Resistance (2003)

Director:

Todd Komarnicki

Writers:

Todd Komarnicki (writer)
Anita Shreve (novel)

Release Date:

12 June 2003 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The epic tale of an American reconnaissance pilot downed in occupied Belgium at the height of World War II...

Plot Keywords:

Resistance Movement | French Resistance | WWII | Based On Novel | Title Spoken By Character

Cast

Bill Paxton	...	Maj. Theodore 'Ted' Brice
Julia Ormond	...	Claire Daussois
Philippe Volter	...	Henri Daussois
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Lucette Oomlop
Jean-Michel Vovk	...	Anthoine
Antoine Van Lierde	...	Jean Benoit
Ariane Schluter	...	Beatrice Benoit
Angelo Bison	...	Artaud Benoit
Filip Peeters	...	Captain Haas
Victor Reinier	...	Interrogator
Jappe Claes	...	Filip Trouve
Elie Lison	...	Jauquet
Quentin Milo	...	Bastien
Hugues Hausman	...	Girard
Jacqueline Nicolas	...	Therese Dinant

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some sexuality.

Runtime:

Argentina:92 min | UK:88 min (DVD)

Country:

USA | Netherlands

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

First Floor Features

Trivia:

The much praised pop group dEUS (with frontman Tom Barman - himself also a movie director) made a score which was turned down.

Goofs:

Continuity: Penultimate scene: Anthoine meets Lucette on the road, he picks a green/yellow apple from her bicycle basket and takes a bite. When they finally part, he goes away holding a red apple.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Allemaal film: De amerikaanse droom (#1.6)" (2007)

The wrong actress.

The biggest flaw of this so-so resistance drama is the choice of an American actress to play the female lead.Julia Ormond is compelled to speak English -I guess she's not dubbed- with a French accent,which is completely absurd;besides,the story takes place in Belgium,where the accent should be different (I 've often heard Belgian people speak).When René Clément made a similar story in 1963 ("le jour et l'heure"),he chose Simone Signoret as the French woman and American Stuart Whitman for the aviator ,which made sense.And whereas Clement's movie had a dramatic progression (Signoret's character was first a woman who did not care about Resistance),this one has none.Now and then ,the German soldiers appear,just for their reprisals,hangings and tortures.There are some Belgian characters involved but their part is so underwritten that even the hubby cannot display his jealousy.Sandrine Bonnaire tries hard ,to no avail.Only Bill Paxton ,in his restrained and sensitive rendering ,shows some convincing emotion.

The film was a flop,and it is sure easy to see why:Resistance has been tackled so many times in France,Europa and elsewhere ,that ,unless you are a genius,you can't make new things out of old.