Taking Sides
by Istv?n Szab?
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Birgit Minichmayr, Harvey Keitel, Moritz Bleibtreu, Stellan Skarsg?rd, Ulrich TukurDirector: Istv?n Szab?
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-04-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: New Yorker Video
Movie Reviews of Taking Sides
Movie Review: A fascinating look at musical denazification
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a conflicted fan of Wilhelm Furtwangler. He really was one of the greatest conductors in the last century -- I highly recommend everyone listen to his music. At the same time, he served the Nazi regime as head of what amounted to the national orchestra.
Harvey Keitel plays Major Steve Arnold, who is assigned to prosecute the denazification case of Furtwangler, and to "make an example" of him. The Keitel character has come under strong criticism in other reviews here for his aggressive, some might say abusive stance in questioning Furtwangler, but I disagree. I think most of the things Arnold says to and about Furtwangler need to be said. It is not right to gloss over them, and they are not things that can be said over a cup of tea -- a certain amount of confrontation is called for.
I agree that the Keitel character is overly aggressive at times, and yes, he is curmudgeonly and essentially one-dimensional. But on the whole, I would say my only real objection to his interrogation of Furtwangler as portrayed in the film is that Furtwangler was not allowed to have counsel present. Other than that, the issues he raises are pretty much fair game. His job was to prosecute, and basically he did what prosecutors do.
I would be very interested to see a film about what REALLY happened in Furtwangler's denazification proceedings. This is fiction, and that must be kept in mind. But also keep in mind that the denazification process in West Germany was a great success, mainly because the US took it very seriously. Germany benefited from the process, which surely seemed excessive at the time but has now resulted in a society that has accepted multiculturalism and diversity much better than most others in Europe. Sure, the situation is not perfect, but it's quite a bit worse elsewhere. This derives in part from the US's insistence in the late 1940s that ordinary citizens take a hard look at what was done.
Sure, the US didn't get it all right, there were mistakes and overzealousness, especially in areas like primary education. But overall, denazification was a wild success in West Germany.
It was was less of a priority in other places. This is true of Austria and a number of Axis countries that got stuck behind the Iron Curtain, notably East Germany and Hungary. The failure to look the past squarely in the eye 60 years ago still shows up in nasty ways in these societies today. Western Germany got it right -- and that in significant part because there were people asking the kind of questions that the obnoxious Harvey Keitel character asked, rather than taking the "let sleeping dogs lie" approach used elsewhere.
In this sense, "Taking Sides" offers a thoughtful look at two separate topics. First is the denazification era and the kind of issues that were dealt with -- it is a very instructive, if simplified and specialized, look at the mood and mindset of the time.
The second topic is the heavy musical angle and an examination of Furtwangler specifically, which I think is a must for anyone who wants to enjoy his music. Furtwangler doesn't need to be condemned, and I do not wish to condemn him. But listening to his music, especially his wartime recordings, without considering their moral context seems a dicey proposition. Leading the Berlin Philharmonic was not a morally or politically neutral job in those times, especially given the propaganda role "great German music" played in the Nazi regime.
This movie does not give answers, but it raises the right questions for fans of Furtwangler -- and for that matter, Karajan, who had a much easier time, perhaps unjustifiably so, because his denazification proceedings took place in Austria and because he was not yet nearly as big a fish as Furtwangler.
For anyone interested in this film I also highly recommend the documentary "The Reichsorchester", also about the Berlin Philharmonic during the Nazi era. Chilling stuff, further illustrating the kind of political naivete BPO musicians -- and likely Furtwangler himself -- had about their role at the time.
And please don't get me wrong -- I love Furtwangler's work and actually sympathize with the man. I just believe the complexity has to be recognized, not glossed over.
I'm very glad Furtwangler was exonerated, but to suggest he should not have been subject to more than perfunctory scrutiny because of his outstanding talent is absurd.
Summary of Taking Sides
From the Academy Award" winning writer of The Pianist comes the provocative story, based on true events, of Wilhelm Furtw?ngler, arguably the most distinguished conductor of his generation.After Hitler took over power in 1933, many Jewish artists were forced to leave Germany. Wilhelm Furtw?ngler (Stellan Skarsg?rd) chose to stay, serving as one of the Nazi`s foremost cultural assets. Though never a member of the Party, Furtw?ngler was the recipient of government honors and appointments, associated with party members. However, the conductor often used his position and contacts to save hundreds of Jewish musicians from the concentration camps.
When Major Steve Arnold (Harvey Keitel) is given the task of carrying out pre-trial investigations against Furtw?ngler, his aim is to prove that the conductor's artistic genius contributed to the Nazi propaganda machine and their destructive ideology. Conversely, Furtw?ngler insists he chose to stay to bring comfort to the German people with his music.
Like a master conductor, director Istv?n Szab? orchestrates the debate from cat-and-mouse intensity. Taking Sides is that rare film that demands the audience to take a position on an issue: in this case, the complicity or innocence of Wilhelm Furtw?ngler.
An impassioned clash of art and politics lies at the heart of Taking Sides, a historical drama that resonates with timeless relevance. Director Istvan Szabo remained in his native Hungary during Soviet occupation, and that experience clearly informed his approach to this fact-based film about Wilhelm Furtwangler, the celebrated conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, who chose to remain in Germany as the Nazis rose to power. World War II has ended, and now Furtwangler (superbly played by Stellan Skarsg?rd) must endure intense interrogation by Steve Arnold (Harvey Keitel), a pugnacious U.S. Army major assigned to root out Nazi collaborators. While the overzealous Arnold deals in moral absolutes, Furtwangler's embrace of art for art's sake opens him up to charges that he supported Hitler, intentionally or not, by naively believing that art and politics could remain separate in the cauldron of the Third Reich. Based on the play by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), Taking Sides presents a compelling collision of ideologies, probing complex personal and political motivations while presenting an authentic, emotionally charged portrait of German culture immediately following Hitler's demise. Despite its title, the film itself remains neutral regarding its central argument, leaving the viewer to ponder the weighty issues involved. --Jeff Shannon
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