A Promise

I watched this film and was anxious to see a period piece set in Germany pre WWI but it never quite got off the ground. There is no chemistry between the two lovers. The male lead is not somebody a wife would fall in love with even if he is there all the time. He had no personality. He does not make her laugh, is not all that great with the son and offers no sex appeal. Rickman offers the only acting spark. It would have been interesting to see more of what Germany was like leading up, during and after the defeat of the war. Would make for such wonderful material both in plot and theme. A feeble attempt was made to stir up the politico in a scene close to the end where there is an aggressive street demonstration with people wearing swastikas. The Nazi party did not come into existence at the time the film depicts (end of war 1918). The DAP which was the predecessor of the Nazi party came into being in 1919 but it was not known enough for a street demonstration in 1918 and not with Nazi swastikas. These are simple facts I found online. I would not have researched had there not been that street demonstration scene with swastikas. It was totally out of place for the rest of the film. There should have been more of these types of scenes as there were riots in Germany in 1916 because of shortages in fuel and food. The film totally missed the effects the war had on the German people. The kiss at the end was as passionless as the whole lifeless movie.

The only sensible character here was Richard Madden's character. The rest were weird to watch.

And why did the camera zoom in on the characters out of the blue?...

3 stars for the outfits really.

When Richard Madden gets hired as Alan Rickman's assistant, he gets more than just a job in the bargain. Taken under Alan's wing, and taken into his home, he meets and quickly develops an affection for Alan's wife, Rebecca Hall. Yes, Richard's very handsome, but Rebecca didn't have an unhappy home before she met him. She had a devoted husband, plenty of money, beautiful clothes, a large house, and a child. Why, then, did Alan ever think it was a good idea to have a handsome, capable young man move into his home and spend time with his wife?

I was a little disappointed in this movie. The sets and costumes were beautiful, and given what they had to work with, the actors turned in fine performances, but the script itself wasn't very captivating. There were parts that seemed so obvious a double meaning or secret twist must surely surface, and while much of the movie promised a different meaning to the title, the denouement was a bit of a letdown. Still, if you really like period pieces and stories of forbidden love, you might enjoy renting it.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Much of this movie is filmed with a handheld camera, and the movement might make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

It's a good movie. There's the desire and the betrayal in a certain way, but there's no action, no passion and it continues till the end of the film. It could have been better.

I watched "A Promise" by accident - totally unprepared, and not even knowing what I was about to watch. But the fact that I watched it to the end already says a lot, since the film is not your typical shoot-them-up-superhero type of entertainment.

A Promise is essentially a love story set in times just before the WWI. It moves at its own, unhurried pace, but gives us plenty to observe and enjoy. While thoughtful, it manages to create suspense and drama without ever becoming sappy or boring. The story is inspiring, and screenplay well written. Besides great photography, and great story, all the actors were marvelous.

It is rare for me to be impressed by a film a day after I watched it, but A Promise achieved exactly that. It is refined, honest and deep enough to keep one engaged and only the most jaded will be unimpressed. Maybe there was a thing or two I would've done differently, but even with those imperfections, it stands out as an enviable work of seventh art.

Obviously, if you were looking for Ironman 12, or Halloween 13, you came to the wrong place.