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Despite its flaws, The Good German is a welcome gift for every film lover who laments that "they don't make 'em like they used to." Steven Soderbergh's affectionate, knowing tribute to the black-and-white melodramas of Hollywood's golden age may lack the emotional depth and romantic passion of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca--the 1946 classic it intentionally emulates--but as Soderbergh approximates Curtiz's studio style, he delivers a shimmering, shadowy reminder that movies can be enjoyed for the sheer pleasure of their craftsmanship. Once again serving as his own cinematographer (credited as "Peter Andrews"), Soderbergh went to great lengths to technically and aesthetically re-create the look and feel of a Curtiz production, and Joseph Kanon's source novel (adapted by Quiz Show screenwriter Paul Attanasio) provides a twisting plot set around the historical Potsdam conference in post-World War II Germany. An American military journalist, Capt. Jake Geismer (George Clooney) is in rubble-strewn Berlin to cover the event, and is quickly drawn into a murder plot involving his appointed driver (Tobey Maguire), an old flame-turned-wartime prostitute (Cate Blanchett) and her missing husband, a scientist who possesses pivotal secrets coveted by Americans and Russians in a pre-Cold War bid for power.
Violence, sexual content, and salty dialogue make it clear that this R-rated drama is a brashly contemporary homage to films of a bygone era, and not a slavish attempt to copy the past. This yields mixed results in terms of the film's overall appeal; it's gorgeous to look at, but the plot and performances exist in a vacuum, and the entire film feels oddly disengaged from any sense of genuine human emotion. It's probably fair to say that Soderbergh had more fun making the film than most people will have watching it. And yet, as Clooney's character is repeatedly beaten and deceived on his path to cynical enlightenment, The Good German has many qualities that make it recommendable, not the least being the pleasure of following a talented director as he indulges his penchant for bold experimentation. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Who knows what American journalist Jake Geismer (George Clooney) expected to find in postwar Berlin? Peace, maybe. Or at least a story. But certainly not Lena (Cate Blanchett), his beautiful, embittered one-time love. And not the trail of secrecy and deception that leads from Lena to the scheming young corporal (Tobey Maguire) who's her new lover...and to a murder no one seems interested in solving. Except Jake. Steven Soderbergh directs three of today's top talents in this zigzag thriller that's both an atmospheric homage to 1940s filmmaking and a deft modern film noir. The Good German is "haunting and hypnotic, it's pure moviegoing bliss" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Despite what other reviewers said, including those in the local newspaper, I found this mystery entertaining. I went with somewhat lowered expectations.
It is wonderous, if only for the masterful black and white photography. There is something deeply mysterious about highlighted cigarette smoke in a dark room. See the Carroll Reed/Orson Wells classic "The Third Man" & "Casablanca" before seeing this movie, this borrows heavily from both. Full of dirt and bombed out rubble, like The Third Man. The Third Man? Casablanca ? #57 & #2 on American Film Institute's List: Top 100 Greatest Movies? For those who never see anything over 20 years old, movies worth seeing!
Director Soderbergh didn't do a period piece, he did a real authentic forties movies with old cameras and old filming techniques. Orson Wells once said words to the effect that "Did you ever see a good dramatic performance in a color film? All the really good performances are in black and white, Color really distracts..." This is a good example of what artistic black and white can do.
Goegrge Clooney plays Jake, (the Holly Martins type character), searching for Lena (like Anna) an old friend in post WWII Berlin, who used to be a reporter and is now a prostitute. Lena seems to be a minor character at first. I won't reveal more of the plot. Seamless integration of post war footage and the current movie, for film buffs this is a visual treat. A more complex, violent, and more sexual mystery than the Third Man but authentic to the period. You even have Lena walking through the sewers under Berlin (in high heels!) to search for,... well, see the movie. Just like the finale of The Third Man.
One expects to hear Anton Karas's zither playing "The Harry Lime Theme" or "The Cafe Mozart Waltz" from a cafe in the bombed-out city!
It's a tad long but it has the substance of older movies. Yes, it does lack emotion - esp. anger. A pervasive sense of postwar gloom and powerlessness runs through the lead characters. But even with it's flaws, it's an adult movie, and it's much better than 90% of what's out today.
Underappreciated, but with many virtues. True Film Noir.
It is wonderous, if only for the masterful black and white photography. There is something deeply mysterious about highlighted cigarette smoke in a dark room. See the Carroll Reed/Orson Wells classic "The Third Man" & "Casablanca" before seeing this movie, this borrows heavily from both. Full of dirt and bombed out rubble, like The Third Man. The Third Man? Casablanca ? #57 & #2 on American Film Institute's List: Top 100 Greatest Movies? For those who never see anything over 20 years old, movies worth seeing!
Director Soderbergh didn't do a period piece, he did a real authentic forties movies with old cameras and old filming techniques. Orson Wells once said words to the effect that "Did you ever see a good dramatic performance in a color film? All the really good performances are in black and white, Color really distracts..." This is a good example of what artistic black and white can do.
