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Reviews
Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter (2013)
A must see film
'UM/uV' is exceptional in many ways, but what makes it very interesting of course, is it's 'native outlook', being made by Germans and played by Germans. Nobody can do it better then the people themselves and the second world war is such a 'heavy' subject, that it has taken a long time before the German film industry finally dared take up the gauntlet. There are still far to few good German films on the subject out there, but 'UM/uV' is certainly one of them. It is absolutely brilliant in many ways. It is also very precise when it comes to uniforms, equipment, weapons etc. Leave it to the Germans to get that right! Many WW2 buffs always cringe at the sight of the wrong stuff. It looks so stupid and careless not getting the basics right. 'UM/uV' is picture perfect.
The story is grand and sweeping. The bottomless pit on the eastern front is portrayed just like it is: gruesome and without end. These young people caught up in the great maelstrom is scary and horrific. Just as it should be. The eastern front between 1941-1944 was a meat-grinder like nothing ever experienced in human history. It's a wonder people came out at all, let alone sane. More or less.
I find this film sublime. It's a great human story and it's marvelously portrayed by the the actors. It could not be better.
This film, alongside 'Der Untergang' (Downfall) -2004- and 'Die Brucke' (The Bridge) -1959- should be regarded as the cream of the crop coming out of Germany up to now. These three are must see films, to begin to understand the total madness Germany sank into during the Nazi take over.
War and Remembrance (1988)
A Masterpiece of storytelling
Like I wrote before on 'part one' of this tremendous saga, 'The Winds of War' ('WoW'), the only thing one wants after viewing the first part, is to watch the conclusion! Having read both books, and seen both series many times, I can only bow my head to the writer and maker of the 'mini-films': Herman Wouk and Dan Curtis. What an almost unbelievable effort 'to get it right'. War and Remembrance ('WaR') is even better then it's predecessor WoW. It's positively majestic. There is nothing quite like it in film land. There is nothing to compare it with. It stands alone, supreme in just about any category.
The only thing 'wrong' with it, is the sad case of switching actors for the second part of the story. That could not be helped, as some actors had other projects or commitments. For me, the biggest loss was the role switch of Byron Henry, played brilliantly in 'WoW' by Jan-Michael Vincent. Other actors where changed too, but all in all, the loss was equal to the gain at the end of the line. People like John Gielgud and Jane Seymour delivered brilliant performances, lifting the story even higher, and other lesser roles also made up for the loss. Ralph Bellamy for instance, kept a very high standard playing President Roosevelt, and for most other parts, everybody delivered good solid acting.
What makes 'WaR' especially memorable if not unsurpassed and legendary, are not the very good battle scenes and dialogues, of which there are many, but of course the descend into the pitt of horrors: the destruction of the European Jews. The visuals and settings (rare on location filming in Auschwitz itself!) are mind-blowingly real, right up to the 'selections', the gas chambers and ultimately, the ovens. There has never been anything remotely comparing to these scenes, or they would have to be the real pictures shot after liberating the camp.
All in all, the storytelling of 'WaR' is precise, complete and direct. The musical score is sweeping and memorable. It ties everything together in beautiful if not haunting waves of sound. It's the combination of drama and romance, love stories en heartbreaks, pitched against the absolute horrors of war and annihilation, which grabs the viewer (and reader) the most. I can not truly think of anything which can compare to this epic, grand and all encompassing story telling. It is a stellar performance in each department, on any level, and for me, the best that has ever been brought to television. Like I said: A Masterpiece.
