Au service de la liberté

"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

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.

I recently stumbled across the name Varian Fry, and was intrigued by the fact that he is one of only 3 Americans to be named "Righteous Among The Nations" by Israel -- which is an award given to non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust. (Such as Oskar Schindler).

When I saw that a movie had been done about his experiences, I decided to rent it, even though it was made-for-TV.

Unfortunately, I don't think this film did justice to the emotional intensity of this period of history, or Fry's remarkable achievements. Fry's real-life story seems like it would be really juicy, but is portrayed in this film without much of the juice.

Right off the bat, I sensed that this was a cheap production. I noticed an extra who was walking in one scene, and then is seated in a wheelchair in another scene. I noticed the same prop (a photo with Joseph Kennedy) used in the background in 2 different offices. Of course, these minor goofs are not important, but they give you a sense of the low-budget flavor.

Ultimately, I give Varian's War a rating of 5 because it is hard to totally destroy this interesting tale, and because there are at least a few decent scenes and moments of genuine emotion. But overall, it lacks the charm, excitement and thrills that I am sure accompanied Varian Fry's actual adventures in France.

By the end of the film, my thirst for knowledge about this heroic American had not been quenched.

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.

In the midst of the Nazi madness when goons hunted down artists, thinkers, and other "misfits" or "queer ducks," Varian Fry was a man who decided to prevent the intellectual and artistic soul of civilization from going into a new dark age. He rescued people who would have otherwise been sacrificed to neutrality as well as to madness.

This is an excellent TV-film that is a memorial to the people who fought against fascism before the armies ever mobilized. The mind is mightier than the explosive and the bullet.