Goegrge Clooney plays Jake, (the Holly Martins type character), searching for Lena (like Anna) an old friend in post WWII Berlin, who used to be a reporter and is now a prostitute. Lena seems to be a minor character at first. I won't reveal more of the plot. Seamless integration of post war footage and the current movie, for film buffs this is a visual treat. A more complex, violent, and more sexual mystery than the Third Man but authentic to the period. You even have Lena walking through the sewers under Berlin (in high heels!) to search for,... well, see the movie. Just like the finale of The Third Man.
One expects to hear Anton Karas's zither playing "The Harry Lime Theme" or "The Cafe Mozart Waltz" from a cafe in the bombed-out city!
It's a tad long but it has the substance of older movies. Yes, it does lack emotion - esp. anger. A pervasive sense of postwar gloom and powerlessness runs through the lead characters. But even with it's flaws, it's an adult movie, and it's much better than 90% of what's out today.
Underappreciated, but with many virtues. True Film Noir.
64 of 74 people found the following review helpful
By William Hare
"The Good German" provides viewers with intriguing film noir related to a war setting. Director Steve Soderbergh opted for a black and white treatment of a film based in war torn Germany at the end of the conflict for a very good reason.
Some reviewers were critical of using film noir format at a current point of film making when war ravaged Germany could have been shown using the latest in color technology. "What was the point of it?" critics have asked pertaining to Soderbergh's decision.
As someone who has written two books on the subject of film noir, I will use the opportunity to jump into Soderbergh's shoes and explain what I would presume his motivation to be. While so many critics remain ensconced in the captivating old detective genre starring a Robert Mitchum, Dick Powell or Humphrey Bogart, war provides a starkness all its own.
In viewing "The Good German" I concluded that the starkness of black and white suited the tenor, tone and mood of a drama set against the rubble of the great city of Berlin after the destruction of war had taken its tragic toll.
As for the dramatic elements, George Clooney was ideal as the war reporter who returns to Germany after hostilities have ended and reheats old passions with sleek, sexy and very savvy Cate Blanchett. When he learns that she has been having an affair with the young soldier who has been assigned to be his driver Clooney becomes disgusted, seeking to learn more about a woman he now believes to be a self-serving opportunist up to her eyeballs in intrigue.
After having a violent physical confrontation with his young driver, Clooney becomes more curious as the driver's body washes up on shore after his corpse has been floating in the river. The reporter becomes more determined to find out more about the woman who had been his lover. He is now convinced that he knew far less about than he had earlier believed.
Cate Blanchett plays her role of a lady of mystery with consummate skill. She immerses herself in her role as a German so well that she is physically unrecognizable from the star that played another great actress named Kate with a "K", namely Hepburn in "The Aviator."
At the film's end Clooney's confrontation with Blanchett reveals her as someone determined to survive during a war period and in a city where bodies are falling all around her.
The lesson to be learned is that life is a battle for survival and that the Blanchetts of the world are the most skilled at playing it, enhancing their chances to endure. Philosophers continue to ponder the question of the morality of tactics pursued that would be anything but acceptable under less compelling circumstances.
Some reviewers were critical of using film noir format at a current point of film making when war ravaged Germany could have been shown using the latest in color technology. "What was the point of it?" critics have asked pertaining to Soderbergh's decision.
As someone who has written two books on the subject of film noir, I will use the opportunity to jump into Soderbergh's shoes and explain what I would presume his motivation to be. While so many critics remain ensconced in the captivating old detective genre starring a Robert Mitchum, Dick Powell or Humphrey Bogart, war provides a starkness all its own.
In viewing "The Good German" I concluded that the starkness of black and white suited the tenor, tone and mood of a drama set against the rubble of the great city of Berlin after the destruction of war had taken its tragic toll.
As for the dramatic elements, George Clooney was ideal as the war reporter who returns to Germany after hostilities have ended and reheats old passions with sleek, sexy and very savvy Cate Blanchett. When he learns that she has been having an affair with the young soldier who has been assigned to be his driver Clooney becomes disgusted, seeking to learn more about a woman he now believes to be a self-serving opportunist up to her eyeballs in intrigue.
After having a violent physical confrontation with his young driver, Clooney becomes more curious as the driver's body washes up on shore after his corpse has been floating in the river. The reporter becomes more determined to find out more about the woman who had been his lover. He is now convinced that he knew far less about than he had earlier believed.
Cate Blanchett plays her role of a lady of mystery with consummate skill. She immerses herself in her role as a German so well that she is physically unrecognizable from the star that played another great actress named Kate with a "K", namely Hepburn in "The Aviator."
At the film's end Clooney's confrontation with Blanchett reveals her as someone determined to survive during a war period and in a city where bodies are falling all around her.
The lesson to be learned is that life is a battle for survival and that the Blanchetts of the world are the most skilled at playing it, enhancing their chances to endure. Philosophers continue to ponder the question of the morality of tactics pursued that would be anything but acceptable under less compelling circumstances.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
THE GOOD GERMAN is one of those films that captures the audience so much with its style and ambience that a relatively weak plot may go unnoticed.
