Taking Sides
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After Hitler took over power in 1933, many Jewish artists were forced to leave Germany. One of the most spectacular and renowned conductors of the 30s, Furtwangler's reputation rivaled that of Toscanini's. After the war, he was investigated as part of the Allies' de-Nazification programme. In the bombed-out Berlin of the immediate post-war period, the Allies slowly bring law and order--and justice--to bear on an occupied Germany. An American major is given the Furtwangler file, and is told to find everything he can and to prosecute the man ruthlessly. Tough and hard-nosed, Major Steve Arnold sets out to investigate a world of which he knows nothing. Orchestra members vouch for Furtwangler's morality--he did what he could to protect Jewish players from his orchestra. To the Germans, deeply respectful of their musical heritage, Furtwangler was a demigod; to Major Arnold, he is just a lying, weak-willed Nazi.
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108 mins - ,
Cast:
  • Harvey Keitel
    ... Major Steve Arnold
  • Stellen Skarsgard
    ... Dr. Wilhelm Furtwangler
  • Mortiz Bleibtreu
    ... Lt. David Wills
  • Birgit Minichmayr
    ... Emmi Straube
  • R. Lee Ermey
    ... General Wallace
  • Garrick Hagon
    ... Major Richards
Crew:
  • Director:
    Istvan Szabo
  • Writer:
    Ronald Harwood
  • Producers:
    Yves Pasquier
Production Company:
Paladin Production S.A.