Taking Sides

A Feature film of

Istvan Szabo

Produced by

Paladin Production

Production year2001

French release30/04/2002

Runtime1 h 45 min

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Synopsis

Berlin, 1946. Germany licks its wounds and tries to come to terms with fascism. Under the aegis of the Allies, a vast denazification campaign is organized throughout the country with the aim of singling out and punishing the guilty, eradicating the roots of evil and restoring democratic values.
Major Steve Arnold of the American Army oversees the case of Wilhelm Furtwängler, one of Germany’s most prestigious conductors.
Furtwängler remained in Germany from 1933 to 1944 and is considered by the Americans to be a cultural emblem of the Nazi regime, a living example of the cowardly collusion of the German people. Arnold must make an example of the “Furtwängler Case”.
Boorish, cocky, proud of his pragmatism, the major backs away from nothing, no matter the pressures and threats. While his young aide Emmi and his liaison officer David Wills look on with some dismay, Arnold methodically breaks down the artist’s defenses, revealing the venal motivations – careerism, fear, jealousy – underlyin...