther, goes along with the scheme, perhaps as a way of reliving the past & getting close to Johannes, even though this is simply yet another deception (self) within a deception. Johannes clearly has no understanding of what victims endured; the dramatic irony is that we, the audience, are probably more aware than Nelly is. He gives Esther/Nelly, the chic Parisian dress his 'dead' wife used to wear, the flowers resembling lips (Judas' kiss). Nelly is emotionally confused at how a survivor could wear such a bright dress (as if her true self is speaking). Johannes brushes her qualms aside, revealing that he has no understanding of the emotional/psychological suffering a survivor has gone through – in contrast to Lene who will pay the ultimate price.
Trapped in the past, Nelly has survived Auschwitz but emotionally she has remained in 1944 before her arrest. She remains quite literally in the dark when she confides in Lene at night, who struggles to make her see the truth. On a bike ride with Johannes, she murmurs languidly that if he betrayed his wife, then it must have been inadvertent. But she is abruptly brought to reality by the loss of the one person who showed her genuine love & support & leaves her damning proof of Johannes' guilt. It could be seen as another betrayal, this time of trust.
The film is about not only a physical disfigurement but the moral one that has taken place within Johannes himself. There is one scene where Nelly & Johannes make their preparations in a hotel room & Nelly watches him through the frosted glass: she now sees through him, or perhaps the blurred outline suggests she never really knew him.
The final confrontation & 'revenge' is low-key but perhaps all the more powerful for that rather than contrived melodrama. Nelly, who has been hesitant & reluctant to sing, sings 'Speak Low' which becomes a song of farewell. The final image is striking of a woman walking out of a door, bathed in sunlight. Nelly finally sees that the past can be no more. She has been re-born emotionally, so to speak.