I think I'm with a number of other reviewers here in doubting the veracity of this supposedly true story.
All the way through it, I found myself thinking "that could happen - yeah right!!" and I was frankly extremely surprised at the end to discover that this movie is supposedly based on Solomon Perel's real life adventures during WWII. And I say adventures I think advisedly because of the actual unlikelihood that what is portrayed on screen had much at all to do with the reality of his situation at that time.
I wanted to like "Europa Europa" as much as I liked "Olivier Olivier" and "The Secret Garden The Secret Garden" and more recently "In Darkness In Darkness" but I'm afraid that the improbably of the many situations portrayed here just detracted greatly from the experience for me.
It also needs to be said I think that the apparently small budget spent on production of this movie (small compared to Hollywood admittedly) showed at times with sometimes less than convincing battle scenes in particular.
It's not a bad movie by any means; just disappointing. In closing this review, I will say that I watched the DVD for the first time just last night, noticing as I opened the cellophane wrapper that I have had it in my collection for a very very long time, probably 20 years. Regrettably, for the DVD at least, it's not a movie I'll be watching again any time soon.
JMV
All the way through it, I found myself thinking "that could happen - yeah right!!" and I was frankly extremely surprised at the end to discover that this movie is supposedly based on Solomon Perel's real life adventures during WWII. And I say adventures I think advisedly because of the actual unlikelihood that what is portrayed on screen had much at all to do with the reality of his situation at that time.
I wanted to like "Europa Europa" as much as I liked "Olivier Olivier" and "The Secret Garden The Secret Garden" and more recently "In Darkness In Darkness" but I'm afraid that the improbably of the many situations portrayed here just detracted greatly from the experience for me.
It also needs to be said I think that the apparently small budget spent on production of this movie (small compared to Hollywood admittedly) showed at times with sometimes less than convincing battle scenes in particular.
It's not a bad movie by any means; just disappointing. In closing this review, I will say that I watched the DVD for the first time just last night, noticing as I opened the cellophane wrapper that I have had it in my collection for a very very long time, probably 20 years. Regrettably, for the DVD at least, it's not a movie I'll be watching again any time soon.
JMV