Taking Sides (2001)
ADULT THEMES, LOW LEVEL COARSE LANGUAGE
| Director: | Istvan Szabo |
| Actors: | Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Moritz Bleibtreu, Ulrich Tukur, Oleg Tabakov, Birgit Minichmayr |
Based on actual events and set in Allied occupied Berlin at the end of WWII.
An American officer is sent to interrogate the great German conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler about his support of the Nazi regime during the Third Reich. At a time when other artists were forced to leave Germany or went into voluntary exile in protest, Furtwangler chose to stay behind and continue his career becoming one of the Nazi's foremost cultural assets.
In a dramatic confrontation, the US officer goes up against the revered artist, calling into question his moral integrity and his artistic obligations. With the postwar world inclined to forgive and forget, the officer's single-minded pursuit of justice makes for a suspenseful, troubling drama, in which the role of the artist in a criminal society is argued forcefully from both sides.
| Status: | Normal |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 111mins |
| Origin: | AUSTRIA |
| Aspect Ratio: | 1.85:1 |
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Member Reviews (9)
9 Member
Reviews
MLV
says
I was very disappointed. I've liked Harvey Keitel in many movies but in this he just overacted. His character wasn't strong, he was just a bully, absolutely no subtlley, so no guessing. His character attacked, didn't listen and blamed the guy he was investigating for absolutely every atrocity committed during WW2. The two assistants acted very well and the conductor was superb. There wasn't much to question because it was all too obvious. Harvey Keitel's character adopted some of the tactics of Gestapo interrogation. Could have been great, but just wasn't.
Lucy C.
says
Interesting film but it didn't captivate me as much as I expected it too.
Jack K.
says
Poised on a knife’s edge, viewers can decide whether the famous conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler, deserved to be chastised or absolved for his decision to serve the artistic interests of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. The arguments put forward by each side act to blur the boundaries between good and evil, making a choice difficult. Stellan Skarsgård as Furtwängler gives an outstanding performance of a perplexed man still upholding his isolation from the politics of the defeated totalitarian régime. His intimidating and biased interrogator, Major Steve Arnold (Harvey Kietel) doggedly seeks evidence of Furtwängler’s complicity creating emotional confrontational tensions. Heavy on Beethoven’s 5th but mind engaging dialogue!
Bev M.
says
Very thought provoking - doesn't hand you an opinion on a plate
Bev M.
says
Maurice
says
Two great actors -Harvey Keitel and Stellan Skarsgard- locked in confrontation makes for compelling viewing.
Maria Reyes
says
Alan Pomering
says
An excellent microstudy of one of the many tattered edges of war, though the graphic newsreal images of the industrial-like disposal of concentration camp victims may unsettle some. A reminder that wars are not over simply because the winning side declares their winning innings closed, and that winners should not take on the guise of their vanquished foe in the name of retribution. Strong and haunting performances all round.
Dale
says
Compelling philosophical debate around politics versus the arts. Worth a look, but more like a telemovie than a big screen epic.