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The Toronto Star
January 21, 2011 Friday
Passion weaves through resistance tale
Army of Crime: Presented in this month's edition of the Toronto Jewish
Film Festival's Chai Tea and a Movie series, Army of Crime is the
latest in a wave of movies that explore the murky and
still-controversial history of resistance movements in German-occupied
Europe in World War II.
Filmmakers having already told the stories of Nazi fighters in the
Netherlands (Black Book), Denmark (Flame and Citron) and Norway (Max
Manus), it's time for Vichy-era France to come under scrutiny.
Based on the true story of a network of fighters in Paris - most of
whom were executed mere weeks before the city was liberated - Robert
Guédiguian's film is one of the most detailed cinematic accounts of
daily life under occupation and of the inner workings of the French
Resistance.
In fact, there may be too much detail - the overabundance of
characters and incidents can make Army of Crime hard to follow and
dulls the overall impact. Jean-Pierre Melville's similarly titled 1969
thriller Army of Shadows is likely to remain the most revered movie on
the subject.
Nevertheless, Army of Crime has great vigour thanks to the impassioned
lead performances: Simon Abkarian as an Armenian poet and reluctant
leader, Virginie Ledoyen as his French wife and Robinson Stévenin as a
Jewish youngster who becomes a brazen Nazi killer.
Guédiguian also succeeds in emphasizing the under-heralded
contributions of Jews and displaced leftists from throughout Europe in
the French Resistance. Nor does he pull any punches when it comes to
depicting the French authorities' eagerness to impress the Nazi brass.
Returning to Toronto for the first time since its appearance at TIFF
in 2009, Army of Crime plays SilverCity Richmond Hill (8725 Yonge St.)
on Jan.23 at 4 p.m.
An Evening With Spike Lee: The always-provocative American filmmaker
had his own go at a WW II-period drama with 2008's underrated Miracle
at St. Anna.
Though Lee's been slow to follow up with a new feature, he's still
been plenty busy - his second documentary on post-Katrina New Orleans,
If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise debuted on HBO last summer.
He's also making time to visit Toronto for an onstage interview by
fellow filmmaker Clement Virgo.
Presented by the TD Bank Financial Group and the Canadian Film Centre
in celebration of Black History Month, the discussion will focus on
the role of music in Lee's films. Expect anecdotes about working with
Stevie Wonder on Jungle Fever and Prince on Girl 6 on Jan. 25 at the
Varsity (55 Bloor St. W.).
Culloden: One of the most groundbreaking movies of the 1960s screens
at the latest edition of Early Monthly Segments.
First aired on the BBC in 1964, Culloden is an ingenious recreation of
the decisive battle that ended the Jacobite uprisings which rocked
Britain in the 18th century.
Filmmaker Peter Watkins's innovation was to imagine there was a
documentary crew capturing events as they happened, lending a rare
authenticity and immediacy to the recreation. What sets Culloden apart
from the countless imitators that followed was its fiercely political
nature. Rarely has the futility of armed conflict been portrayed with
such force.
Culloden screens with Brian Frye's Across the Rappahannock (about a
group of Civil War re-enactors) on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the
Gladstone Hotel's Art Bar (1214 Queen St. W.).
From: A. Papazian
January 21, 2011 Friday
Passion weaves through resistance tale
Army of Crime: Presented in this month's edition of the Toronto Jewish
Film Festival's Chai Tea and a Movie series, Army of Crime is the
latest in a wave of movies that explore the murky and
still-controversial history of resistance movements in German-occupied
Europe in World War II.
Filmmakers having already told the stories of Nazi fighters in the
Netherlands (Black Book), Denmark (Flame and Citron) and Norway (Max
Manus), it's time for Vichy-era France to come under scrutiny.
Based on the true story of a network of fighters in Paris - most of
whom were executed mere weeks before the city was liberated - Robert
Guédiguian's film is one of the most detailed cinematic accounts of
daily life under occupation and of the inner workings of the French
Resistance.
In fact, there may be too much detail - the overabundance of
characters and incidents can make Army of Crime hard to follow and
dulls the overall impact. Jean-Pierre Melville's similarly titled 1969
thriller Army of Shadows is likely to remain the most revered movie on
the subject.
Nevertheless, Army of Crime has great vigour thanks to the impassioned
lead performances: Simon Abkarian as an Armenian poet and reluctant
leader, Virginie Ledoyen as his French wife and Robinson Stévenin as a
Jewish youngster who becomes a brazen Nazi killer.
Guédiguian also succeeds in emphasizing the under-heralded
contributions of Jews and displaced leftists from throughout Europe in
the French Resistance. Nor does he pull any punches when it comes to
depicting the French authorities' eagerness to impress the Nazi brass.
Returning to Toronto for the first time since its appearance at TIFF
in 2009, Army of Crime plays SilverCity Richmond Hill (8725 Yonge St.)
on Jan.23 at 4 p.m.
An Evening With Spike Lee: The always-provocative American filmmaker
had his own go at a WW II-period drama with 2008's underrated Miracle
at St. Anna.
Though Lee's been slow to follow up with a new feature, he's still
been plenty busy - his second documentary on post-Katrina New Orleans,
If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise debuted on HBO last summer.
He's also making time to visit Toronto for an onstage interview by
fellow filmmaker Clement Virgo.
Presented by the TD Bank Financial Group and the Canadian Film Centre
in celebration of Black History Month, the discussion will focus on
the role of music in Lee's films. Expect anecdotes about working with
Stevie Wonder on Jungle Fever and Prince on Girl 6 on Jan. 25 at the
Varsity (55 Bloor St. W.).
Culloden: One of the most groundbreaking movies of the 1960s screens
at the latest edition of Early Monthly Segments.
First aired on the BBC in 1964, Culloden is an ingenious recreation of
the decisive battle that ended the Jacobite uprisings which rocked
Britain in the 18th century.
Filmmaker Peter Watkins's innovation was to imagine there was a
documentary crew capturing events as they happened, lending a rare
authenticity and immediacy to the recreation. What sets Culloden apart
from the countless imitators that followed was its fiercely political
nature. Rarely has the futility of armed conflict been portrayed with
such force.
Culloden screens with Brian Frye's Across the Rappahannock (about a
group of Civil War re-enactors) on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the
Gladstone Hotel's Art Bar (1214 Queen St. W.).
From: A. Papazian