The Winds of War (1983)
A Classic must see film
I call this TV production a film. That is not the case of course. Its a series of films. Seven to be exact. The Winds of War is a collection of seven mini-movies rolled up in what is now called a 'mini-serie'. I have read both books and the films are a tribute to them. In every way possible the 'WoW' is a must-see for anybody who is a WW2 history buff. I myself rate both series (WoW and it's follow up 'War and Remembrance') as unsurpassed classics in the genre. The story which unfolds is of epic magnitude. The effort made to be exact and precise is stupendous. There is nothing like it and must rate as probably as one of the best films ever made for television, probably only matched by 'Band of Brothers'. On one thing it is surely the record holder: the costs! This epic production was the most expensive ever made. At the time a whopping 40 million dollars, which converted in present day dollars, would still make it extremely dear. Reading the books is looking at a film and vice versa. There is nothing quite like it. The research on facts and history is almost unbelievable. Writer Herman Wouk put years and years in to this effort. It's a life's work. Not only writing the books, but later also co-writing this epic story for television. It must be one of the high points in the history of television. The only thing one yearns for after viewing the 'WoW' is the follow-up!
The casting of the actors is almost perfect. Robert Mitchum IS Pug Henry. The same goes for Jan-Michael Vincent. He IS Byron Henry. And on and on you can go down the line. The whole cast is absolutely fantastic, delivering some of the best performances these actors ever gave. Many actors have later agreed on this. The filming of this enormous production was nothing short of an adventure.
Winds of War is everything rolled in to one. Drama, suspense, angst, comedy, humor, terror, love, hope en all other things that makes life such a roller coaster ride. And everything is covered by the sweeping musical score which binds the story together and delivers a listening experience unparalleled in film land.
Die Brücke (1959)
Masterpiece
This film is a surprise. After all these years it still is possible to find a film who can astound. Probably one of the best anti-war films ever made. Maybe even the best. And that is saying a lot. The story is stripped down to the bone. All that matters is the message it brings. And it is a magnificent message. The film takes you back to the last weeks before the end of what probably is the greatest catastrophe in German (if not European) history. It leaves the viewer with a vicious taste of all that is foul and dirty in war. The stench of death and pointless destruction. This film is nothing short of a true masterpiece. I have seen most 'warmovies' in my life, but 'Die Brucke' tops them all. This film should be on anybody's short list. Momentous, grand and a stroke of genius.
Auschwitz: The Nazis & the 'Final Solution' (2005)
A well made horror story
This series of films is a masterpiece. It's as simple at that. How one has been able to make an in depth and gruesomely precise dramatized film on such a black hole in human history is beyond me. But they have succeeded. The film is very precise, very direct, and, very honest. It tells the story of human beings at their worst. Sometimes one may want to stop the film, knowing what is going to come next, but something forces you to go on. It's like a powerful magnet, you can not stop watching. What makes this film worth while, is the way it has been built up for the viewer. It explains in clear precise words and pictures what had to be done in the Nazi state if you belonged to the chain of command in the SS organization. Most people don't realize it today, but many SS higher commanders where academically schooled in private life. Some where lawyers or doctors, others where economists or engineers. These men were intellectuals. The shocking trues is, that the SS was an intellectual elite bent into a warped idea of supremacy with no holds barred. This film makes you look at these cold hard facts. How in peacetime respectable men, became in wartime beasts and cold blooded murders. This film tells us something about...ourselves.
The War (2007)
A Tremendous film
I have now watched this series of films twice. Its just tremendous. I don't have any other word for it. The amount of detail, the supporting cast of interviews, the music, the massive amount of images, it's all so incredibly well done, words do not suffice. If there ever has been one truly brilliant documentary on the meaning of total war, this has to be the one. As a European I realize that the story focuses on the American soldier and the American experience, which I fully understand. As a European, 'we' have of course that other masterpiece, 'The World at War'. Together, they complete the story on this black hole in human misery and history. I was sometimes moved to tears watching 'The War'. Again, the amount of detail is stunning. Watching this series of films leaves you wishing that there will never again be such a human catastrophe. In my view this film crowns the unbelievable effort Americans made to restore freedom and civilization to the world. Whatever anybody thinks or says, it's only thanks to the United States of America and it's people, that we today can walk the earth (or most part of it) a free human being. I'm glad (and lucky) that I belong to a generation (born 1956) that have been able to cherish freedom and peace without having to put my life on the line, like all these millions of men and women. This film is a Big thank you.