Taking Sides (2001)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

István Szabó

Writers:

Ronald Harwood (play)
Ronald Harwood (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 March 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Music | War

Plot:

A tale based on the life of Wilhelm Furtwangler, the controversial conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic...

Plot Keywords:

Conductor | Orchestra | Violinist | Archive Footage | Rowboat

Awards:

9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Harvey Keitel	...	Major Steve Arnold
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Dr. Wilhelm Furtwängler
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Lt. David Wills
Birgit Minichmayr	...	Emmi Straube
Ulrich Tukur	...	Helmut Alfred Rode, 2nd violinist
Oleg Tabakov	...	Colonel Dymshitz
Hanns Zischler	...	Rudolf Otto Werner, oboist
Armin Rohde	...	Schlee, timpanist
R. Lee Ermey	...	General Wallace
August Zirner	...	Captain Ed Martin
Daniel White	...	Sergeant Adams
Thomas Thieme	...	Reichsminister
Jed Curtis	...	Colonel Green
Garrick Hagon	...	Major Richards
Robin Renucci	...	Captain Vernay
Markus Heinicke	...	Attendant
Aleksander Tesla	...	Projectionist
Jarreth J. Merz	...	US Soldier
Holger Schober	...	Steve's Driver
Frank Leboeuf	...	French Aide
Philip Bowen	...	US Aide
Thomas Morris	...	British Sergant
Peter Döring	...	British Officer
Rinat Shaham	...	Jazz Singer
Werner Armeln	...	Remer
Matthias Wilke	...	Schmidt
Holger Jahn	...	Aide 1
Werner Zwosta	...	Aide 2
Thomas Rösicke	...	Barkeeper 1
Marco Riccardi	...	Barkeeper 2
Jourii Babalikachvili	...	Russian Aide
Henry Schindler	...	U.K. Aide
Chris Martin	...	U.S. Soldier
Benno Wirth	...	Stallholder
Ron Hermann	...	Boy 1
Valentin Tornow	...	Boy 2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wilhelm Furtwängler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Josef Goebbels	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Heinrich Himmler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
István Szabó

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ronald Harwood		play
Ronald Harwood		screenplay

Produced by
Adam Betteridge	....	associate producer: Great British Films
Fritz Buttenstedt	....	co-executive producer
Michael Cowan	....	co-executive producer (as Michael Lionello Cowan)
Udo Happel	....	line producer
Jeremy Isaacs	....	co-producer
Alex Marshall	....	associate producer
Maureen McCabe	....	co-producer
Rainer Mockert	....	co-producer
Michel Nicolini	....	supervising producer
Yves Pasquier	....	producer
Jason Piette	....	co-executive producer
David Rogers	....	co-executive producer
Jacques Rousseau	....	co-producer
Rainer Schaper	....	co-producer
Michael von Wolkenstein	....	co-producer
Gisela Waetzoldt-Hildebrandt	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Lajos Koltai

Film Editing by
Sylvie Landra

Casting by
Gillian Hawser
Caroline Hutchings
Heta Mantscheff

Production Design by
Ken Adam

Art Direction by
Anja Müller		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Bernhard Henrich

Costume Design by
Györgyi Szakács

Makeup Department
Wolfgang Böge	....	makeup artist
Ann-Kathrin Guballa	....	makeup artist
Beatrice Mendelin	....	special makeup effects artist
Martina Raschke-Dressler	....	makeup artist
Robert Rebele	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Marcus Loges	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claudia Anton	....	trainee assistant director
Thorne Mutert	....	second assistant director
Aleksandrs Petukhovs	....	third assistant director
Ralph Remstedt	....	first assistant director
Oliver Schnug	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Philipp Barnett	....	set decoration department assistant
Stefan Pepe Baumgärtner	....	assistant art director
Pierre Brayard	....	assistant art director
André Brüggemann	....	stand-by carpenter
Christian Ehlert	....	set dresser
Axel Eichhorst	....	storyboard artist
Sabine Engelberg	....	art department coordinator
Eckart Friz	....	assistant property master
Thomas Göldner	....	set dresser
Dierk Grahlow	....	construction supervisor (as Dierck Rüdiger Grahlow)
Axel Kahnt	....	property master
Christoph Kettenring	....	props
Oliver Korbel	....	set dresser
Robert Krüger	....	scenic artist
Matthias Kulewatz	....	stand-by carpenter
Steffi Kulse	....	assistant to construction supervisor
Detlef Michelchen	....	stand-by carpenter
Blanka Pietsch	....	property assistant
Scott Ritchie	....	art department trainee
Christian Röscheisen	....	stand-by prop
Christian Schaefer	....	assistant set decorator
Udo Scharnowski	....	draughtsman
Bea Schiefeling	....	property buyer
Dorothea Schiefeling	....	property buyer
Bernd Schirach	....	stand-by carpenter
Bele Schneider	....	property buyer
Gisela Schulze	....	draughtsman
Torsten Schwartz	....	supervisor plasterer
Ralf Stottrop	....	stand-by painter

