Dark Blue World
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Movie Reviews of Dark Blue World
Movie Review: Dark Blue World - An instant classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm quickly realizing that there are some unbelievably good foreign films out there (I own about a half-dozen now). My wife and I watched Dark Blue World on DVD this weekend. It is one of the best epic war movies that I've ever seen and a very fine DVD release. The cinematography was amazing and the Dolby Digital mix was stunning. I felt as if there really were Spitfires and BF-109s flying through my living room! In case you haven't heard of it, Dark Blue World is about Czech fighter pilots who fought for the RAF during World War II. In addition to an amazing history lesson, it was one of the best war screenplays I've ever seen and was wonderfully acted and directed. This is the first movie in a long, long time that I really felt connected to the characters. It makes me want to see more from this director and these actors. Jan Sverák should have been nominated for Best Director. Ondrej Vetchý (as Frantisek Sláma), Krystof Hádek (as Karel Vojtisek), and Tara Fitzgerald (as Susan) were all outstanding. It is rare that you see a movie so well balanced with stellar performances. Even the dog was perfectly cast (you'll know what I mean when the tears are rolling down your face as the main character has to leave her behind)!
Most of the movie is in Czech with English subtitles, which is refreshing. Hearing everything in the correct language sure does make the experience so much more fulfilling. It has the best aerial combat scenes in any film, ever. You'd think that you were seeing very high-quality historical film of the real thing. I'm a pilot and, as such, I'm extremely demanding in this area for accuracy down to the last detail. Let me tell you that the production staff for Dark Blue World didn't miss any detail. The combat sequences will take your breath away and really leave you with an appreciation for the sacrifices made by these pilots.
Even though I just saw it a couple of days ago, I'm gonna watch it again really soon. You won't be disappointed!!! I think that this film is the sleeper hit of 2001. It has my unqualified recommendation.
Movie Review: War, flying and romance combined - this time perfectly!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a must-see film for everyone. Jan Sverak (Academy Award winner for "Kolya") again shows his skills and excellence - no wonder he is called "smaller budget Spielberg". But don't be mistaken, this is byfar the most expensive movie project done in this country EVER.Dark Blue World is a movie about Czechoslovak fighter pilots in World War 2, who escaped to Britain to continue their fight against Hitler, after German army has occupied their country. It is a story of war, friendship, love, and the cruelty of fortune, wonderfully entwined to produce a fantastic film. The film is a great drama, yet contains a lot of Sverak's humanity and humor at the same time...
Among other things Dark Blue World is arguably the best World War 2 aviation movie I've seen - the aircraft are beautiful, historical background well-researched, and most of all air combat scenes are thrilling but very realistic (modern computer graphics possibilities finally allow these things to be done, and this movie avoided all of the "comic book" effects that todays' directors often get dragged into - see Pearl Harobr). What is really good though is that you can take your girlfriend or wife with you, and she will enjoy herself as well!
Finally few important things to mention:
For all its seeming similarity to Pearl Harbor, this is a much, much better movie.
Considering that roughly one third of dialogues in this movie are in English, it isn't really a typical "strange foreign subtitled movie", either...
And finally DVD features many excellent extras, including an excellent "The Filming Of" documentary, storyboards, edited scenes, documentary about special effects, and others - lots of goodies.
Be it whether you liked Pearl Harbor or were disappointed by it, this is a film you should see.
Do get this DVD, you won't regret it... or even better, go see it in a movie theatre before you buy it, while you can!
Movie Review: Would've been a monster hit if it weren't a "foreign movie"
Summary: 5 Stars
How do movies as impeccable as this miss the radar of critics and pop studios? Are people so averse to subtitles? Some reviewers (very unfairly) compare this movie to the insipid Pearl Harbour because of a love triangle plot, but that is about all I can think of in terms of parallels. Yes, broadly speaking, this masterpiece pivots around a close relationship that develops between a flying instructor Slama and his junior protegee Karel during the 1940s -- mentor and mentee -- a bond that even a shared love interest fails to break. This could have easily gone down the trodden path, ending up in a hackneyed mushy lovestory with bereaved hearts and skipped beats. Not under Sverak's aegis.
For one thing, unlike Pearl Harbour, the love angle is integral to the movie and tightly intertwined with the narrative. A la "The English Patient". The woman in question happens to be married (with a husband who's MIA) and this makes it just that bit more interesting. The cinematography is breathtaking, including some of the best fighter-jet combat sequences you'll see on screen with vintage aircraft (there should have been more of these!) and some in-prison ruthlessness that may leave you squeamish. British accents are occasionally suspect (reminder: Czech movie) but easily glossed over. The splendid soundtrack itself begs a special mention -- if you have seen Kolya, the music is comparably moving.
But what makes this marvel of a movie immemorable is its non-Hollywood ending. Without giving away too much, it is a stirring close that confirms that the basic tenets of humanism run deep even amidst the throes of war. Nothing melodramatic, but deeply moving.
If you care about a well told story that screams 'Masterpiece', this is required viewing.
Movie Review: It is more than just a war movie as it is also the story of friendship
Summary: 5 Stars
Although watching a movie with subtitles may been a bit artsy, Dark Blue World stays clear of that and should appeal to wider audiences. It is more than just a war movie as it is also the story of friendship. Although most of the story is serious and has some very sad parts, from time to time, there are even some very funny scenes. The movie isn't entirely in Czech as about 1/3 in English; don't let something like reading subtitles keep you away from this great film.
The story mostly focuses on the interactions of two Czechoslovakian pilots: Franta and Karol. Franta is an older and a more experienced pilot and acts as a mentor to Karol, who is much younger. When the Germans occupy their country, they flee for England and fly for the British. Karol ends up falling in love with a married British woman, but she begins to desire Franta who is unable to resist. Clearly, one theme of the movie is can friendship be destroyed by the jealousy over the same woman.
The story takes place during World War II (1939 to the early 1940s) and in 1950, in a prison labor camp. It goes back and forth between the two time periods and we see how Franta isn't treated as a hero after the war but a potential threat to the Soviet occupiers. Oddly, the feeling one gets after the war is more dismal.
Dark Blue World is a beautiful film with a romantic flair to it. There is something striking about airplanes and sky battles. At the same time, it isn't a lifeless story purely about heroism or patriotism. It is more like a complicated, yet detailed, painting that pulls in many details and feelings to create an overall impression that is appealing to many different types of viewers.
Movie Review: a tender masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Courage, friendship, wartime heroism...all the finest qualities of mankind are contrasted with the cruelty of the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Czechoslovakia in this WWII story of Czech fighter pilots who escaped the Nazi invasion to serve in England, and it is told in flashback from an airman who returns to his homeland, and is jailed and tortured by the Soviets, who took over and finished the job of crushing the Czech people when the Nazis were defeated.
The aerial photography is superb, and anyone interested in early fighter planes will love this film; cinematographer Vladimir Smutny is also masterful in the interior shots, with their ambiance of the late '30s-early '40s, and in capturing the picturesque English countryside. There is a gentleness to the story despite the violence of the war, and director Jan Sverak manages to touch every emotion during the course of this 112 minute film. It is brilliantly directed as well as acted, and the two male leads, Ondrej Vetchy (Franta) and Krystof Hadek (Karel), make their parts into living beings, and we laugh and cry with them.
Others of note are Tara Fitzgerald (Susan), Charles Dance (Commander Bentley), and Linda Rybova (Hanicka), and in the small part of an English teacher, Anna Massey puts in a memorable performance.
Inspiring, deeply moving, very human, this is a film that gets better with repeated viewing, and is one to own and treasure.