It is difficult to review this movie without giving anything away – and giving away about this movie would be a crime. If you, dear reader, have an interest in "Train of Life" and haven't watched it yet, I can only recommend that you stop reading now (and start watching).
Shlomo, the village idiot of some small Jewish hamlet in Eastern-Europe has a vision of Germans appearing and deporting all the villagers. Under Shlomos guidance, the villager's decide to buy a ram shackled train, dress up as Nazis and rather deport themselves (needless to say, not to any concentration camp but rather to Palestine). On their way, they have to avoid many obstacles – like German soldiers, resistance fighters who want to blow up the train, the dressed up "guards" suffering from a form of Stamford-Prison-Experiment-syndrome, a communist revolt among the passengers and the question whether it's kosher to celebrate the Sabbath wearing German uniforms. Last but not least, a group of gypsies (whose village-idiot had a vision of Germans deporting the gypsies, who would rather deport themselves to Egypt by dressing up as Germans and stealing a train). And yes, there is a happy – of sorts.
Have to admit that I hesitated to watch "Train de Vie" for a while. Why? Well, I'm German and there are many moments in the life of a German where he/she is simply sick and tired of hearing, seeing or watching anything about Nazi-Germany, the holocaust, etc. Yes, the war has been over for some times, yes, the Fuehrer is dead (thank god) and yes, those bastards won't come back, at least not in our lifetime and not if my generation can help it.
A good friend convinced me to watch it, claiming that "Train de Vie" is by no means your average War-movie; in fact, it wasn't like any other movie I had watched before. So I heeded the advice, watched and, what can I say, it has been on my personal top-10-list of favorite movies ever since. To point out one highlight would be unfair; the film is full of highlights. However, my personal favorite line comes, when the "deportees" try to master the German language, being explained that German only copies Yiddish, albeit without the Yiddish humor (and whether the Germans are aware that their language is imitating Yiddish). This reminded me when I overheard a young skinhead chatting with his mate, complaining that there was "something not kosher about his shiksa (girlfriend)", who apparently went a little "meschuggah" at the time.
"Train de Vie" has often been compared to either "Life is Beautiful" or "Black Cat, White Cat". No problem with that since Begnini's film is one of the few who has dared to make a movie about the holocaust in a comedic context and Kustaricis gypsy-farce has a similar life-affirming yet almost chaotic spirit – but that is where the similarities end. Few films are capable of combining doom and gloom so well with a life-affirming spirit. The humor of "Train de Vie" is as warm as it is witty, and it is as witty as it is black. As if director Radu Mihaileanu had combined the French farces of the 1970's with the typical Jewish humor (if there is such a thing) a la Ephraim Kishon.
Last but not least, let me point out the excellent soundtrack by Goran Bregovic (who also composed the score for "Black Cat, White Cat". I love the soundtrack of "Black Cat, White Cat" but here Bregovic has outdone himself. Not an easy feat.
Remember: in the end, the entire story is true – as it happened through the eyes of the village idiot.
One of the rare cases when I give a film 10 from 10.
Shlomo, the village idiot of some small Jewish hamlet in Eastern-Europe has a vision of Germans appearing and deporting all the villagers. Under Shlomos guidance, the villager's decide to buy a ram shackled train, dress up as Nazis and rather deport themselves (needless to say, not to any concentration camp but rather to Palestine). On their way, they have to avoid many obstacles – like German soldiers, resistance fighters who want to blow up the train, the dressed up "guards" suffering from a form of Stamford-Prison-Experiment-syndrome, a communist revolt among the passengers and the question whether it's kosher to celebrate the Sabbath wearing German uniforms. Last but not least, a group of gypsies (whose village-idiot had a vision of Germans deporting the gypsies, who would rather deport themselves to Egypt by dressing up as Germans and stealing a train). And yes, there is a happy – of sorts.
Have to admit that I hesitated to watch "Train de Vie" for a while. Why? Well, I'm German and there are many moments in the life of a German where he/she is simply sick and tired of hearing, seeing or watching anything about Nazi-Germany, the holocaust, etc. Yes, the war has been over for some times, yes, the Fuehrer is dead (thank god) and yes, those bastards won't come back, at least not in our lifetime and not if my generation can help it.
A good friend convinced me to watch it, claiming that "Train de Vie" is by no means your average War-movie; in fact, it wasn't like any other movie I had watched before. So I heeded the advice, watched and, what can I say, it has been on my personal top-10-list of favorite movies ever since. To point out one highlight would be unfair; the film is full of highlights. However, my personal favorite line comes, when the "deportees" try to master the German language, being explained that German only copies Yiddish, albeit without the Yiddish humor (and whether the Germans are aware that their language is imitating Yiddish). This reminded me when I overheard a young skinhead chatting with his mate, complaining that there was "something not kosher about his shiksa (girlfriend)", who apparently went a little "meschuggah" at the time.
"Train de Vie" has often been compared to either "Life is Beautiful" or "Black Cat, White Cat". No problem with that since Begnini's film is one of the few who has dared to make a movie about the holocaust in a comedic context and Kustaricis gypsy-farce has a similar life-affirming yet almost chaotic spirit – but that is where the similarities end. Few films are capable of combining doom and gloom so well with a life-affirming spirit. The humor of "Train de Vie" is as warm as it is witty, and it is as witty as it is black. As if director Radu Mihaileanu had combined the French farces of the 1970's with the typical Jewish humor (if there is such a thing) a la Ephraim Kishon.
Last but not least, let me point out the excellent soundtrack by Goran Bregovic (who also composed the score for "Black Cat, White Cat". I love the soundtrack of "Black Cat, White Cat" but here Bregovic has outdone himself. Not an easy feat.
Remember: in the end, the entire story is true – as it happened through the eyes of the village idiot.
One of the rare cases when I give a film 10 from 10.