It's on the eve of the 1945 Potsdam Conference in Berlin, and correspondent Jake Geismer (George Clooney) arrives in town to cover the festivities. Almost immediately, his wallet is stolen and, furthermore, he discovers that the girlfriend, i.e. steady hooker, of Tully (Tobey Maguire), his enlisted Army driver, is none other than Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), Jake's pre-war stringer and lover. It also soon becomes apparent that the Russians in their occupation zone have a strong interest in finding Lena's ostensibly-dead SS husband, Emil (Christian Oliver). Why? Well, because the Americans seem to want him even more, perhaps because Emil was personal secretary to a top Nazi rocket scientist. But Lena is exasperatingly closed mouthed about the whole affair, so what's she hiding?
THE GOOD GERMAN is gloriously filmed in black in white to mesh with archival footage from the time and place. Trust me, Cate's strong-featured beauty looks good in any color or lack thereof. And though my wife disagrees with me on this, Lena's character may remind one of an enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. In any case, this is Cate's second Oscar-worthy performance of 2006, the first being in NOTES ON A SCANDAL. In the meantime, George's Geismer gets the Bandini beat out of him at every turn, first by Tully, then by Soviet troops and assorted mysterious assailants. It's just not poor Jake's day.
A criticism of the film has been that Lena's ultimate secret isn't worth writing home about. True, it didn't cause me to rise from a slouch in my seat and gasp with amazement. On the other hand, it does illustrate what the director was perhaps intending to show, i.e. that the banality of evil embodied by Hitler's Third Reich depended largely on the predictable and mundane actions of its ordinary citizens. Lest we forget.
It's on the eve of the 1945 Potsdam Conference in Berlin, and correspondent Jake Geismer (George Clooney) arrives in town to cover the festivities. Almost immediately, his wallet is stolen and, furthermore, he discovers that the girlfriend, i.e. steady hooker, of Tully (Tobey Maguire), his enlisted Army driver, is none other than Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), Jake's pre-war stringer and lover. It also soon becomes apparent that the Russians in their occupation zone have a strong interest in finding Lena's ostensibly-dead SS husband, Emil (Christian Oliver). Why? Well, because the Americans seem to want him even more, perhaps because Emil was personal secretary to a top Nazi rocket scientist. But Lena is exasperatingly closed mouthed about the whole affair, so what's she hiding?
THE GOOD GERMAN is gloriously filmed in black in white to mesh with archival footage from the time and place. Trust me, Cate's strong-featured beauty looks good in any color or lack thereof. And though my wife disagrees with me on this, Lena's character may remind one of an enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. In any case, this is Cate's second Oscar-worthy performance of 2006, the first being in NOTES ON A SCANDAL. In the meantime, George's Geismer gets the Bandini beat out of him at every turn, first by Tully, then by Soviet troops and assorted mysterious assailants. It's just not poor Jake's day.
A criticism of the film has been that Lena's ultimate secret isn't worth writing home about. True, it didn't cause me to rise from a slouch in my seat and gasp with amazement. On the other hand, it does illustrate what the director was perhaps intending to show, i.e. that the banality of evil embodied by Hitler's Third Reich depended largely on the predictable and mundane actions of its ordinary citizens. Lest we forget.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
Quality of video made it difficult to watch. Having read the book ,crucial scenarios were distorted to the point of bearing little relation to the original novel. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Janet Johns
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the book!
The movie was very disappointing to someone who read the book. The author created a very important message that was diffused by the movie.
Published 4 months ago by Charles M. Robinson
2.0 out of 5 stars
Big Disappointment
Perhaps this may be an okay film for someone who has not read the book (although those unfamiliar with the book will probably find the film very hard to follow), but for those who... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Harry O
1.0 out of 5 stars
A huge disappointment.
The worst screenplay adapted from a novel I have ever seen. The plot clarity and witty dialogue from the book are completely missing. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jackson Dallas
3.0 out of 5 stars
Love and betrayal in the rubble
I'll never forgive the Hollywood script writers for mangling a perfectly good story. Joseph Kanon's book as it was would have made an excellent script. Read more
Published 10 months ago by M. Hoeber
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stylized, slow start but worth sticking with it!
Though uneven, this is definitely a fantastic movie and worth watching. For the first 45 minutes, I found myself fighting boredom and confusion -- I read other reviews of the film... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Jenn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read the Review!
I give this film a high rating only because of what it could have been. I know that the actors wanted to make a good post-war film, with the tension and allegory that should have... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dr. Victor S. Alpher
2.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting failure
Shot to look exactly like a 1940s film, even down to Steven Soderbergh using 1940s lenses and vintage black and white cameras, but with added bad language and sporadic violence,... Read more
Published on December 19, 2010 by Trevor Willsmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
A unique, outstanding noir
Unless you are a serious noir buff, you have to be over 75 to appreciate this extraordinary movie. Sure, its a homage to the old black and white noirs of the 40's and its been... Read more
Published on December 18, 2010 by Esar Shvartz
2.0 out of 5 stars
Only a bad director could get such bad performances out of these...
I'm not sure I watched the same movie as those who wrote good reviews for this film. The script was bad and the direction was so "look at how clever I am" at every moment that it... Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by S. Smith-Peter
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