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Film: The Tunnel
Year of production: 2001
UK Release date: 25th April 2011
Distributor: Second Sight
Certificate: 12
Running time: 160 mins
Director: Roland Suso Richter
Starring: Nicolette Krebitz, Heino Ferch, Sebastian Koch, Alexandra Maria Lara
Genre: Action/Drama/History/Thriller
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Germany
Language: German
Originally created as a German TV mini-series, The Tunnel has been re-cut and re-packaged as a movie for DVD release outside of its homeland. It’s testament to the quality of the production most audiences would be none the wiser about the film’s origins. But does the change of emphasis lead to a worthy release or is this is misguided premise?
Based on a true story, The Tunnel focuses on 1961 Berlin, as the East/West wall is hurriedly constructed families and friends are split on the grounds of geography. Headstrong athlete Harry Melchior is caught on the East where he’s kept under close supervision thanks to his high profile and reputation as a troublemaker and political firebrand.
When Harry decides to make a break for the West, he is unable to take his beloved sister, Lotte, with him. His best friend, Matthis, faces a similar dilemma, as he is split from his wife Carola on their escape through the sewage system. United on the other side of the wall, the pair decide to sneak their loved ones over – or rather under – the border.
Assembling a group of like-minded rebels, Matthis and Harry put their professional skills to the test, as architect Matthis plans the tunnel construction and the athletic Harry provides the muscle necessary to dig through over a hundred metres of earth. With the authorities employing every underhand tactic in the book to uncover their plot, will they achieve their aims or will their plan collapse around them?
The driving force behind the narrative and the lead character as the action unfolds is Harry (Heino Ferch), a heroic and committed leader of men. His performance is excellent, as he imbues the character with a nobility and clarity of purpose which is altogether admirable. Sadly, this commitment to the cause means that there is little light or shade to the character and as a result he’s not entirely engaging.
Thankfully, the other characters are more nuanced and interesting. All the performances are strong, and even the occasional lurch into cliché or caricature doesn’t detract from their excellent acting. Sebastian Koch is very strong as the conflicted Matthis and the underutilised Fred really comes into his own as the film reaches its conclusion. Best of the bunch is Nicolette Krebitz as Fritzi.
Fritzi’s story is fairly predictable and her outcome obvious. But along the way her love-affair with Heiner (Florian Panzner), a boyfriend trapped on the other side of the wall, is the source of the most poignant and powerful scene in the movie. Fearing that their relationship is stuttering to a halt, Heiner makes a desperate attempt to join his lover on the West. What follows is a particularly moving scene as their relationship is literally and metaphorically divided by the Berlin Wall, which physically splits the screen and the couple.
Perhaps less subtle, but no less effective are the scenes in the tunnel. There are clear and obvious parallels to be drawn with The Great Escape, as the rebels attempt to cover their tracks whilst undertaking their enormous excavation. Unsurprisingly, they face problems like tunnel collapses and unexpected concrete obstacles, but these are dealt with efficiently by both the characters and the director. The sense of claustrophobia and peril is perhaps not as acute as it might be – the relatively spacious tunnel is a factor in this - but given the budgetary restraints inherent in this TV production it would be churlish to quibble with the set design.
Whilst the men in the story toil underground, their wives and families face investigation on the surface. Creepy Kruger (Uwe Kockisch) straddles the line between unthinking automaton and put-upon jobsworth carefully enough to create a genuinely tense series of double crosses, espionage and intimidation, which plays nicely alongside the honest integrity of the tunnellers.
Sadly, as the film reaches its denouement, it becomes increasingly preposterous and implausible. In a story ‘based’ on true events, it’s difficult to know where the truth ends and the embellishments begin, but there are some barely creditable twists (not least an NBC camera crew filming the action), turns and set-pieces in the final third of the movie. It’s a shame as they were really not necessary at all. The human drama here would have been more than sufficient to hold the audience’s interest without resorting to the action-packed ending provided.
There’s much to be admired here given that The Tunnel began life on television. But sadly a kind of ‘small screen’ mentality limits the film’s appeal in this version. It would be interesting to see what was removed in the cut – a little more focus on characters over action would certainly be beneficial. Having said that, the closing captions about the real people involved confirm this to be a worthy tale and one which has been steadily, but unspectacularly, presented. RW
Film: The Sea Wolf
Release date: 11th April 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 178 mins
Director: Mike Barker
Starring: Sebastian Koch, Tim Roth, Neve Campbell, Stephen Campbell Moore, Andrew Jackson
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance
Studio: Showbox
Format: DVD
Country: Canada/Germany
This is an English-language release.
