Divided We Fall (2000)

Mediocre WWII movie from the Czech Republic. Bolek Polivka and his wife Anna Siskova are just regular Czech citizens trying to survive the occupation when their former neighbor, a Jew, arrives at their doorstep having escaped the prison camps in Poland. They agree to hide him, but it's very dangerous, especially since a Nazi collaborator who wrongly considers himself to be their best friend often shows up at their door unannounced. This follows a fairly predictable plot line, but it gets bogged down in some soap opera-level stuff (Polivka is sterile but, through some corny plot machinations, Siskova is forced to sleep with the Jew so she becomes pregnant) and some misplaced comic sequences. The worst aspect of the film is the god-awful frame dropping technique the director employs through about a third of the film, which makes the action on screen jerky and nausea-inducing. I have no clue why he would do such a thing. The performances are universally good and there are definitely good moments, so I didn't dislike it, but it's forgettable. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Certain significant subjects have been covered in cinema so often, and with brilliant results that one wonders if still another is needed. The Holocaust and the Nazi menace have certainly inspired numerous fine films, with Schindler's List and The Pianist and The Tin Drum and scores of others covering the subject exhaustively. Why then another? Perhaps we can never be reminded too often to look at humanity's recent history, and perhaps because the subject of civilized man treating his equals in such subhuman ways can , in careful hands, perhaps impart still another needed reminder. And sometimes a repeated story has subtleties not covered heretofore. Divided We Fall is a story similar to that of Anne Frank's, and the idea of community is examined with quirky humor under great stress, and the concept of friendship is questioned in a way that may make you examine your own ideas.This is a thoughtful film with many surprises in store, and an ending that does not disappoint; because you probably will not will not recognize most of the performers, there is a feeling of truth in character that pervades this often-tense, sometimes oddly funny study of a society assaulted.

"Divided We Fall" is an odd little Czech film. That's because like at least one other reviewer pointed out here on IMDb, the distinction between the good and the bad in the film is not 100% clear--people are not all good or all bad in many cases. I like this, as too often films of the Nazi occupation are very black & white in their views. Now I am NOT defending the Nazis, but talking about those who worked with their Nazi overlords--who played the system yet, in some cases, managed to retain a bit of their humanity. I appreciated this very much and it reminded me of another very good film of this period--"The Shop on Main Street". It, too, managed to show an overlooked side of this period in Occupied Europe.In addition, the film had nice acting, an original script and was well worth seeing. However, I noticed that the film is listed as a comedy--and I am really not sure how accurate this is. Sure, there are a few absurd portions of the film--but funny?! No. But worth seeing.By the way, I have no idea why but portions of the DVD were slow--and I am not talking about the pacing but the actual speed of the action. It was as if portions were done in slightly slow-motion--and I have no idea why.By the way, if you haven't noticed it on IMDb, this movie was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film for 2001. It lost to "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", though I thought "Divided We Fall" was better (at least for my tastes).

A film that illustrates well how some people will rebel against the enemy and risk their lives to help a neighbor, while others betray or imperil those they've known for a lifetime either to advance socio-economically or just to live in relative peace.Josef is a good man, but even he has anxiety and regrets about doing the right thing. This movie is about him and his wife, and how the man they decide to hide in their home eventually changes their lives beyond what they would have imagined at the time they decided to risk their lives and help him.I liked this movie.