I saw this film once on Channel 4 about twenty years ago . I couldn't remember its title but vividly remember many things about it . The story of a young Jewish boy Solek whose were victims of Nazi persecution in Germany and where they fled to Poland only to themselves at war in a country divided up by both the Nazis and the Soviets . Solek finds himself in a Soviet orphanage then when he finds the Nazis waging an undeclared war of extermination against the Soviet Union realises he must masquerade as a Nazi in order to survive . As I said it's a memorable due to the twisting , turning nature of the narrative that leaves you on the edge of your seat but after seeing it again for a second time I'm afraid I do have reservations as to the greatness of it . It's supposedly a true story and like all films " based on a true story " that's much of the selling point . I can't be diplomatic in my cynicism so I'll come out and say it - I doubt if there's much , if any , truth in this story
One thing all screen writing gurus agree on is that you're allowed to get away with one massive coincidence in your screenplay and the sooner you introduce your coincidence the better . For the first third there's little if any coincidence to Solek's plight . Things then start unravelling when Solek gets captured by the Nazis along with Joef Stalin's son . Hmmm of all the hundreds of thousands of Soviet prisoners captured in the early days of Operation Barbarossa this small group of prisoners include the protagonist and Stalin's son . Not impossible just unlikely . Just as unlikely is Solek being befriended by a German who notices Solek is circumcised but decides not to tell anyone because this German soldier is gay , so the two of them become friends until the gay German is killed . Traumatised by Solek runs off to surrender to the Soviets and as he does so a misunderstanding along with a German counter-attack leads to Solek becoming a hero . The rest of the continues in this way where alarm bells as to the credibility of this story will ring out and deafen you at the climax where Solek is captured and led to a recently liberated death camp where he's about to be executed only to have his life saved by a relative who miraculously survived the holocaust
I'm sorry but because of the subject matter seems to have conscripted a large number of reviews to praise this film as some sort of holy artifact that's beyond any type of criticism . David Mamet once said " You have no reason to disbelief a film unless you know otherwise " and because I wasn't at the events Solomon " Solek " Perel chronicles I can't disprove them either . Regardless of this many of the events are too fantastic to believe . It's also a bit convenient that things happen and characters are introduced and then killed off in order to Solek's background and Jewish roots a secret . Surely if these events were true Solomen Perel would be much more famous ? I mean the fact that the Soviets took a captured German prisoner to the nearest death camp where they were going to execute him only to find his brother was an inmate at a camp deserves to be better known does it not ?
In summary EUROPA EUROPA is a well made film and one that I've remembered for twenty years . Unfortunately the first time I saw it I had no idea that it was based upon a supposed true story and since seeing it for a second time my reservations are that it's a little bit too poetic and metaphorical not to mention too remarkable and convenient in its dramatic impact to be a true story
Update - After looking up Solomon Perel on Wikipedia I'm unhappy to report that this film does indeed take massive liberties on this remarkable man's life and who probably is a man of great integrity . Unfortunately this film bio-pic loses its own integrity by using far too much artistic license
One thing all screen writing gurus agree on is that you're allowed to get away with one massive coincidence in your screenplay and the sooner you introduce your coincidence the better . For the first third there's little if any coincidence to Solek's plight . Things then start unravelling when Solek gets captured by the Nazis along with Joef Stalin's son . Hmmm of all the hundreds of thousands of Soviet prisoners captured in the early days of Operation Barbarossa this small group of prisoners include the protagonist and Stalin's son . Not impossible just unlikely . Just as unlikely is Solek being befriended by a German who notices Solek is circumcised but decides not to tell anyone because this German soldier is gay , so the two of them become friends until the gay German is killed . Traumatised by Solek runs off to surrender to the Soviets and as he does so a misunderstanding along with a German counter-attack leads to Solek becoming a hero . The rest of the continues in this way where alarm bells as to the credibility of this story will ring out and deafen you at the climax where Solek is captured and led to a recently liberated death camp where he's about to be executed only to have his life saved by a relative who miraculously survived the holocaust
I'm sorry but because of the subject matter seems to have conscripted a large number of reviews to praise this film as some sort of holy artifact that's beyond any type of criticism . David Mamet once said " You have no reason to disbelief a film unless you know otherwise " and because I wasn't at the events Solomon " Solek " Perel chronicles I can't disprove them either . Regardless of this many of the events are too fantastic to believe . It's also a bit convenient that things happen and characters are introduced and then killed off in order to Solek's background and Jewish roots a secret . Surely if these events were true Solomen Perel would be much more famous ? I mean the fact that the Soviets took a captured German prisoner to the nearest death camp where they were going to execute him only to find his brother was an inmate at a camp deserves to be better known does it not ?
In summary EUROPA EUROPA is a well made film and one that I've remembered for twenty years . Unfortunately the first time I saw it I had no idea that it was based upon a supposed true story and since seeing it for a second time my reservations are that it's a little bit too poetic and metaphorical not to mention too remarkable and convenient in its dramatic impact to be a true story
Update - After looking up Solomon Perel on Wikipedia I'm unhappy to report that this film does indeed take massive liberties on this remarkable man's life and who probably is a man of great integrity . Unfortunately this film bio-pic loses its own integrity by using far too much artistic license