Inspired by the Jack London novel, The Sea Wolf has already been adapted for the screen twelve times, starring such prestigious names as John Garfield, Barry Sullivan, Christopher Reeve and, lest we forget, Charles Bronson. With Mike Barker (Best Laid Plans, Butterfly On A Wheel) at the helm and an impressive cast including Tim Roth and Neve Campbell, will this two-part mini-series prove to be lucky at the thirteenth attempt?
Wolf Larsen (Sebastian Koch), the ruthless captain of the notorious seal hunting vessel Sea Wolf, takes onboard pompous castaway Humphrey Van Wyden (Stephen Campbell Moore), a literary critic who hasn’t done a hard day’s work in his life.
Instead of abandoning him at the next harbour, Wolf puts him to work, ruling over him with an intractable iron fist. To Wolf's surprise, the graft transforms Van Wyden into a hardened adversary – almost every bit as formidable as Wolf himself.
But the arrival of Wolf’s brother and arch-rival, Death (Tim Roth), and the rescue of another castaway, Maud (a sweetly innocent Neve Campbell), the beautiful daughter of a rival ship owner, creates friction aplenty - our male adversaries giving the seals a day off to fight over love, life, and pretty much everything else…
Though this swashbuckling epic seldom strays from entertaining, its impressive pacing diverting enough to ensure there’s no time to ponder a lack of backstory or characterization, The Sea Wolf struggles to stay afloat because apart from Van Wyden and Maud, the rest of the cast are about as likeable as fish fingers. Stephen Campbell Moore continues his impressive rise by trying his best as our main protagonist, but not even Rick Stein could cook up enough empathy for a man who can’t even defend his career choice convincingly, let alone a damsel in distress.
Similar to The Call Of The Wild, Jack London’s previous bestseller, The Sea Wolf tells the story of a soft, well-educated protagonist, from a wealthy background, forced to toughen up by exposure to cruelty and brutality. The screenplay by Nigel Williams (with over thirty years’ experience writing for television) differs from the original text, beginning with an ‘accident’ that sees Van Wyden set adrift at sea. In the novel, the ferry he is travelling on collides with another ship and sinks – a case of keeping the budget in check after blowing most of it on high profile actors.
Whereas Van Wyden’s transformation from weakling to warrior is slightly unconvincing (his personality swims with and then against the tide so often it’s nauseating), Wolf Larsen’s brutal and cynical persona frustratingly barely changes throughout the three hours on offer here, despite attempts to convince us he’s actually highly intelligent and intellectual. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt him to read some Ben Elton every once in a while. Instead, he displays characteristics of a sociopath, as he murders and abuses people without hesitation, seeing no value in life. His only weakness is his brother Death (an even grumpier Tim Roth), because his brother is simpleminded, a cripple, and so is able to enjoy life unburdened.
One of the key events in both the film and the book is an attempted mutiny against Wolf Larsen by several members of the crew. Those that suffered mostly in the opening half of the film have enough reasons to justify such an attack, and other members of the ship’s compliments are willing to put the final boot in, but without allowing any of the characters a back-story of any kind, all you’ll really be left wondering is why on earth they decided to board the ship in the first place.
Worse still, Larsen, demonstrating his inhuman endurance, strength, and conviction by squashing potatoes in his bare hands (honestly), manages to escape relatively unharmed, and the next day the crew are back doing what they do best – oddly obeying Larsen’s bullying orders as if nothing ever happened, hindering a film that belies its lengthy running time with some decent swashbuckling and impressive visual effects.
The second part of the tale is easily the better of the two, when Larsen’s ship, the Ghost, picks up another castaway (the novel has them pick up more than the lovely Campbell), hinting at a past relationship between herself and Van Wyden. Straying from the original text once again, their past is rarely touched upon, the relationship never openly discussed and barely hinted at, which annoys, especially as Wolf Larsen also feels something for her (not that we need any more conflict).
