David (1979) User Reviews

Above average holocaust film

[Pro Jury · 6/10 · 22 December 2003]

Shown on the International Channel, DAVID (1979) is an above average film about the Jewish holocaust. We see the central character's family fairly safe and secure in Leignitz, Germany at the start of 1933. David's family is unaware of the advancing Nazi plague. When the Nazis begin to become active, most Germans are seen to be indifferent. When the treatment of the Jews becomes brutal, we see the many ways in which the Leignitz Jews react.

The promos for DAVID claim that the film is about a boy surviving only on his wits as he travels from Hitler's Germany to the Middle East. In truth, this is not the plot at all. The escape from Germany amounts to only 20 or 30 seconds of visual dissolves.

DAVID is about the holocaust in Germany from the Jewish point of view. David and his friends and family seek refuge from the Nazis. We see some Jews be overly optimistic. We see some give up. We see many view what is taking place in utter disbelief -- a feeling that successfully transfers to the audience. DAVID is subtle rather than epic. It has a factual tone, rather than filled with grand dramatics. I have not seen a holocaust movie that is any better.

Jewish Survival In Nazi Germany...Very Emotive & Atmospheric

[Shilpot7 · 8/10 · 26 February 2007]

I originally read the very good autobiography 'David' and was then inspired to track down this movie.

Made in 1979, therefore quite early for feature films that explore the subject of The Holocaust.

It's also a German film, with English subtitles which immediately gives it a power and resonance. When originally released it did very well in Germany & won at least one major award at Berlin.

'David' is about a young Jewish man, who manages to survive the war actually living in hiding in Berlin (Jews who hid in Nazi Germany were nicknamed 'submarines')...while he witnesses and suffers his family's deportation, one by one.

The narrative is strangely disjointed at times...but the film is made so sensitively, understatedly & powerfully that it doesn't seem to matter. The period detail is so accurate and the relationships are deeply formed. The charming understated soundtrack also adds depth and poignancy.

If the subject of The Holocaust interests you, I wouldn't hesitate recommending you track this film down.

Positively surprised here

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 23 June 2017]

"David" is a West German German-language movie from 1979, so this one will soon have its 40th anniversary already. The director here is Peter Lilienthal and he is also one of the several writers who worked on this project. The outcome was a movie that runs for slightly over 2 hours and received a pretty solid deal of awards recognition, namely at the German Film Awards, but also at the Berlin Film Festival. You can check out who and what were awarded for yourself. The reason why this film is not more popular today is probably that the cast does not really include any big names, even if German film buffs will certainly recognize Horwitz, Zischler and Mattes. Another reason may be that the film is from the exact same year that the Oscar-winning "Die Blechtrommel" came out and both take place during the days of Nazi Germany, even if the approach and subject is entirely different I guess. My opinion about this film here is that it did not really look German. I have seen many other films about these dark years in Germany (there are really more than enough) and I personally found it looked more Polish or Czech perhaps. But maybe this is also because it is a film from the 1970s. We should not forget that.

Overall, the film is a war drama and even if it did not touch me as much as I hoped it would, it was still a decent informative watch. The argument that it does not bring anything new to the subject really is not valid in my opinion because we need to keep in mind that all the stuff you have seen is probably from way later, way after 1979. The performances were solid, the story was interesting too and some of the characters were pretty memorable even. For a film that crosses the 120-minute mark, it was delightful how it had almo0st no lengths at all and this time looking at the quantity of writers it was no case of too many cook spoiling the broth. Okay, admittedly I also would not say it is one of the defining films of the genre or one of the very best Nazi Germany films I have seen, but it is a good watch without a doubt and in my opinion it is even better than the highly overrated "Die Blechtrommel". I recommend "David". Thumbs-up for everybody working on this project. This is certainly a criminally underseen film.

LOOSELY CONSTRUCTED DRAMA

[J. Steed · 7/10 · 24 March 1999]

Often at random told, unbalanced and as a result not easy to follow sensitive drama; Lilienthal aims for atmosphere rather than story telling. Because of the loose structure this aiming for atmosphere is limited to individual scenes rather than the film as a whole; but he does it well. In this he is supported by sharp cinematography and good cast.

Unusual approach and ending

[s-heinzx · 8/10 · 4 January 2023]

Rating 8 stars, movie in HD quality available

Nazi-Germany in 1933: David Singer is a modest boy, the son of a rabbi, who tries to get along in Silesian society despite his jewish background. He lives with his parents and sister in Liegnitz (today it is named Legnica as part of Poland) about 100 miles east of Dresden.

Living conditions are rapidly deteriorating, although the Singer family is trying hard not to give the oppressors any reason to treat them badly. Cut off from all escape routes in the midst of war, they must hide and eventually separate to seek survival on their own.

Director Peter Lilienthal's decent 1979 artwork, whose strength is its realism, shows fatalistic people, whether German or Jewish, in a downward spiral with no escape, without zooming or panning. He just changed the focus! In short, worth seeing, despite the slow start.