GKarsEye
Regular
Taking Sides is a film about the post-WWII investigation of Berlin's greatest early-mid 20th century conductor, who chose to remain in Germany with the rise of the Nazis. Harvy Keitel stars as the American military officer charged with finding evidence to support the claim that the musician was a Nazi sympathiser or collaborator.
The film is basically a morality play about the relationship between art, its audience, and politics.
The performances are very nice to watch- Keitel is typically charming yet visceral, the veteran actor who plays the conductor has some brilliant moments, and Keitel's two assistants are charming.
The film has its flaws- some may feel that the issues at stake aren't that important (who cares what some conductor did, as long as he didn't hurt anybody?), and the yellow-ish color filter got a little overwhelming at times.
One of the end results of the story is that Wilhelm Furtwangler did not keep his stature as the world's greatest German conductor, which ended up falling to his rival Herbert Von Karajan, a name now more familiar to casual classical music listeners.
Recommended for people interested in morality plays.
The film is basically a morality play about the relationship between art, its audience, and politics.
The performances are very nice to watch- Keitel is typically charming yet visceral, the veteran actor who plays the conductor has some brilliant moments, and Keitel's two assistants are charming.
The film has its flaws- some may feel that the issues at stake aren't that important (who cares what some conductor did, as long as he didn't hurt anybody?), and the yellow-ish color filter got a little overwhelming at times.
One of the end results of the story is that Wilhelm Furtwangler did not keep his stature as the world's greatest German conductor, which ended up falling to his rival Herbert Von Karajan, a name now more familiar to casual classical music listeners.
Recommended for people interested in morality plays.
