Recently I read an account of how over 13,000 Jews were arrested from their Paris homes in 1942. I found the story surprising because the arrests and subsequent internment of mainly women and children in the "Winter Velodrome (Vélodrome d'Hiver) was orchestrated and carried out by the French rather than the occupying Germans, much to the shame of modern day Parisians, and the French Government who apologised publicly for the atrocity in 1995.
is a film about an American
journalist Julia, ( Kristin Scott Thomas) who is married to a Frenchman (Frédéric Pierrot ) and about to move into a Paris apartment owned by her husband’s
family since 1942.
She discovers the flat once
belonged to a Jewish family, and her researches reveal that a girl,
Sarah (Mélusine Mayance), locked her little brother in a cupboard to
evade the the French police and then did all she could to return to save him.
The film comprises the two stories, the modern day emotional journey of Julia and the terrible wartime drama of Sarah's family , which intertwine back and forth as the reporter unearths the eventual truth. This proves a slightly difficult fusion as the dramatic tension of Sarah's story far out weighs even Scott Thomas at her scene stealing best.
Having said that, Sarah's Key works very well indeed, it's a compelling, moving and at times harrowing watch that features not only another weighty performance by Scott Thomas, but also a crackingly mature turn by Mayance. The cinematography by Pascal Ridao with it's golden hues captures the terrible heat of the summer of '42 perfectly and one scene in particular ( when Sarah and her friend escape the Drancy internment camp and run through a field of wheat) is absolutely stunning.
 |
| Melusine Mayance (centre) |
Its a worthy film and well worth seeing
8/10
As I walked out a woman behind me looked up,sighed loudly and summed it up
as she puffed "Bloody hell !!!!!!!!!"
As I walked out a woman behind me looked up,sighed loudly and summed it up
as she puffed "Bloody hell !!!!!!!!!"
hopefully it will be open here in Canada.
ReplyDeleteGill
I read the synopsis for that movie a while ago. Just the Wikipedia entry upset me. You are made of stronger stuff than me!
ReplyDeletenice to see you again dan!
ReplyDeletechecking it out at Netflix...thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteJohn, I'm half Jewish. It took me years to be able to watch "Schindler's list" then cried as the Jews sang their freedom at the end of the movie. This would finish me off.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Many of us here in France have also been remembering (unpleasantly) Maurice Papon. Amazing to think that he got through life so unscathed; until they locked him up. One must also remember that the pope at the time (Pius XII) ordered all Catholic run orphanages to hand over Jewish children to the Nazis(which the nuns did).
ReplyDeleteMy son watched this film a while ago and has not stopped talking about it.
ReplyDeleteJohn, can I ask you a favour please, I will send you an email.
Thanks
Sue
Sorry john, I thought you had an email address on your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe favour - My niece turns 21 at the end of October and is mad about bulldogs. I love the photo you took of Constance coming out of the cat flap and I would love to put this onto a birthday card for her.
Would this be OK with you?
Sue
My husbands Family lived in Paris Stasburg and Paux before they were deported to Aushwitz.
ReplyDeleteI love this film! Best movie of the year...
ReplyDeletesue
ReplyDeletesure help yourself
x
cathy,
ReplyDeletethis film would almost be too painful for your family to watch I suspect
This sounds fantastic, but I am not going to watch this sort of thing while I am in a vale of tears state of mind.
ReplyDeleteJohn, thanks for the review. Puttin' it on my Netflix list.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of it John...it's one I'd like to see if I get the chance though. Thanks for the movie review :) Maura
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. I hadn't heard of this and will have to see if it comes here or if we can eventually get it on DVD. Bloody hell, is right.
ReplyDeleteI saw this movie in late summer. I can't remember a film that upset me so. Each scene with the children tore me apart. When I got up to leave at the end, I noticed that many in the audience were still sitting in their seats trying to compose themselves. This one was harder to watch than Sophie's Choice.
ReplyDeleteThe evil that men do.......
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip...I'll have to see this. You give great movie review BTW.
ReplyDeleteYour comment on my last post got me thinking; I know. I have someone close who will probably do the same thing and I, too, am resolved to it. After watching her struggles over the last couple of decades my understanding of certain disease processes has evolved. In the same way that a heart attack can be a natural terminal event for someone with chronic heart disease, I believe that suicide can be a natural terminal event for someone with a chronic mental illness. Unfortunately, all suicides tend to be lumped together into one undifferentiated package, and the same stigma attaches to all, regardless of the underlying causes. A teenager taking their life after losing a first love, or a mother succumbing in the midst of a postpartum depression are very different situations from a schizophrenic or depressive who’s fought the disease with dwindling success for a lifetime. And those are only a few examples of course. Then there are also those advanced situations with the terminally ill…but I’m not even sure those cases should be called suicide. We need a different term there.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, the man was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and the subsequent events of his life suggest the possibility of chronic PTSD and it’s long-term deleterious effects. I have a special sensitivity to these vets as several men in my family served in that war and I’m all too aware of the psychic vulnerabilities they came home with. (And how little help they received afterwards.) I’m glad your friend has someone like you who understands. I think everyone deserves that level of respect and compassion.
This does look like a good film John and is worth viewing to remind people of these atrocities. But being the 'sponge' that I am, I have to stay clear of these movies......way too emotional for me.....would stay with me too long.
ReplyDeleteI've never stopped reading blogs, just don't have much time for commenting or writing them these days.
ReplyDelete28 Nov: Thought of you and this post this past weekend. I went quite "blah" and got hooked into the movie The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.
ReplyDeleteEven though the ending was (..what's the word I am looking for when you know what the ending is going to be?) I still thought "Bloody Hell."
meggs.xx