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The Good German [2007]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Despite its flaws, The Good German is a welcome gift for every film lover who laments that "they don't make 'em like they used to." Steven Soderbergh's affectionate, knowing tribute to the black-and-white melodramas of Hollywood's golden age may lack the emotional depth and romantic passion of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca--the 1946 classic it intentionally emulates--but as Soderbergh approximates Curtiz's studio style, he delivers a shimmering, shadowy reminder that movies can be enjoyed for the sheer pleasure of their craftsmanship. Once again serving as his own cinematographer (credited as "Peter Andrews"), Soderbergh went to great lengths to technically and aesthetically re-create the look and feel of a Curtiz production, and Joseph Kanon's source novel (adapted by Quiz Show screenwriter Paul Attanasio) provides a twisting plot set around the historical Potsdam conference in post-World War II Germany. An American military journalist, Capt. Jake Geismer (George Clooney) is in rubble-strewn Berlin to cover the event, and is quickly drawn into a murder plot involving his appointed driver (Tobey Maguire), an old flame-turned-wartime prostitute (Cate Blanchett) and her missing husband, a scientist who possesses pivotal secrets coveted by Americans and Russians in a pre-Cold War bid for power.

Violence, sexual content, and salty dialogue make it clear that this drama is a brashly contemporary homage to films of a bygone era, and not a slavish attempt to copy the past. This yields mixed results in terms of the film's overall appeal; it's gorgeous to look at, but the plot and performances exist in a vacuum, and the entire film feels oddly disengaged from any sense of genuine human emotion. It's probably fair to say that Soderbergh had more fun making the film than most people will have watching it. And yet, as Clooney's character is repeatedly beaten and deceived on his path to cynical enlightenment, The Good German has many qualities that make it recommendable, not the least being the pleasure of following a talented director as he indulges his penchant for bold experimentation. --Jeff Shannon

Editorial
Synopsis

One of mainstream cinema's most tirelessly inventive directors, Steven Soderbergh delivers another big-budget stylistic experiment with THE GOOD GERMAN. This time around, Soderbergh's target is 1940s film noir. Set in post-war Berlin, the atmospheric thriller is based on the acclaimed novel by Joseph Kanon. Frequent Soderbergh collaborator George Clooney plays Jake Geismer, an American military journalist who has returned to Berlin for the Potsdam Peace Conference. Jake’s driver, Tully (Tobey Maguire), appears innocent upon first glance, but is in fact a major player in the corrupt Berlin underworld. He’s also dating Jake’s former flame, Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), whose beauty continues to torment Jake. When Tully’s cadaver washes ashore one day, Jake is shocked to discover that nobody wants to go public with the news. As much as he’d like to forget about Lena, he can’t. Pretty soon, he’s risking his life to help her flee the country. In shooting THE GOOD GERMAN, Soderbergh employed many of the actual filmmaking techniques that were used in the 1940s: black-and-white cinematography, elaborately constructed sets, wide master shots, and a sweeping score. The result is a film that looks and feels like it was made in a much earlier era, yet which contains the graphic language and content of an early 21st-century production.

Brilliant photography, but a travesty of the book
Review date: 2008-08-13 Rating: 4 out of 10

It could be said in a single phrase - spend an evening reading the (excellent) book instead.

The film is all but incomprehensible. Worse, it coarsens/oversimplifies the many issues (let alone the nuances) explored so memorably in Kanon's book - in particular guilt, both personal and public. And this to a degree beyond what one would expect for a film of the book.

Its one strength (for which it merits perhaps two stars) is the way it conveys the atmosphere of Berlin in 1945, where survivors and victors alike scrabble through the wreckage, and does this with brilliant film noir photography; though in the end it lacks the clarity and sheer excitement of its model, 'The Third Man'.

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Reviews


Glorious Technocolor
Review date: 2008-07-16 Rating: 2 out of 10

I've seen previous Clooney/Soderbergh collaborations and have been bemused. (I suspect I'm not clever enough to 'get' them). With this latest offering I have to ask why in an age of glorious, realistic and living technocolor, they made the film in Black and White. The film is so visually boring that I don't even care about the characters or the plot.

Vacuous pastiche
Review date: 2008-06-09 Rating: 2 out of 10

Technically, this is an astonishing achievement. From the opening credits the look of the film emulates a 1940s movie. The lighting, the camera movements, the editing, the use of back projection and painted sets, even the performances have been directed to give the impression that this is a 1940s film. The film is set in 1945, but is that sufficient reason to go to such extraordinary lengths? Well, it could be. The device COULD be a brilliant way of exploring contemporary American politics. There could be a great movie struggling to get out of this mannerist mess. But Soderbergh's film ain't it. Somewhere in there, lurks a fascinating film about American foreign policy, about the dubious morality of America spiriting Nazi war criminals out of Berlin to assist in the burgeoning Cold War. Given most of George Clooney's recent films (Michael Clayton, Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana, Three Kings) it seems likely that's what drew him to the project, but this film avoids any political engagement. What a fine project this could have been if a fraction of the time and effort that was spent on getting the look so perfect had been spent on the script.

And the casting? Kate Blanchett is always good value, though what she's doing here is baffling. Clooney looks like Clooney. And Toby McGuire? Less said the better. At least Clooney and Blanchett seem to have watched the films Soderbergh was imitating. But Spiderman in 1940s army uniform doesn't quite hack it.

The first 5 minutes would make a great film school show reel, but after the initial promise, it simply goes nowhere. In short, The Good German is nothing more than vacuous pastiche.


Definitely worth a watch but could have been better
Review date: 2008-06-04 Rating: 8 out of 10

Just about able to give this the 4 stars because i thought some of the previous reviews were a bit harsh. This is a complex film and at times a bit muddled - certainly lacks the crystal clarity of its inspirations - Casablanca and Third Man. However the acting is very good all round and there's an authentic feel to the scenes and location. The plot could be better resolved, there are a lot of complex personal, nationalistic, moral and political issues - the aftermath of WWW2 in a ruined Berlin, war crimes, national guilt and reparation, the beginnings of the Cold War, economics, weapons and industrial secrets, black market gangsterism and the holocaust. The motives of each of the characters are far from straightforward and Soderbergh ultimately fails to keep the action together in a coherently satisfying whole. Maybe it's because the relationship between Clooney/Blanchette is not properly resolved. Nevertheless i'd recommend you watch it - Blanchette's character is complex and fascinating if more edgy than Ingrid Bergmann - certainly comparisons with Chinatown's Faye Dunawaye are closer - ultimately it's a story about betrayal so a happy ending was unlikely. Thought provoking but flawed.

One Word
Review date: 2008-04-20 Rating: 2 out of 10

I have written hundreds of movie and book reviews...hundreds. However, this is the first time I could sum up a film with one word, and that word is "crap."

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
George Clooney
Tobey Maguire
Cate Blanchett

Creators:
George Clooney (Primary Contributor)
Tobey Maguire (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900736664
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-11-05
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: To Be Announced
Region code: 2
Running time: 103 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)

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