Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0084296407477
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Label: Sterling Ent
Manufacturer: Sterling Ent
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sterling Ent
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 15, 2005
Running Time: 120 minutes
Sales Rank: 54004
Studio: Sterling Ent
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - What a strong child.
This movie is so moving. It is always amazing to me what people who survived the Holocaust did. In this case a small boy. I do not want to ruin the story for you in any way.
If you love to se people helping people and the triumph of the human spirit then this is a must see.
Rating:  - Great idea not too well executed
This film has a lot of good points, including a sensational acting job by the young protagonist, who is utterly convincing as a worldly Resister in Nazi-occupied France in 1942, true to his family's heritage. And there are some subtle tributes to film classics here and there--"Oliver Twist" and "Casablanca" for example. Some of the cinematography is brilliant.
The basic conception--a young boy who has had to grow up in a world where he is in constant danger, may even have to sacrifice his life, and happens also to be a chess prodigy--is terrific and could have made a beautiful, unforgettable film. Alas, there are too many illogical leaps.
The kid is protected by an elite corps of Resistance fighters, so why is he not in more control of his situation? Why does his mother agree to an exchange that makes no sense--it's not like the kid is being held captive, as was suggested earlier in the film he would be if caught? How does his estranged father instantly become a skilled guerilla warrior, when he had been an indolent playboy?
The boy turns in an outstanding performance, but the others range from bad to really bad. I could not tell if the film is dubbed, but even that would not explain some of the dialogue that sounds as if it's being read. The character of the "Professor", who's trying to help the Nazis, is unclear. Is he just a nihilist? His conduct suggests that, but why isn't he more complex? Why does he ultimately give up? Has he grown to love the ... Read More
Rating: - How much was fact? How much was fiction?
Since the film's basic plot has already been reviewed, I will just add a few comments. The "dirty little secrets" seem to be coming out now about how American businessmen helped finance the Nazis-- also the fact that the Swiss were hardly innocent bystanders, raking in all of that Jewish cash. So I think the movie "does good" in tempting viewers to investigate the truth.
This is a LONG production, 130 minutes, and I thought it did drag a bit in spots. Perhaps, had I learned how to play chess, those segments would have been more interesting to me.
The scenery and settings were intriguing-- especially the old French cars and telephones.
I had difficulty with two plot elements: First, trans-Atlantic phone calls were popping back and forth with modern, fiber-optic ease. Second, the boy's father instantly changed from a piano-playing party guy to a hardened resistance fighter just as soon as he hit European soil... a little difficult to believe.
But all in all, a good effort and psychological study of how the horrors of World War II affected an 11-year-old. Thomas Sangster's acting was superb.
Rating: - A Different Portrayal of Events.
This foreign film gives us a picture of World War II from a different perspective. The young boy was a chess wiz and with his memory helped to keep his mother's crusade alive. There is much violence in this movie based on the novel DADDY by Loup Durand, but then that was how life was in Germany and France in those tumultous years.
It was interesting to see a movie made where that kind of thing really occurred in the 1940s. It was much better than seeing top name American actors pretending. These actors made it appear almost real.
I can't say why I bought the DVD, could be the enigmatic pose of Thomas Sangster. The photo on the front makes you want to hug that child.
Rating: - Flawed yet haunting
TamA has already given us a tantalizing synopsis of this movie's intriguing scenario. It takes place primarily in France rather than Germany, yet the Nazi occupiers are everywhere, and we are not allowed to forget for a moment their heartless menace to anyone daring to operate an underground resistance movement. Paranoia would not be too strong a term for the mood induced.
I like this film despite many seeming improbabilities in the plot. Stories so intricate and subtle often require many viewings to connect all the dots. Here I dearly want to explain why (as happens again and again) a character must do something the hard way rather than the easy and obvious way. It's always painful to see excellent filmmaking lavished on a foundation of sand. This movie has piqued my interest enough to want to read the novel on which it is based, if only to answer such questions. If the answers are good, I'll gladly raise my vote to 5 stars. If not, I'm afraid I'm too generous with 4.
But now for the many attractions. The masterful Klaus Maria Brandauer brings his experience in "Burning Secret" to bear for another role as an urbane, complex, psychologically scarred villain opposite a sensitive, solemn, very intelligent hero only 11 or 12 years old (in this case, Thomas Sangster). Both stars are mesmerizing, as are several other actors. The cinematography is gorgeous throughout, exteriors and sumptuous interiors. The buildup of tension erupts in several breathtaking action scenes. ... Read More
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