Diplomacy
The principal suspense in this fascinating movie is generated by the polite, and then not so polite, ferocity of the arguments between the two men.
Diplomacy
As the Allies march toward Paris in the summer of 1944, Hitler gives orders that the French capital should not fall into enemy hands, or if it does, then ‘only as a field of rubble.’ The person assigned to carry out this barbaric act is Wehrmacht commander of Greater Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz, who already has mines planted on the Eiffel Tower, in the Louvre and Notre Dame and on the bridges over the Seine. Nothing should be left as a reminder of the city’s former glory. However, at dawn on 25 August, Swedish Consul General Raoul Nordling steals into German headquarters through a secret underground tunnel and there starts a tension-filled game of cat and mouse as Nordling tries to persuade Choltitz to abandon his plan.
In this passionate and emotional adaptation of the 2011 stage success by Cyril Gély, the great Volker Schlöndorff (Academy Award winner THE TIN DRUM) has created a psychologically elaborate game of political manners between two highly contrasting characters. While Choltitz entrenches himself behind his duty to obey unquestioningly all military orders, Nordling tries everything he can to appeal to reason and humanity and prevent the senseless destruction of the beloved 'City of Lights.'
In this passionate and emotional adaptation of the 2011 stage success by Cyril Gély, the great Volker Schlöndorff (Academy Award winner THE TIN DRUM) has created a psychologically elaborate game of political manners between two highly contrasting characters. While Choltitz entrenches himself behind his duty to obey unquestioningly all military orders, Nordling tries everything he can to appeal to reason and humanity and prevent the senseless destruction of the beloved 'City of Lights.'
Genre
Drama
Runtime
85
Language
French,
German
Director
Volker Schlöndorff
Cast
André Dussollier,
Niels Arestrup
FEATURED REVIEW
Scott Foundas, Variety
The time is August 1944, and as the Allies march toward Paris, the city’s artistic and architectural riches lie in danger of Nazi dynamiting. No, it isn’t “Return of the Monuments Men,” but rather Volker Schlondorff’s “Diplomacy,” another movie set at the same historical moment that may be far ...
Played at
Town Center 5 11.07.14 - 11.20.14
Royal 11.07.14 - 11.27.14
Playhouse 7 11.07.14 - 11.20.14
Claremont 5 11.08.14 - 11.16.14
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