Varian's War - Ein vergessener Held

The movie plods along - victim of a poor screenplay that: i) distorts terribly the real facts, ii) fails to convey the excitement and danger of the undertaking, iii) fails to address the underlying moral question of seeking to save only those who've made their names in the arts, and iv) fails to sufficiently acquaint the audience with the merits of those who escape. The best thing about the movie (as true in so many movies) is Alan Arkin's performance in a small role - he's always superb.

I've no problem with the alteration of some facts in order to make a more compelling story. Thus, the fact that Chagall and his wife did not make the trip with Werfel and Heinrich Mann but went at a different time, or that there were actually up to a dozen people working with the committee (many of them European), or that Fry hardly ever personally escorted any of the people into Spain, I see as normal poetic license.

However, to say that the Miriam Davenport character is a composite - but then to steal the name of a real person who died during the production in order to present a terribly ugly and false portrait of her, is not forgivable. From what I've read (including her journal), the real Davenport was a very young, sweet idealistic person whose fiance was trapped in Yugoslavia, not the coarse, promiscuous and tough creature given this name in the movie - (and given a fictitious physical ailment).

And to make Fry a bizarre, hesitant, effete man who affects a dandy's guise - is absurd. Again, from what I've read, the real Fry was smart, straightforward, strict, and decisive. (And he didn't die penniless, but was teaching classics at a New England prep school).

No one in the movie addresses the central moral question - why should the lives of those in the arts be more precious? The vast majority of those saved, had done their best work long before (Arendt is the obvious exception) - they weren't being saved for their future contributions so much as their past. Would it not be at least arguable that those saved should be those who were most involved in charitable works, had the greatest "heart"? Or that those saved should be those whose past indicated the most practicable help to the U.S. should it get into the war? Or that those saved should be those who had the closest family relation to American citizens? The movie's failure to address these questions - and blithe assumption that those in the arts are simply superior to the rest of us, so their very lives are more worthy of preservation - is deeply annoying.

Moreover, the movie fails to convey any sense of the value of the particular people saved. We need to know why these particular people are so important to Fry and others. Why could they not give the viewer a sense of the writing of Heinrich Mann, Feuchtwanger or Werfel? Why could they not show a single canvas of the work of Duchamps, Ernst or Chagall? Why could they not show some of the sculpture of Lipschutz? The political musings of Arendt? We need to know why these people are so critical.

This movie is dull. Those who like it on this board seem really to be responding to the idea of a movie about Fry's work - or to be (quite justly) praising what he and others in the committee did. Since the central drama of the personalities involved is so falsely presented, it's far far better to simply read about them.

The comparisons to Schindlers List are to be expected here- William Hurt plays, rather well, a man who saves the persecuted artists and intellectuals of WWII. You know where the story is going, and yet the marvellous acting of Hurt and Julia Ormand manage to hold your attention. Fine supporting roles as well- Alan Arkin all but steals the movie. Maury Chakin has a rather unfortunate suit to overcome, and here's where the lack of money affected the story for me. It's so obviously made in Canada for a dime, and yet it's a vast story. Why do it if you can't do it right? I wasn't wild about the music either, it was very 'on the nose' and told us how to feel every step of the way. I expected more from producer Barbra Striesand. The actors, however, transcend all the cheapness and sentiment and make it very watchable.

Varian was not known to me before this movie and I was disappointed that the movie didn't bring out more about him and his motivations. However, both Hurt and Ormond gave fabulous performances. He had that strange "Roosevelt" gait that you see so much in the 40's and was very understated. This had the look of pretty standard Made-for-TV fare. Usually Showtime kicks it up a notch, but not this time.

This man is something of a Schindler, if you will, but he focused mainly on saving artists. Beautifully played by William Hurt, with great supporting actors all around him, this film was obviously made on the cheap, but that doesn't cheapen the content which is worthy. A good family film. I recommend it.

"Varian's War" is a very important film and I, for one, am glad to see films of this kind being made. Thanks to Barbara Streisand for backing it, and to the writer and director and composer for the beautiful music, to William Hurt and Julia Ormond and all the other fine actors for showing us all, that ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Look what this one man has done, all by himself, creating a group and raising money and saving the lives of some of the greatest thinkers, artists, musicians and others who have moved our cultures and civilization forward, and saved our souls.

Thanks to everyone, as this film has given me much to think about and much to strive for. I hope it becomes available for purchase as I would like my students and everyone I know to see it, at least one time, and consider what course of action we might all take - if only for once in our lives - that might make the tiniest bit of "difference" as Varian has done. Yours sincerely, Catherine Todd