Word: vilsmaier
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Dates: during 1999-1999
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...hall. The audience is, in fact, so overcome by sentimental ecstasies that there is a full ten seconds of silence before they recover enough to surge forward to meet our heroes with rapturous devotion. Likewise, The Harmonists are not above mushy displays of affection, a fact which director Joseph Vilsmaier impresses upon us by repeatedly showing them joining hands in the tedious "All for one, one for all" pose...
IfThe Harmonistsis to be remembered at all in the years to come, it will be for the fact that it is German-made. It is not often that American audiences get a view of Germany society in the '30s that is multifaceted. Vilsmaier, while acknowledging the horrors and injustices of the Nazi Party, is too thoughtful (or perhaps just too consciously a German citizen) to categorize the regime as universally and blatantly evil. The Party is seen at one point giving The Harmonists special permission to continue their performances despite the recent constrictions. The one riot scene, in which Nazi...
This rendition is a highlight of The Harmonists, Joseph Vilsmaier's agreeably old-fashioned biopic, which smartly uses freshened versions of the original recordings to which the actors lip-synch. The film ladles on the bathos: as the group sings its farewell song, Harry's girlfriend Elsa dissolves into a puddle of conflicted emotion. If you remain dry-eyed, don't worry--this film does your crying for you. But it's brisk and entertaining. And yes, you will hum as you leave the 'plex...
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