Customer Reviews

The Truce

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If posible, I would award ten stars to the film version of Primo Levi's "La Tregua". This is a superb movie about what happened to the prisoners of Auschwitz after their liberation by the Red Army. The role of Primo, an Italian Jew, is played brilliantly by John Turturro. Along with survivors of various nationalities, the band of liberated Italians is taken to a transition camp run by Soviet medical personnel. Here the survivors recover from their ordeal, rebuilding their strength for the long journey home. A chemist by profession, Primo joins the Soviet medical staff until the train finally arrives to transport everyone home. Unfortunately, the railroad track has been everywhere destroyed by war, necessitating a prolonged and circuituous route through Minsk. During the trip, the Holocaust survivors are dependent on the limited supplies of the Red Army and the generosity of impoverished Soviet citizens.

The Italian language is "dubbed" in accented English for this American film, and a variety of foreign languages -- Russian, Polish, Ukranian, German, French -- are spoken without subtitles. This very realistically conveys the confusion and frustration experienced by the survivors. The audience, like Primo, must rely on translators or simply decipher some dialogue from context or pantomime. By utilizing panoramic filming of scenery, changing gradually from dreary winter to spring to early summer, the movie gives a strong sense of the interminable duration of the journey home. Recurrent throughout the film are eerie black-and-white flashbacks to the horror of Auschwitz. Some of these are wrenching. Overall,though, the theme is of hope, and of camaraderie and kindness helping to heal the wounds of the Holocaust. Watching "Truce" is an emotional experience, depicting true events that must never be forgotten.

I rarely write reviews. This film compels in more ways than words can express. It has it all: soul, humor, a teaching conscience, which is rare in film today. It is well-made and well-directed, and the acting is superb and convincing. I saw it several times in the theater and anticipate owning my own copy. This is the kind of film that should be required viewing in today's college history classes when World War II is covered--learning "what happened next" is as important as the events themselves, so that we can see the results of our actions, or our inactions.

THE best film I've seen in years .
Primo ( John Turturro in his best role )is a survivor of Auschwitz , survivor of Holocaust . He is Italian Jew saved by Russians at the end of WWII . All he wants is so simple - just to go home . But railroads are destroyed and he has to make a detour true Minsk ( Minsk is a capital of Belorussia . Minsk is a hometown of my mother . Minsk is the city where only 4 buildings was still standing after WWII . Minsk is the city which my mother had to leave when she was 2 years old and hide under the horse cart during the air strikes ... she still can't talk about it .)At the same time he need to learn how to live usual life , how to look without scare , without pain . How to live at all .
What makes this film 10 stars out of 5 ... little details , the feeling , the scare in everyone's eyes . I know this feeling . I know this scare . I don't want to remember it , but this film brought it back . And especially now I think everyone have to learn it ... before it is too late .
This film is very slow and very deep . Acting on highest level - I even forgot that this is actors "acting". What shocked me most - the details , just little things which are so important ,
This film have to be watched by everyone and taken deep into our hearts . This kind of story might and have to change our world for better .

"russianwriter"

Excellent, excellent, and I don't say this lightly. This film covers the time period AFTER the war. I have traveled throughout the area in which the film took place and it truly captures the gray, cold mood of the area in winter. As the main character, Primo, progresses through his post war disillusion into a semblance of understanding, nature also heals and spring begins. A post Holocaust film which reminds us once again what it means to be human and kind...Not for children.

"God does not exist, if Aushwitz exists," says Primo on the train. Truce shows something else . . . how a man's soul cannot be destroyed. Truce is a travelogue through the chaos of post war Europe. Beginning in Aushwitz, Primo and has band of brothers traverse the wilds of Poland, Russia, and, finally, Munich en route to their home. Their souls are slowly reborn. They find love, compassion and a simple appreciation of nature before landfall in Italy. By chance, by laugh, they complete their journey from death to life. The only negative(a small one) in this movie was the use of voice over narration by Primo. The visuals tell the story; the voice over narration was unwarranted. I would have liked to have seen more of Primo Levi beginning his life in Turin, but this would have been a different odyssey.

