This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
THE GOOD GERMAN
3 Wheels
The Good German may be a gimmick movie, but I have to admit, it's a damn good gimmick. It's filmed in the style of those classic spy thriller/love stories of the 1940s. It's not just the black and white cinematography, but the film stock, limited camera movements, use of sound and acting styles that give the distinct impression that this 2006 film was made in 1945, when the action of the story takes place.
Nowhere is this more powerful than the opening credits. The frame is cropped to eliminate the wide-screen that had not yet been developed in the period setting, while the retro-lettering and music seem to take you back in time. I could not stop grinning throughout the credits, but soon enough, it became apparent that the film itself is rather dark in nature. There are a few areas that The Good German distinctly does not make period, allowing for the inclusion of profanity, sex and violence.
George Clooney plays a reporter covering the Potsdam Conference which, in the wake of Hitler's defeat in World War II, will determine how Germany is to be divided. Berlin is itself divided into American, British and Russian sectors leading to much postwar intrigue between the Americans and Russians. In this, the film is reminiscent of perhaps the best '40s spy thriller, The Third Man with Orson Welles as Harry Lime, one of the all-time great movie villains. Its tone is much closer to that film than Casablanca, which The Good German's publicity is trying to emulate.
Casablanca is paid homage to near the end, but bike fans will also appreciate how similar postwar Berlin appears to the postwar Italy of The Bicycle Thief. Just as in the Italian film, bicycles are seen often as a practical means of transportation in the Europe of that period. Additionally, "The Good German" of the title, portrayed by Cate Blanchett, attends to a number of her covert activities (being purposefully vague here) on her bike.
Blanchett plays an old flame of Clooney's, but as the film opens, is shacking up with Tobey Maguire, whose sleazy role couldn't be further from his Spider-Man persona. As Blanchett's character is viewed with suspicion as a possible Nazi or Nazi sympathizer, the real theme of the film takes shape. With all the atrocities that took place in Nazi Germany, what of the supposed "Good Germans" who collaborated through seemingly unknowing action or silence. This issue's complexity is in stark contrast to the black and white film style.
Steven Soderbergh is an ambitious, but inconsistent director. His highlights include Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Out of Sight, and Traffic, but he can also be dragged down by failed experiments like Solaris and Full Frontal or the mindless commerciality of the Ocean's 11 films. With The Good German, Soderbergh has made a film that is too slow for the effect he seeks, but it really has something to say. Its own inconsistencies are the result of deliberately trying to bring two eras of film into one. They don't exactly fit, but it's fascinating to watch him try.
THE GOOD GERMAN
3 Wheels
The Good German may be a gimmick movie, but I have to admit, it's a damn good gimmick. It's filmed in the style of those classic spy thriller/love stories of the 1940s. It's not just the black and white cinematography, but the film stock, limited camera movements, use of sound and acting styles that give the distinct impression that this 2006 film was made in 1945, when the action of the story takes place.
Nowhere is this more powerful than the opening credits. The frame is cropped to eliminate the wide-screen that had not yet been developed in the period setting, while the retro-lettering and music seem to take you back in time. I could not stop grinning throughout the credits, but soon enough, it became apparent that the film itself is rather dark in nature. There are a few areas that The Good German distinctly does not make period, allowing for the inclusion of profanity, sex and violence.
George Clooney plays a reporter covering the Potsdam Conference which, in the wake of Hitler's defeat in World War II, will determine how Germany is to be divided. Berlin is itself divided into American, British and Russian sectors leading to much postwar intrigue between the Americans and Russians. In this, the film is reminiscent of perhaps the best '40s spy thriller, The Third Man with Orson Welles as Harry Lime, one of the all-time great movie villains. Its tone is much closer to that film than Casablanca, which The Good German's publicity is trying to emulate.
Casablanca is paid homage to near the end, but bike fans will also appreciate how similar postwar Berlin appears to the postwar Italy of The Bicycle Thief. Just as in the Italian film, bicycles are seen often as a practical means of transportation in the Europe of that period. Additionally, "The Good German" of the title, portrayed by Cate Blanchett, attends to a number of her covert activities (being purposefully vague here) on her bike.
Blanchett plays an old flame of Clooney's, but as the film opens, is shacking up with Tobey Maguire, whose sleazy role couldn't be further from his Spider-Man persona. As Blanchett's character is viewed with suspicion as a possible Nazi or Nazi sympathizer, the real theme of the film takes shape. With all the atrocities that took place in Nazi Germany, what of the supposed "Good Germans" who collaborated through seemingly unknowing action or silence. This issue's complexity is in stark contrast to the black and white film style.
Steven Soderbergh is an ambitious, but inconsistent director. His highlights include Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Out of Sight, and Traffic, but he can also be dragged down by failed experiments like Solaris and Full Frontal or the mindless commerciality of the Ocean's 11 films. With The Good German, Soderbergh has made a film that is too slow for the effect he seeks, but it really has something to say. Its own inconsistencies are the result of deliberately trying to bring two eras of film into one. They don't exactly fit, but it's fascinating to watch him try.
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