There are few surprises or bursts of originality here, especially when Van Wyden and Maud decide they can repair the ship after becoming stranded on an island, whilst Larsen, suffering from yet another headache, is rendered blind, yet still manages to hunt them down. His tedious headaches further cripple the plot, with no hint of an explanation as to what they may be caused by – instead we’re just left to swallow the feeble plot device, one that will ultimately lead to the unsatisfying finale. There is, however, a strong desire to entertain, and it does manage to do so, despite every character somehow managing to grumble and groan throughout.
The action is plentiful, the setting is opulent and the whole journey moves at an old-fashioned, ship-steady pace aided by a satisfying score. Yet The Sea Wolf is ransacked by miserable characters that lack empathy and two pantomime villains that eventually lack menace. DW
Film: Operation Valkyrie
Release date: 28th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Director: Jo Baier
Starring: Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hardy Krüger Jr., Christopher Buchholz, Nina Kunzendorf
Genre: Drama/History/War
Studio: High Fliers
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
The story of the Stauffenberg plot to kill Hitler has long been a source of fascination and discussion for historians and filmmakers. Following the Hollywood release of Valkyrie, Germany’s own version of the story has now been released in the UK.
This short film follows the story of Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who began as an idealistic young soldier, rising quickly through the ranks under Hitler’s rule. However, as his career progresses so too do his doubts about Hitler’s regime and his brutal acts of genocide. A few brave and foolhardy whispers start speaking against the Fuhrer and Stauffenberg finds himself in a dilemma: unwilling to follow orders in Germany, but unable to bring himself to act against his superiors.
As a way out of this quandary, he accepts a posting to North Africa, where he is badly wounded. On his recovery, he makes the decision that something must be done about Hitler and, with a select few compatriots, orchestrates a plan to kill him. It is a plan fraught with danger, but Stauffenberg becomes increasingly obsessed with his aims at the expense of his relationship with his family and, ultimately, his own life…
This made-for-TV German film may be seriously overshadowed in box-office terms by the Hollywood version, but it shows an attention to detail and historical fact that gives it real integrity. Baier deftly racks up the tension towards the climax of the film until the viewer is paying the utmost attention to every ring of the phone and every knock on the door. He also portrays a side of the war against Hitler that is less known – the secret, internal one being waged by his own officers. As a film made in Germany for a German audience, it is perhaps not a surprising choice of story to tell, but for the wider world it represents a reality that we rarely allow for: that even within Germany there were many people fighting against Hitler’s tyranny and cruelty.
Sebastian Koch gives a dynamic and powerful performance as Stauffenberg which carries the film. The story and action focuses around him but he is supported by a strong cast. Nina Kunzendorf gives a restrained and believable portrayal of his long-suffering wife while Ulrich Tukur offers a steadfast and quietly courageous image of General von Tresckow, the leading voice of dissent in the early part of the film.
The film was originally part of a larger TV documentary about Operation Valkyrie, which may explain its condensed nature and short running time. It offers only a cursory view of the events leading up to the assassination attempt. The first part of the film covers an entire decade at breakneck speed with almost every scene taking us forward by a year. While this might have worked well alongside plenty of other background information, as a standalone film, it leaves the viewer feeling a bit short-changed. There are a lot of themes and characters ripe for development, which we see very little of, particularly some of the other officers involved in the plot and Stauffenberg’s wife. We only see her twice, briefly, in the first half of the film, then suddenly there are four children in the picture and we are expected to accept Stauffenberg as a family man. Similarly, as noted above, there are some tantalizingly good performances from many of the actors in this film, but we only get to glimpse their potential rather than seeing it realized.
Having said that, it is a masterful film which remains true to the story it is telling. Some performances are actually notable for their briefness and understated impact, such as Udo Schenk in the role of Hitler. It would have been tempting to give the infamous figure more screen time, but in fact, the one scene which he appears in, without even speaking, comes at a moment of high tension and the performance is absolutely chilling – it sends shivers down the spine.
The catalogue of atrocities is also not laboured over as it might have been. Because the drama centres around Stauffenberg and not Hitler, we hear reports of the mass murders just enough to remind us of the horror of it all, but not so much that it devalues the impact of it or takes away from the main story.
Baier has a very clear vision and keeps focus throughout the film. The mix of high-action wide-view shots and close-ups with more subtle action is just right. The short length of the film means that no moment is wasted and the quieter moments are all the more intense because of that. No scene in this film is there just to pad it out. Although we already know the story, Baier changes the pace with a fluency which carries the viewer along. We lean in for a better look as the scene with the figure on the stretcher is slowed down and replayed, and we feel the sense of despair mixed with blind and desperate hope that it might still work out as everything begins to unravel.
