En dag i oktober

I found the characters unconvincing.

I wanted to care about them, but too often they behaved unwisely (taking the British cigarettes out of the house where others could see them) or witlessly for me to care about them.

They struck me as characters written generations after the events portrayed, who knew the truth of what went on, but conveyed none of the feeling of an occupied people in time of war. Their actions seemed disconnected and forced for the sake of the plot, and frequently--all too frequently--failed to ring true.

There are stories to be told of that time and place, but this just dragged on and on...and became predictable. It was like enduring the last incarnation of Titanic...please, let this end...soon...but it doesn't.

The film version that I saw was in English but was obviously made with the help of Danish filmmakers. It takes place in Denmark of 1943. Hitler's Nazis have taken over the country and it is almost time for the Jewish population to begin being deported. A young Danish resistance fighter (D.B. Sweeney) is wounded in an act of war and is found by a teenage Jewish girl, Sarah, who takes him to her home in secret. When her father discovers the hidden guest, he wants the young rebel out of the house. But, gradually, the two men grow to admire and help each other. Along the way, Sarah and her young resister fall in love. Circumstances change quickly, however, and result in a crisis that requires the courage and intelligence of both young lovers and the people surrounding them. This is a fine addition to the repertoire of films with a Jewish/World War II focus. Sweeney, in one of his earlier roles, is a charmer. Although the movie may be difficult to find (libraries may have), this motion picture is, nevertheless, worth a look.

Anything involving Jews and the Nazis is going to be a nail-biter, and "A Day in October" is no different. This 1992 film stars Daniel Benzali, Tovah Feldshuh, D.B. Sweeney and Kelly Wolf in this story of a wounded member of the Danish resistance, Niels (Sweeney) taken in by Sara (Wolf), the daughter of Solomon and Emma Kublitz (Benzali and Feldshuh). Niels and his cronies have just bombed the factory where Solomon works as an accountant, as it has been taken over by the Germans for their use. However, they hit the wrong building and the only one to escape is Niels. Niels pressures Solomon to help him bomb the right building; Solomon and Sara have stayed passive during the war, believing nothing will happen in Denmark. Then Solomon sees the dead bodies of Niels' friends and realizes their courage. He finally agrees to help, though the Nazi security guard (Ole Lemmeke) is suspicious of him. Then the family learns that Jews are to be rounded up and arrested. They must try to escape and warn as many of their friends as possible.

This a very good film, both tense and atmospheric. The acting is excellent, with the standout performances belonging to Benzali and Feldshuh. Benzali, who played the successful, self-assured attorney in Murder One is here a nervous, quiet accountant; the beautiful Feldshuh, who as a young actress was one of the stars of Holocaust, displays the emotion and fright that Emma has when she is faced with losing her home and family. She is especially touching in the scene when she tries to place family items into the small suitcase she is allowed to bring to the boat that will take them to Sweden. The love story between Niels and Sara is slow to develop, but a true bond develops between them. Sweeney does not display enough intensity in his role, but Wolf is good as the daughter. Ole Lemmeke is appropriately menacing as the security guard at the factory.

The Danish resistance helped 7500 Jews escape Denmark, and of the 450 or so Jews who were arrested and sent to concentration camps, nearly all survived. Like their fellow Scandinavian countries, the Danes helped the Jews greatly during World War II, demonstrating great humanity that other countries did not.

I stumbled across this movie during a sleepless night and I was mesmerized. I cannot believe that I never heard of it before. The storyline is great, the actors played their parts very realistically. I do have to say that D.B.Sweeney was my favorite. He is just great in the leading man role. I always thought he was an under rated actor, but now I am convinced of it. As the friend of someone who's Father was in the "resistance" in occupied Norway and subsequently killed, I was particularly pleased that the resistance fighters in Scandinavia were getting some kind of recognition although not as much as the French or other countries. There were a lot of acts of heroism by everyday normal people during WWII and as the daughter of a WWII veteran, I love seeing these incidents being portrayed. Yes a lot of people died in concentration camps, but thanks to their neighbors a lot survived too. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough to any viewer, except young children. There is some violence and the story line would be beyond their comprehension. I managed to find a copy of it by searching the internet. I cannot wait for it to arrive so I can wear the tape out over and over. I could not find a DVD version and I would like to know if there are any out there. Also, the other actors in the film, where they Danish? Except for Tovah Feldshuh and D.B. I don't remember seeing or hearing of them before. A definite hidden gem, watch it if you can.

Movies about the war are plentiful. Ones that are extremely original, emotionally riveting, and that you find yourself talking about for a long time after, however, are tough to come by. So it's not really surprising that this isn't one. And once you accept that this isn't going to change your life or redefine the very meaning existence, it's actually a fine release. The plot is reasonable, and develops about as it should. You never lose track, which is good, because if you break it down, it's really quite simple. The pacing could use work, if this never comes to a complete halt(it certainly seldom races). There are some sequences of tension, and they are fairly well-done. The acting is usually at least well-performed, and the two leads, Wolf in particular, are downright impressive. The effects are nicely done, without any real exception. The editing could use touching up, mainly in the couple of places where it's so sloppy that the viewer can't quite figure out what just happened or why it did. More often than not, it's sufficiently well-done. There are Hollywood moments, and realism takes a back-seat on occasion. The music is mostly fitting, except for when the score goes into something that sounds like a Psycho cue. I do think that this got one thing right that you do not see in enough authentic pieces; it actually has Danes, Danish products and such. It was pleasant to see every bit of text that was printed in this be in our mother tongue. I recommend this to fans of WW2 flicks, history of Denmark/Jews, and/or films based on actual events. 7/10