Product Details

• Actors: Bolek Polívka, Anna Sisková
• Directors: Jan Hrebejk
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B001LGDFDG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,402 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Hacia los últimos años de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, una valiente pareja de ciudadanos checos, Josef y MArie, ocultan a un refugiado Judío para salvarlo de las atrocidades de los Nazis. Si de por sí el ocultarlo es complicado, la pareja deberá lidiar también con un colaborador Nazi que isita frecuentemente su hogar. Basada en una historia real está aventura repleta de humor, coraje y generosidad nos demuestra que incluso cuando lo has perdido todo, queda el amor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Holocaust drama, January 23, 2011

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: - Musime si pomahat (El Amor en Tiempos de Odio) aka Divided We Fall [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America] by Jan Hrebejk (Spanish subtitles) (DVD)

"Divided We Fall" is a unique Holocaust drama (Czech language) in that the focus is not on the horrors of the Holocaust such as the mass deportations, the barbaric conditions of the death camps, etc. Instead, it focuses on a pair of ordinary people, Gentiles who are compelled to lead abnormal lives under abnormal circumstances. Josef and Marie Cizek (Boleslav Polivka and Anna Siskova) are an ordinary married couple living in occupied Czechoslovakia during WW II. Josef is a regular guy who does not really want to face up to the realities of war, and the fact that his young and beautiful wife is desperate to have children, something they haven't been able to realize for many years. Things take a drastic turn one day when the Jewish son of Josef's former employer comes to him for shelter, having recently escaped a death camp in Poland and lost all of his family. Josef takes him in without really giving thought to the repercussions and therein begins the real drama. Josef and Marie hide David Wiener (Csongor Kassai) in their pantry, but realize that the situation is immensely risky, especially given the frequent and impromptu visits by Josef's friend, Horst (Jaroslav Dusek) who also happens to be a Nazi collaborator, and who is obsessed with Marie. To avert suspicion, Josef decides to take up Horst on a job offer which requires them to assist the Nazis in confiscating Jewish property which helps them for a while, though the rest of the neighborhood looks upon them as Nazi collaborators.

What makes this movie engaging and interesting is the interplay of human relationships - that between Josef and Marie, Marie and David, Josef & Horst, and Horst and Marie, among others. The comical and many times tense/suspenseful situations seem altogether credible under the assured direction of Jan Hrebejk - one can actually imagine being in such situations, they are compellingly portrayed on screen. Marie's character as played by Anna Siskova elicits genuine empathy from the viewer, and whilst Josef is not exactly a likable character, one can't help feeling sorry for the impossible situation he finds himself in and his character makes a nice contrast to that of his greasy, and venal friend Horst, who is the epitome of the fawning and opportunistic collaborator.

The humor in this drama is dark and at times morbid, but it is not misplaced - in fact, it is used effectively to explain the insidious nature of the Nazis and how the policies of the Third Reich as carried out in occupied territories had a profound impact not only on the Jews but also on the rest of the population. Life under the Nazis was far from ordinary, despite their efforts to portray otherwise, and "Divided We Fall" gives viewers a glimpse of how normal people are driven to extremes under extraordinary circumstances. The feature is in Czech, with the option of Spanish subtitles.