This is a picture of Nazi Germany from the inside at a unique moment of an indelible section of history. It is only right that there should be a German production of this story and this film does it real justice. KS
Film: Black Book
Release date: 30th April 2007
Certificate: 15
Running time: 140 mins
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus
Genre: Drama/Thriller/War
Studio: Tartan
Format: DVD
Country: Netherlands/Germany/Belgium
Black Book marked a return to filmmaking in his native Netherlands for director Paul Verhoeven, following an extended run in Hollywood with genre successes including Robocop and Total Recall (as well as unmitigated disasters in Showgirls and Hollow Man). Outside of his homeland, Verhoeven made a name for himself as a purveyor of mainstream cinematic sleaze, albeit with subversively hidden depths of astute societal observations underneath the boundary pushing sex and ultra-violence.
Elements of Verhoeven’s directorial trademarks are certainly present in the predominantly Dutch language Black Book, set during one long flashback of Rachel Stein’s (Carice van Houten) traumatic wartime experiences in the dying embers of Nazi occupied Holland. The sole survivor of a Nazi assault on wealthy Jews aboard a boat that was supposed to take them to freedom, Rachel witnesses the cold-blooded massacre of her family and becomes desperate for revenge.
When she joins the Resistance, Rachel is entrusted to use her looks and charm to seduce senior S.S. officer Müntze (Sebastian Koch), and learn vital secrets from the German High Command.
Under the assumed identity of the singing (fully) blond Ellies de Vries, Rachel becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of deceit and duplicity. Rachel experiences firsthand the horrors of Nazi rule, even as she begins to have feelings for the surprisingly charming Müntze, while the bloodshed and bitterness of the Resistance, including the determined Hans Akkermans (Thom Hoffman), continues unflinchingly and unabated…
In the role of Rachel Stein, Carice van Houten gives a fearless performance as a woman faced with incredible adversity amongst horrific circumstances. The leading lady runs a gauntlet of suitably Verhoeven-esque sex and violence, with the character of Rachel undergoing a continuous barrage of close shaves and humiliation, where even at one point a container of human excrement is dumped on her half-naked body.
Van Houten creates believability about a character that has endured great pain and yet has to (for the most part) stay emotionally together in order to gain the revenge she desires. While, at times, the blood spraying shootouts and somewhat gaudy sexual content in the film creep towards parody, van Houten’s tenacity shines through and redeems what otherwise could have been a role exploiting just another pretty female face.
The supporting roles in Black Book are equally well cast, further adding a sense of suspense filled intrigue and genuine emotional development to the film. As senior German officer Müntze, Sebastian Koch portrays a deceptively complex role in which he successfully creates a level of sympathy for a man who is ultimately a member of the Nazi Security Service. His role is a subversion of the typically sadistic German officer one might expect (such as in Waldemar Kobus’s overtly villainous performance as the merciless Günther Franken), and, as such, Koch should be applauded in highlighting the humanity of a character who had nonetheless been previously complicit in the atrocities of the Nazi regime.
Similarly, Thom Hoffman’s portrayal of Hans Akkermans, one of the leaders of the Dutch Resistance, subverts expectations, in that his character (as with many of the Resistance) have their own agendas and personal interests in eliminating the Nazis outside of national pride. However, in an extraordinarily violent yet standout scene in the film, Verhoeven highlights the deeply emotional regret of Resistance member Theo (Johnny de Mol) in killing a German agent, revealing a contrast between the efficient and cold-blooded actions of the Nazis and the killing out of desperate necessity by the Resistance.
The cinematography by Karl Walter Lindenlaub and production design by Wilbert Van Dorp in Black Book is wonderfully evocative of the wartime period in the 1940s, from the bright colours and palatial extravagance of the Nazi headquarters in Holland to the drab underground hideout of the struggling Resistance. The costume design for the Nazi officers, in addition to the fashions of the time and place also appear painstakingly recreated, perhaps most particularly impressive when considering the film’s budget was a fraction of a Hollywood production such as Brian Singer’s Valkyrie (coincidentally, also featuring Carice van Houten).
