Taking Sides

Taking Sides (2001)

Not Rated 07 Mar 2002 • Drama, Music, War • 1h 48m
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A tale based on the life of Wilhelm Furtwangler, the controversial conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic whose tenure coincided with the controversial Nazi era. One of the most spectacular and renowned conductors of the 1930s, Furtwangler's reputation rivalled that of Toscanini's. After the war, he was investigated as part of the Allies' de-Nazification program. In the bombed-out Berlin of the immediate post-war period, the Allies slowly bring law and order, and justice, to bear in 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.

István Szabó
Director
Ronald Harwood
Writer
Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgård, Moritz Bleibtreu
Starring

Language: English, Russian, French, German
Awards: 9 wins & 3 nominations
Country: France, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria
Metacritic Score: 61
DVD Release Date:
Box Office Total: $188,952

7.1

IMDb (3672 votes)
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