7/3/2023 0 Comments A hidden life![]() ![]() Franz lives in the small German Alpine village of St. The film begins in 1939, with a newsreel montage establishing Hitler’s consolidation of power. Franz Jägerstätter was inspired by Franz Reinisch, a Catholic priest who was executed for refusing to swear allegiance to Hitler, and decided he was willing to go out the same way if it came to that. There was only one way that this story could end, as fascist dictatorships don’t take kindly to citizens refusing to do as they’re told. As a result, he suffered an escalating series of consequences that were meant to break him but hardened his resolve. Living a life that oddly echoed Herman Mellville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” this was a soft-spoken Catholic who refused to serve in the German army, swear a loyalty oath to Hitler, or respond in kind when people said “Heil Hitler” to him on the road. He just had a set of beliefs and stuck with them to the bitter end. He wasn’t a politician, a revolutionary firebrand, or even a particularly extroverted or even verbose man. The late actor Bruno Ganz also makes a touching appearance as the judge who hears Franz's case.August Diehl stars as Franz Jägerstätter, a modest, real-life hero of a type rarely celebrated on film. ![]() But there's no denying that A Hidden Life captures some truly striking small moments, such as the family playing in the grass beneath the mountains, the women harvesting crops, or men drifting around a prison yard, forbidden to speak. He shows he doesn't quite have the temperament for smoothing out this story, making it flow, and providing some ups to counterbalance the downs. Based on a true story, A Hidden Life certainly tackles important subjects, not only honoring the life and sacrifice of the real Franz Jägerstätter, but also examining mob mentality and the way that neighbor can turn on neighbor over a belief, no matter how wrong-headed that belief may be.īut Malick's drifting, exploratory filmmaking methods are a better fit for poetic impressions than for concrete stories and themes. No one quite captures nature's beauty and slowness as well as Terrence Malick does, but his mastery only barely saves this three-hour-long story that's full of misery, despair, and hopelessness. An effectively compiled music score helps carry it some of the way. This is unfortunate, as it’s a story that deserves a better treatment. Germany was determined to take control by force but force devoid of love was bound to fail.įestivals and those who like Terrence Malick’s ‘style’ may last the way over-long distance but others may tune out early on. Appears the Catholic Church shamefully colluded with the Nazi war machine too often. Sadly, it seems the local church did little to support his unfairly ostracized family, giving poor acknowledgement of his strong Catholic faith and the family’s church service in years prior. His wife and children are left battling the elements and unfriendly village neighbours, as they attempt to survive by working their farm without him. Thankfully, the last half is a little more structured than the somewhat messy first – this helps to follow the shockingly harsh struggle this tragic fellow was forced to endure. Characters often come and go with little introduction, so acute concentration is required. I’d have also assumed any that were forwarded would have been heavily censored – in this situation that appears not to be the case. On paper, this potent story would have looked impressive - yet the final result on screen will reflect only a small percentage of its power.įor a fact-based story, it amazed me that the cruel German prison system allowed any letters to be written, let alone sent. To some, this may look trendy but for many, it may be shoddy to look at. The editing is often abysmal (in need of a collaborating editor) with jarring continuity jump cuts, possibly revealing the fact many scenes were too long, with little to say, so were cut down to serve their purpose. Deeply felt, spiritual, and at times superb looking, it suffers from his trade-mark extended minimalist style. ![]() As with 70% of Mr Malick’s later works, this one runs forever - while telling what amounts to little more than a short story. ![]()
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