L'ami retrouvé

Robards delivers a wonderful performance as an aging Jewish man who was sent away from Germany aged 16 in 1932 by his parents, for his own safety. He'd befriended a high-born non-Jewish boy his age prior to his departure. He returns to Germany to find out what happened to his friend. The ending is surprising and very deeply moving as a result of the significant, lengthy, and gratifying cinematic demonstration of their growing friendship as boys.

Despite some traumatic sequences, this picture boasts careful, almost nostalgic location work in Stuttgart and the Schwarzwald. The conclusion may surprise you, mainly because the actions of the characters don't appear to foreshadow it at all. Nevertheless, it's a good piece of work, worthy of home-video release.

I just saw this movie again for the first time since its release, and the memories I had were confirmed both in good and bad. Jerry Schatzberg is best remembered for "the Panic in Needle Park" and "the Scarecrow", two sensitive and hyperrealistic drama classics about the America of the 1970's. But this movie belongs to the Holocaust centered genre that thrived around 1990, and most of it has a very European feel.

It's likely that Schatzberg has been inspired by Louis Malle's "Goodbye Children" made two years earlier, as the plot and the atmosphere have much in common. There are two elements that stand out. The first is the thorough reconstruction of the everyday life in Germany at the time of Hitler's takeover. And the second is the subtle depiction of the friendship between two college boys in a tense and stiff environment. You get immediately captivated, and the two young actors deliver flawless performances. The soundtrack is an earworm and the gym class scene is a highlight.

However this is all in the flashback part, and there seems to be two movies interwoven, each of very unequal quality. By comparison, the parts involving Jason Robards are lacklustre and feel very off key with the rest. His performance gives an unpleasant impression, out of touch with the teenage character he impersonates as an old man. The excellence of the central narrative makes the movie still worth watching, but it is a pity that the whole was spoiled by this discrepancy. .

The performance of Jason Robards is incredibly understated, precisely what Harold Pinter's marvelous writing skills demand. I consider his performance a masterpiece of character development and found the movie spellbinding. Of all the holocaust stories this is the one I was able to relate to the best. I wish it would be available in video for all to appreciate.

Every time I talk about or remember this movie, I feel very touched and emotional. It made a tremendous impression upon me. I consider the acting extremely well done. The characters were very convincing. I found it an exercise with dealing with prejudice. For anybody who has had close friendships in their adolescent, I would recommend this film.