Hitlerjunge Salomon

One has to be annoyed with comments that question either the historical verisimilitude or the integrity of this film, whether from the shaky ground of some rigid, illiberal ideological or religious prejudice or from some one-sided version of history. Furthermore, negative ad hominem attacks on someone other than political leaders or other persons who willingly seek out the public eye are reprehensible.

Does this story ring true? It does to me, and if there is even one-tenth as much basis in fact in the life of Salomon Perel as is represented in the film, I am satisfied. Having been to all the places and delved into the culture and history of all the nationalities that comprise its background, I am also convinced that much if not all of the story is correct at a level that goes well beyond whether this or that small factual detail is rooted in what actually happened to the real Perel.

Moreover, "Hitlerjunge Salomon" (better known in English-speaking countries as "Europa, Europa") is a masterful piece of cinema, beautifully produced and directed, and bearing a cachet of authenticity that few cross-cultural films achieve. I can attest to the utterly convincing script and characterization within the German language portion, and the bits in Polish and Russian seem equally strong.

Why is it so difficult to believe that a malleable teenager raised in a cross-cultural environment would be any less rooted in one part of his life than another? Marco Hofschneider captures precisely the right tone as he demonstrates how "Solly" and "Jupp" are two complementary aspects of the same person. Indeed, there are even good Germans and bad Germans, good Poles and bad Poles, etc., etc. throughout the film.

None of this compromises the truth that millions of other Jews did not survive the Holocaust. Nor does it demean their memory to cast a glance or two at this singular exception. The survivors have their stories as do the victims, and to explore the wider spectrum of life that goes on is surely to find hope in the ruins of an otherwise depraved episode in world history.

An interesting and moving film about a teen : Marco Holfschneider attempting to conceal his Jew origin throughout WWII . The real Salomon Perel is a young Jewish who escaped the Holocaust by passing for a Communist at Russian orphanage , where he learns to be a fervert young Stalinist and subsequently a German person at an elite , Nazi-run Academy. Eventually he falls for lovely Jew-hating Julie Delpy but by this point the effort of hiding behind so many masks is starting to take its toll , as occurring disturbing edge to Perel's fortunes . In the tradition of Voltaire's Candide and Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird .

An incredible and brooding true story of Salomon Perel . A sad and provoking flick in which we watch actual events of the 30s and 40s , such as : the Kristalnacht , Jewish Ghettos , distribution of Poland between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia after covenant between Rosenberg and Molotov , 1939 Poland invasion , 1941 Russia encroachment in Redbeard Operation , camps of death , the murderous SonderKommandos executing the deadly assignments and 1945 Berlín war . A thrilling and twisted movie in which our starring suffers several misfortunes and borderline-absurdist happenings. The tale is at times so absurd that it could have made a grotesque historical burlesque of the Gunter Grass' Tin Drum variety . Such a sharp evocation of the era would have deserved an Oscar , but it wouldn't submit for the Academy Awards . Stars Marco Holfschneider who gives a sympathetic acting as the young suffering lots of distresses , unfortunes and pains , along the way he gets away from Nazi Holocaust by passing for a fervent Nazi at an elitist Academy . And a mostly unknown cast with exception for Hanns Zischler as a German captain and Julie Delpy as a fanatic Nazi girl , all of them give nice interpretations .

It was shot in various languages, in German and Russian with English subtitles . It contains a sensitive and enjoyable musical score by Zbigniew Preisner, including catching leitmotif . As well as atmospheric cinematography , though a perfect remastering being extremely necessary .This thought-provoking and brooding motion picture was compellingly directed by Agnieszka Holland . This prestigious director has made good films , outstanding the following ones : "Copying Beethoven , Julie walking Home , Washington Square, Total Eclipse , The Secret Garden , Olivier Olivier , To Kill a Priest , A Woman on her Own and Sunday Children" . Rating 7/10 . Better than average . Essential and indispensable seeing for WWII aficionados .

"Europa Europa" (original title "Hitler Youth Soloman") is the story of a Jewish boy who is separated from his family and ends up assuming different identities (including, yes, a Nazi) to stay alive. What makes this film different from all the Holocaust movies I've seen is that it shows the perspective of the other side. This is NOT done in a sympathetic way but in a way that simply shows what was going on amongst the brainwashed youth and how ordinary humans were coerced into doing the most inhuman things.

Our protagonist Soloman (Marco Hofschneider) is played with a wide-eyed innocence, almost like an objective observer, as he navigates the Nazi heirarchy inadvertently making friends wherever he goes. Thus the interesting spin is that the Nazis are shown with more personality than the stone-faced butchers we've come to expect from Holocaust flicks. In fact there is very little Jewish persecution and violence shown since most of the story is set behind the ranks where Soloman is fed the same propaganda and brotherhood that the Hitler youth were fed.

The brutality is clear, and as Soloman rises through the ranks he starts to peel away the truth that, no, Jews are not simply being "relocated to Madagascar". In addition he falls for a girl (Julie Delpy) who is a rabid anti-Semite. So the film ends up posing a very interesting point that's applicable to all our lives, regardless of the WW2 context: What do we do if it turns out that our friends & adoptive family turn out to be vile monsters?

I highly recommend this movie even if you're not interested in war flicks. It's more like a coming of age story but set in the most horrifying chapter of human history.

When, this summer, I saw "Saving Private Ryan", I was immediately reminded of this film. Using the same kind of camera angles that got Spielberg praise in "Ryan", we see the hollowness of the war-torn psyche and the brutality that emerges in people during warfare. We see hideous indoctrination that the German youth were subjected to, giving them depth beyond a few simple lines. Most of all, however, we see the absurdity inherent in such a large scale, world-shattering conflict. The film communicates its message with a clarity that makes one almost uneasy. As good as "Ryan" was, this is better.

"Europa Europa" is the sort of film that is filled with so many ridiculous coincidences that it can only be true...which it is! Time and time again, a young Jewish man's life is miraculously saved during the Holocaust and this film is his story.

This film begins in Germany just before WWII breaks out. Salomon Perel and his family are Jews and they leave Germany for safety in Poland. Unfortunately, soon the German army invades and takes Poland...and Salomon and his brother run off to avoid the pograms. Here is where the story starts to get interesting. The brothers get separated and Salomon escapes to the Soviet portion of Poland where he is taken into a communist re-education school. He learns to be the ideal communist. But, the Germans are once again on the move and invade--taking the school and its students. Thinking twice, Salomon concocts a crazy story when he's caught--telling them he's a German orphan and he was forced to go to the school. And, because he doesn't appear Jewish and can understand Russian, the Germans keep him as a sort of mascot in their army. Soon, the soldiers adore him! Later, when he tries to defect back to the Russian lines, through a funny coincidence, it appears he's captured a group of Russian soldiers--and he's an even BIGGER hero to Germany! This is only through about half of the film--the coincidences and difficult to believe situations increase tremendously! Overall, this is an excellent production and a truly unique film. There have been so many Holocaust films that it's nice to see one that is so different. It's interesting from start to finish and I strongly recommend it.

By the way, it's a minor problem but the plane Salomon sees up in the sky late in the film is a VERY modern one--made decades after WWII.