Having read most of the reviews in relation to "The Truce" - I think I am going to find myself in a minority of one.
I bought this DVD because I thought that the storyline was interesting and because of the good reviews.
However,having now watched it twice I found that most of the acting and the scenarios defided credibility.
Right from the start when we saw the alledged inmates of Auschwitz virtually running to the open gates - a situation which,to anyone who has seen original footage of the liberation by the Russians,would know that,most of the unfortunate inmates could hardly stand let alone run.This immediately struck an un-realistic chord.Shortly afterwards we are introduced to a large Greek gentleman(with the boots)- a totally unbelievable character,with an OTT performance by the actor concerned,played more as a caricature rather than an actual character - and there were numerous others who were just not convincing.In fact the main character (Primo) was the one performance which was excellent and believable,who did convey the fact that he had just come from Auschwitz,most of the others gave the impression that they had just come from a holiday camp.
Also there were too many musical pieces in the film,which gave me the impression that the director wasn't sure whether to go for serious drama or a semi- musical.(At times I almost expected Topol to come in singing "If I was a rich man" or similar!)The scene with the swords-man dancing to "Cheek to Cheek" was one such case and rather pointless.
The plus-points of the film were the superb photography,the fact that,as some other reviewer mentioned,sub-titles were not used when many of the different nationalities were encountered "en-route",which did convey the difficulties in making one-self understood,plus,as already mentioned,the excellent performance by the main character Primo.
The thing is though,with any film,unless you are regarding it as pure escapism - you need to believe what you are watching,and this was not the case with this film.As already mentioned,there were too many un-believable characters and too many un-likely scenarios which was a great shame as the basic story could have been made into a good film,but it needed to be under-played NOT over-played.
If you are the sort of person who can just accept that whatever you are seeing portrayed is true and life-like, you may enjoy this(plus any John Wayne war films!)- but to me it was totally un-convincing.
I am aware it was based on a true story and,if all the incidents in the film did truly happen,I am convinced that they didn't happen quite as portrayed in the film.
"The Pianist" is so much better,my advise,buy that instead.

A beautiful, meaningful film, one that makes you cry and think. Something that everybody should see. well acted and well directed

This dvd was not very good. Hard to follow and understand what they wanted to say. I would not buy it again. I did like the closed captioning.

I guess I have to admit upfront that I dislike Miramax films for the same reasons I'll disclose here. In this film, I felt the acting and many scenes were just not realistic. Hollywood puts their own spin on everything and the end product is nothing short of mediocre. I felt the acting was flat. The script was weak. Many of the scenes were just Hollywood; for example, at the beginning of the movie when he puts his concentration camp shirt in the fire. It doesn't burn. That's a Hollywood effect. And, as another reviewer mentioned, when the detainees are freed - if you've ever seen the real footage - they barely have the energy to walk to freedom. In this film, some fun and jump for joy. I liked nothing about this film.

Primo Levi, the Italian chemist, Auschwitz survivor and renowned author of works like "Survival in Auschwitz" was an amazing person, a true survivor who refused to forget the horrors that he had endured in Auschwitz and ensured that the world would know of Nazi atrocities through his writing.

In 'The Truce", based on Primo Levi's own experiences, actor John Turturro [in a stirring performance] brings to life the long journey undertaken by Levi from liberation [from Auschwitz by the Red Army] to his home in Turin, Italy. This is a unique Holocaust movie, in that it deals with the aftermath of the camps, and focusses on a survivor's journey home, with all the horrors of war still very much on his mind, and of the uncertainties he faces - will there be a home to return to? What of his family? and so on.

I found the movie, driven by Turturro's amazingly understated performance, to be both compelling and emotionally wrenching. Turturro's Levi is silent most times, conveying his emotions and feelings more with his eyes [the pain in those eyes!] than with words, and I felt this was justifiably so [how does one put into words all the pain that one feels and has endured?] - there's a scene where Levi tries to sell a shirt in a public square to earn money for food. Everyone around him stares at him and he wonders why. A gentleman tells him its because of his camp uniform with its markings, and when Levi tells the man to translate and inform the people that he was a Jew imprisoned in Auschwitz, the man refuses, translating instead that Levi was a political prisoner, saying "people want to forget". This was a credible scene, and reflected the attitude of the general public in Germany, other parts of Europe and the world at the time - most wanted to just get on with life and didn't want to know or remember the horrors of the Holocaust or the war.

Though the movie deals with Levi's journey home, we are reminded of the horrors he has endured with a few flashbacks to the time he was in the camps [albeit briefly]. Yet, there are lighthearted moments, such as a scene where the Russians are celebrating the end of the war and everyone including Levi and other refugees are gathered in the barracks - the song "Cheek to Cheek" plays on the gramophone and the survivors, men and women start glancing at each other and with trepidation start to dance in pairs. It is a heartwrenching moment, and also uplifting for despite the horrors, the intense desire to live and experience joy is very much present.

This is a tale of a man's journey 'home' - and finding hope along the way, hope that overrides despair. Highly recommended!