litmus
Joined Jan 2000
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Reviews2
litmus's rating
Just saw this on BBC4 - extraordinary - it's the kind of achievement American (and British) screenwriters should practice for years to emulate. Robert McKee, see this film!
The writing, directing and acting are all superb, and in the service of a supremely human story beautifully constructed around timeless epic themes of man's inhumanity to man, war, and all the other big stuff. To separate these from the movie itself, though, would be to do it a great disservice.
The mix of laugh-out-loud humour, gripping thriller, and finally a well-earned and unsentimental tear-jerker of a last 15 minutes is the zenith of a movie-watching experience. "Divided We Fall" is very funny from the outset, but it doesn't take long for the filmmakers to skilfully tighten the knot with sudden character twists and brilliant writing early on. Once we're immersed in 1943 Czechoslovakia, we're not only rooting for the lead character Cizek, played immaculately by Bolek Polivka - a winning combination of contemporary earthy Brit character actor Philip Jackson and 20th century comedy genius Alistair Sim - we're feeling like we're there with him.
He and the ensemble cast play every beat of the story just right (there's even one moment midway through where the audience are maybe allowed to get a bit too far ahead of Polivka's character, but it's remedied by the performances). The visual flourishes, especially the effects of switching between film speeds and using a DV tape look, all enhance the narrative without intruding into it, and thus heighten the tension at unexpected moments. The costume and make-up designs bring the human stories to warm life; and set against war-torn 1940s backdrops, the production design could hardly go wrong.
A great treatment of a much depicted time and narrative that manages to make events feel fresh, real, scary, funny, dramatic, ultimately hugely moving...somehow many more people should get a chance, and be urged, to see this film.
The writing, directing and acting are all superb, and in the service of a supremely human story beautifully constructed around timeless epic themes of man's inhumanity to man, war, and all the other big stuff. To separate these from the movie itself, though, would be to do it a great disservice.
The mix of laugh-out-loud humour, gripping thriller, and finally a well-earned and unsentimental tear-jerker of a last 15 minutes is the zenith of a movie-watching experience. "Divided We Fall" is very funny from the outset, but it doesn't take long for the filmmakers to skilfully tighten the knot with sudden character twists and brilliant writing early on. Once we're immersed in 1943 Czechoslovakia, we're not only rooting for the lead character Cizek, played immaculately by Bolek Polivka - a winning combination of contemporary earthy Brit character actor Philip Jackson and 20th century comedy genius Alistair Sim - we're feeling like we're there with him.
He and the ensemble cast play every beat of the story just right (there's even one moment midway through where the audience are maybe allowed to get a bit too far ahead of Polivka's character, but it's remedied by the performances). The visual flourishes, especially the effects of switching between film speeds and using a DV tape look, all enhance the narrative without intruding into it, and thus heighten the tension at unexpected moments. The costume and make-up designs bring the human stories to warm life; and set against war-torn 1940s backdrops, the production design could hardly go wrong.
A great treatment of a much depicted time and narrative that manages to make events feel fresh, real, scary, funny, dramatic, ultimately hugely moving...somehow many more people should get a chance, and be urged, to see this film.
Bob Geldof could maybe use this film as a dramatised case history of what happens if society doesn't accord 21st century fathers a better hearing and greater rights. Here, though, in this funny and touching flick, the family is still (just about) intact - all the same, the powers that be in the wider world are quick to brand the
Dad's individuality as a threat to his children.
The story begins with a regular guy, superbly played by John Lynch, trying to bring some imaginative fun into his children's lives.
The ramifications of his lively and lovable approach, in a climate of uncertainty as to where boundaries lie, are unexpectedly disruptive and infuriating. The director quite rightly weights the story in Dad's favour, but doesn't seek to justify the bureaucratic approach of the care workers in order to make it an issues piece. We stick with our hero's sometimes tunnel-visioned mindset throughout, come what may, and get a real sense of the anguish such a crazy situation can cause.
Despite the complexity of the debate, the issues don't come at the expense of the characters - the wife and her support network are all very well drawn individuals, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments that make it feel a very real, if comedically slanted, story.
The film was really well received at Galway, where I saw it, and would be a positive one for fathers and older children to watch together, to see a strong paternal bond and what it can withstand.
Mums and care-workers won't have their minds changed, but if they realise hubbies deserve a bit more credit, and if fathers realise part of their parental responsibility is communicating well with grown-ups as well as with their own kids, this film will have the impact it should.
Dad's individuality as a threat to his children.
The story begins with a regular guy, superbly played by John Lynch, trying to bring some imaginative fun into his children's lives.
The ramifications of his lively and lovable approach, in a climate of uncertainty as to where boundaries lie, are unexpectedly disruptive and infuriating. The director quite rightly weights the story in Dad's favour, but doesn't seek to justify the bureaucratic approach of the care workers in order to make it an issues piece. We stick with our hero's sometimes tunnel-visioned mindset throughout, come what may, and get a real sense of the anguish such a crazy situation can cause.
Despite the complexity of the debate, the issues don't come at the expense of the characters - the wife and her support network are all very well drawn individuals, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments that make it feel a very real, if comedically slanted, story.
The film was really well received at Galway, where I saw it, and would be a positive one for fathers and older children to watch together, to see a strong paternal bond and what it can withstand.
Mums and care-workers won't have their minds changed, but if they realise hubbies deserve a bit more credit, and if fathers realise part of their parental responsibility is communicating well with grown-ups as well as with their own kids, this film will have the impact it should.