Sound Department
Philippe Amouroux	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean-Louis Bras	....	adr boom operator
Michel Filippi	....	adr editor (as Michel Fillipi)
Jean Goudier	....	supervising sound editor
Jean-Francois Hammel	....	foley artist assistant
Noemi Hampel	....	cable woman
Cyril Holtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Denis Jaillet-Marsigny	....	sound recordist
Anne Le Campion	....	foley recordist
Jérôme Lévy	....	foley artist
Olivier Marlangeon	....	foley artist assistant
Gilles Missir	....	adr sound engineer
Bridget O'Driscoll	....	dialogue editor
John Pitt	....	boom operator
Brian Simmons	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Michael Apling	....	special effects technician
Alain Carsoux	....	head of special effects
Lars Hintze	....	special effects technician
Thorsten Hintze	....	special effects technician
Thommy Opatz	....	special effects makeup: supply
Edouard Valton	....	special effects producer
Bernd Wildau	....	senior special effects technician
Adolf Wojtinek	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Christophe Belena	....	digital transfers
Thorsten Binte	....	visual effects supervisor
Coralie Boulay	....	digital transfer editor
Séverine De Wever	....	production coordinator
François Dupuy	....	digital transfers
Vincent Frei	....	rotoscope artist
Olivier Gadal	....	rotoscope artist
Yann Gonsard	....	rotoscope artist
Rip Hampton O'Neil	....	technical director: Duboi
Michael Hosenfeld	....	digital effects project manager
Abdel Ali Kassou	....	digital transfers
Aurelie Lajoux	....	rotoscope artist
Tina Lin	....	digital transfers
Thomas Mulack	....	digital effects producer
Nicolas Pelle	....	digital transfers
Markus Schneider	....	compositing artist
Antoine Simkine	....	visual effects executive producer: Duboi
Guillaume Uguet	....	digital transfers

Stunts
Helmut Baumer	....	stunts
Oliver Fritsche	....	stunt rigger
Christof Genesis	....	stunts
Udo Harnach	....	stunt performer
Werner Kaiser	....	stunts
Armin Sauer	....	stunt coordinator
Bernhard Schirmer	....	stunts
Rene Schobes	....	stunts (as Rene Schobess)

Camera and Electrical Department
Christian Almesberger	....	assistant camera
Daniel Alvermann	....	dolly grip
Karl Dillitzer	....	gaffer
Sandro Eichler	....	grip
Marcell Erdélyi	....	camera trainee
Mikesch Groht	....	Steadicam operator
Heiko Jörke	....	key grip
Daniel Klauke	....	electrician
Carsten Klockow	....	grip
Patrick Kloz	....	video assistant
Roland Knitter	....	electrician
Finn Kohler	....	grip
Oliver Ladinser	....	electrician
Martin Lippert	....	generator operator
Gero Neumann	....	clapper loader
Nicole Nullmeyer	....	clapper loader
Joseph Gallus Rittenberg	....	still photographer
Alexander Schaak	....	electrician
Axel Schrepel	....	electrician
Rico Schulze	....	electrician
Mike Wächter	....	best boy
Jörg Widmer	....	Steadicam operator

Animation Department
Siegfried Ostertag	....	animator

Casting Department
Vanessa Baker	....	adr voice casting
Karin Beewen	....	casting: Babelsberg
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting
Martina Goldsmith	....	extras casting assistant
Petra Lüttschwager	....	extras casting assistant
Iris Müller	....	extras casting
Tanja Ploetz	....	extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anke Baier	....	dresser
Pascale Bourtequoi	....	assistant costume designer
Constanze Hagedorn	....	wardrobe mistress
Sparka Lee Hall	....	costume supervisor
Richard Olaf Zintel	....	wardrobe master: Harvey Keitel
Zintel Richard Olaf	....	wardrobe master: Harvey Keitel
Judith Stöger	....	dresser

Editorial Department
Patrick Delamotte	....	color timer
Juliette Garcias	....	assistant editor
Soline Guyonneau	....	first assistant editor
Isabelle Lepicier	....	assistant editor (as Isabelle Lépicier)

Music Department
Daniel Barenboim	....	conductor: new recordings
Wilhelm Furtwängler	....	conductor: original recordings
Ulrich Trimborn	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Katja Heissig	....	driver
Axel Hübner	....	driver: director
Inga Meissner	....	transportation coordinator
Grit Menzzer	....	driver