In contrast to Verhoeven’s earlier foray into World War II with Soldier Of Orange (1977), Black Book carries over a gloss of his Hollywood sensibilities that occasionally takes away from the seriousness of Rachel’s wartime ordeals. While the violence and sexual content is certainly not on the same level as a Starship Troopers or Basic Instinct, the director’s penchant for lasciviousness creates a certain over the top comic effect that doesn’t completely sit well within the film’s wartime drama frame, or Verhoeven’s ambitions for a realistic portrayal of Nazi occupation.
Despite these misgivings about Verhoeven’s style, Black Book is not completely derailed. This is mainly because of the superior performances the director coaxes out of his actors, creating an air of authenticity where otherwise the film may have turned schlocky if only served by scenes with exploding blood squibs in shootout segments. There is good and effective dialogue between characters, where the Israeli kibbutz set bookends and Rachel’s anguished question “When will it ever end?” provide significant food for thought in the horrors of conflict.
Verhoeven (just about) at his best, Black Book serves as a reminder of the provocative auteur’s talents, whilst retaining some of his old and somewhat peculiar fixations. An extraordinary performance from Carice van Houten, however, is the real drawer. DB
Film: The Lives Of Others
Release date: 17th September 2007
Certificate: 15
Running time: 137 mins
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hans Bauer, Ulrich Mühe
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Studio: Lionsgate
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
A lengthy political thriller that doesn’t have you snoozing by midway. Not a Matt Damon vehicle then!
Gerd Weisler is a leading Stasi officer dedicated to the socialist cause; assigned to oversee the surveillance of playwright George Dreyman, whose loyalty to the SED (Social Unit Party) has been called into question.
As a matter of DDR security, Weisler goes about his work with his usual discipline and efficiency (setting up surveillance HQ in the suspect’s apartment’s attic, and bugging the premises), but he soon has his staunch beliefs called into question, as he discovers there are ulterior motives behind his assignment – and realises that his own life is particularly unfulfilled…
The film is quick to paint Weisler as a remorseless and an unflinching character – opening with footage of an interrogation he undertook with a person suspected of helping a friend flee to the West, a recording of which is being used at a Stasi college, we are left in no doubt that Weisler always gets ‘his man’ – when he marks a cross against the name of a student who dares to question the morality of the methods he adopts here, you sense he’s capable of a lot more.
His life in East Germany, like him, is painted as cold and uninviting. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is perhaps a little heavy handed with the stereotype here, but it’s effective for the character’s and the story’s quick development – when we visit his flat, in an almost desolate area, it’s minimal, almost bare, and when Weisler wants affection he’s forced to pay for an overweight, unattractive prostitute who literally ups and leaves for her next client as soon as he’s finished.
Given the darkness that pervades his own existence, its little surprise when Weisler begins to warm to his subject, who lives a more comfortable and joyous lifestyle –he steals an illegal western book from his apartment, with the unsubtle bright yellow cover contrasting with the otherwise washed out, grey visuals. The film lights here also, to show how his bleak life is instantly enriched.
The bald Ulrich Mühe is well cast as Weisler, ably conveying his character’s intense nature aesthetically alone, and very subtle in his development of a new found awareness and conscious – the scene in a lift where a child reveals his father’s dissident views is particularly important, offering a clear indication of Weisler’s inner struggles.
Another significant development is when Weisler realises the real motives for his friend, Minister Bruno Hempf, having him undertake this operation. As with Weisler, the audience is made aware of the Culture Minister’s nature straight away – when he takes a fancy to the playwright’s actress girlfriend (played by the darkly beautiful Martina Gedeck) he crudely grabs her rear in public.
Thomas Thieme is suitably seedy in the role of the corrupt minister, systematically raping the playwright’s girlfriend (who fears the damning of her career if she doesn’t accept these events), and showing there is no loyalty to Weisler when the results he expects do not materialise. This is all about personal gain and not about the greater cause, which is what Weisler has always believed in.
As Weisler begins to assist the increasingly downtrodden playwright (removing/withholding evidence), director von Donnersmarck heightens the tension, and does a great job of illustrating the confused and depraved nature of the time, where an actress fearing the end of her fairly insignificant career would be willing to see a man she loves dealt a harsh and likely fatal punishment.
A humourless, dark and regimentally delivered thriller, perfectly representative of the time and the story, whose grip tightens to the very end. DH
