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Film Description
In this assured and compelling tale, a teenage Jewish boy manages to survive in wartime Germany by masquerading as a model Aryan. A remarkable true account, suspenseful yet riddled with ironies, the film was voted best of the Year at the Golden Globe awards.
A rewarding and fascinating film. One of the movies I ve been using to teach an adult education course in European Cinema. Reviews from when it was released show it ca... more >
A rewarding and fascinating film. One of the movies I ve been using to teach an adult education course in European Cinema. Reviews from when it was released show it caused a storm of controversy in its native Germany and yet was a huge hit in the US, winning an Oscar in 92 for Best Foreign Feature. Some of the work I did with the class was looking at the very different reception the film received. Its an outstanding example of transnational cinema, which is a more productive way to look at European Cinema. European film tends to be characterised by co productions, and personnel often work across countries. This film has a Polish director, working in Germany, with funding from several countries. The biographies and subsequent careers of the players are also an object lesson in European Cinema. Julie Delpy went to Hollywood and is now quite succesful. Whatever happened to the lead, Marco Hofschneider?
However, the other reason I teach this, is its a thoroughly engaging and enthralling film, an excellent introduction to European / subtitled cinema. WWII is a major trauma for Europeans, and this revisits the subject from yet another perspective. The theme of a Jewish boy passing himself off as an Aryan, echoes the ambivalence and anxieties Europeans feel around negotiating identities in the contemporary European landscape. Theres a layer of political incorectness bordering on the erotic, several scenes are taken up with Solomon Perel, the lead character, desperately trying to conceal the one thing which will reveal him as a Jew. This is a film which doesn't seem to date - the story, being set in WWII, is removed enough from the present that, fifteen years on, the film actually has more of an impact. Its themes are relatively timeless, about belonging, identity. It was made very soon after Germanys reunifiation. Perhaps thats why German reviewers hated it, they just were not
ready for it. From an English perspective its intriguing because in the last few years theres been a lot from politicians and the media about 'Britishness' and huge levels of anxiety expressed about 'shared values' and 'citizenship'. My guess is these concerns are shared by other countries, not just the UK. And they re not new concerns, but have been around for some time.
Anyway, would I recommend this film? Yes. The sort of film I love because while its thoroughly entertaining, if you want to scratch the surface, theres plenty more there waiting to be uncovered. < less
This is a truly remarkable film about the survival of a Jewish boy firstly in Nazi occupied Poland and then in Germany. Having been told to ‘stay alive’ by his mother... more >
This is a truly remarkable film about the survival of a Jewish boy firstly in Nazi occupied Poland and then in Germany. Having been told to ‘stay alive’ by his mother, young Solomon does just that by convincing his captors that he was an ethnic German and then continuing to conceal his true identity in combat and in an elite Hitler Youth boarding school.
This film is a must for understanding the world gone mad that was the Third Reich. It is an important, profound and moving film.
Based on the true story of a 13 year old Jewish boy who flees east to Russia from Nazi persecution on the eve of World War ll. Beautiful film and a true story told wi... more >
Based on the true story of a 13 year old Jewish boy who flees east to Russia from Nazi persecution on the eve of World War ll. Beautiful film and a true story told with restraint following the effect of the moral compromises that our hero develops for his survival as he grows. < less
In Agnieszka Holland's assured and compelling 'Europa Europa', a teenage Jewish lad manages to survive in wartime Germany by masquerading as a model Aryan. A remarkabl... more >
In Agnieszka Holland's assured and compelling 'Europa Europa', a teenage Jewish lad manages to survive in wartime Germany by masquerading as a model Aryan. A remarkable true account, suspenseful yet riddled with ironies, the film was voted best of the Year by New York critics and the Golden Globe awards. It serves as a potent indictment of Riefenstahl's master-race ideal. < less