Other crew
Tobias Asam	....	office production assistant
Melanie Aßmann	....	set production assistant
Roman Avianus	....	assistant location manager
Francesco Belfiore	....	assistant: Mr. Keitel
Naomi Buck	....	assistant: Mr. Pasquier
Catherine Charlton	....	dialogue coach
Claudia Davids	....	production accountant
Claire Deloire	....	production secretary: France
Yassir Falhi	....	stand-in
Klaus Große Darrelmann	....	location manager
Boris Hars-Tschachotin	....	location scout
Sven Herrmann	....	set manager
Michael Hoffmann	....	crowd marshall
Julia Jones	....	unit publicist
Julia Kainz	....	unit publicist
Frank Krug	....	set production assistant
Emily Kyriakides	....	assistant: Mr. Marshall
Winnie Marcus	....	set production assistant
Catherine Michel	....	production secretary
Axel Möller	....	stand-in
Tresi Murphy	....	production assistant: France
Alexander Nanau	....	office production assistant
Karl Objartel	....	office production assistant
Susann Pataki	....	office production assistant
Laura Popescu-Zeletin	....	location assistant
Gabriella Prekop	....	script advisor
Daniel Pruß	....	crowd marshall
Annie Quignon-Fleuret	....	production accountant: France
Miriam Rönn	....	unit publicist
Marco Schenke	....	crowd marshall
Nadine Schindowski	....	cashier
Zsuzsanna Szászi	....	assistant: Mr. Szabó
Caroline Veyssière	....	script supervisor
Anja Wedell	....	production coordinator
Nicole Zscherny	....	set production assistant
Denis O'Sullivan	....	assistant: Harvey Keitel (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paladin Production S.A.
• Maecenas Film- und Fernseh GmbH
• Studio Babelsberg
• Little Big Bear Filmproduktion GmbH
• Canal+ (participation)
• Enterprise Films
• France 2 Cinéma
• Great British Films
• Jeremy Isaacs Productions Ltd.
• MBP (Germany)
• Satel Film
• Spice Factory
• TwanPix Ltd.

Distributors

• VCL Communications (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Alamode Film (Germany)
• E Stars Films (2002) (China) (TV)
• Guerilla Films (2003) (UK) (all media)
• Mikado
• Mondo Films
• New Yorker Films (2003) (USA) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Duboi
• Effectory GmbH

Other Companies

• Angels & Bermans  costume rental
• Arane  titles
• Dennis Davidson & Associates Public Releations (DDA)  publicity
• Deutsche Grammophon  soundtrack
• Duran Duboi Services  editing equipment
• Eurocostumes  costume rental
• International Recordings  adr voice casting
• Lyps Inc.  adr voice casting
• Montage Films Thauvin  negative cutting
• Studio Copra  post-production sound equipment
• Sturm Handels GmbH Kostümverleih  costume rental
• Theaterkunst GmbH  costume rental

Also Known As:

Der Fall Furtwängler (Austria)
Taking Sides - Der Fall Furtwängler (Germany)
Taking sides - Le cas Furtwängler (France)

Runtime:

108 min | Germany:142 min (TV version)

Country:

France | UK | Germany | Austria

Language:

English | Russian | French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | France:U | Germany:12 | Mexico:C | New Zealand:M | UK:15 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Paladin Production S.A.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In one of the library scenes the boom mic and the arm holding it are clearly visible.

Soundtrack:

1ST & 4TH MOVEMENTS

thought provoking story, delicate showmanship and excellent acting

Art vs. politics; the ethical dilemmas of talented artists when politics approaches them; this has always been István Szabó's favourite topic. Already the Oscar-winner Mephisto featured a talented actor selling his soul to the Nazis. This time the story is based on real-life events: while most of his colleagues fled the country, Wilhelm Furtwängler, this truly exceptional conductor stayed in Germany during the Nazi era and continued his career with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. His "collaboration" provoked strong accusations after the war.

The film is the story of the investigation by the American post-war authorities to decide whether the accusations of collaboration are valid. The film presents two ethical answers. The first one is stated by the American officer (played excellently by Harvey Keitel), who believes that Furtwängler is morally guilty, as he accepted a shining career from the Nazi's hand. The second answer is presented by Furtwängler himself who tries to defend himself by stating that in order to help (by "help" he both meant practical assistance - as he did save many Jews during the war - and a spiritual message - as he claimed that his music maintained the inner good in his nation's soul even in the time of Evil) he had to compromise with the Nazis, but he never really collaborated with them. The film itself (despite its title) does not take side, although it seems to sympathize with Furtwängler as an artist and generally presents the American officer as an ignorant and illiterate person. However, as the investigation proceeds, this aggressive and obnoxious person asks questions that are very hard to answer: is it acceptable to make such a compromise with a regime that kills 6 million Jews? Is it really so that Furtwängler made the compromise with the idea of helping people in need? Or rather, did he make it to advance his career?

The film has triggered exciting conversations with my friends who have differing opinions. I think these lengthy talks are the best proof that this is an excellent film and it has achieved its aim.

The story has several layers (I particularly liked the way differences of American and German cultures are presented), the characters are exciting and well played: if you like thought-provoking movies, go for this one!