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Passion weaves through resistance tale

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  • Passion weaves through resistance tale

    The Toronto Star
    January 21, 2011 Friday


    Passion weaves through resistance tale


    Army of Crime: Presented in this month's edition of the Toronto Jewish
    Film Festival's Chai Tea and a Movie series, Army of Crime is the
    latest in a wave of movies that explore the murky and
    still-controversial history of resistance movements in German-occupied
    Europe in World War II.

    Filmmakers having already told the stories of Nazi fighters in the
    Netherlands (Black Book), Denmark (Flame and Citron) and Norway (Max
    Manus), it's time for Vichy-era France to come under scrutiny.

    Based on the true story of a network of fighters in Paris - most of
    whom were executed mere weeks before the city was liberated - Robert
    Guédiguian's film is one of the most detailed cinematic accounts of
    daily life under occupation and of the inner workings of the French
    Resistance.

    In fact, there may be too much detail - the overabundance of
    characters and incidents can make Army of Crime hard to follow and
    dulls the overall impact. Jean-Pierre Melville's similarly titled 1969
    thriller Army of Shadows is likely to remain the most revered movie on
    the subject.

    Nevertheless, Army of Crime has great vigour thanks to the impassioned
    lead performances: Simon Abkarian as an Armenian poet and reluctant
    leader, Virginie Ledoyen as his French wife and Robinson Stévenin as a
    Jewish youngster who becomes a brazen Nazi killer.

    Guédiguian also succeeds in emphasizing the under-heralded
    contributions of Jews and displaced leftists from throughout Europe in
    the French Resistance. Nor does he pull any punches when it comes to
    depicting the French authorities' eagerness to impress the Nazi brass.

    Returning to Toronto for the first time since its appearance at TIFF
    in 2009, Army of Crime plays SilverCity Richmond Hill (8725 Yonge St.)
    on Jan.23 at 4 p.m.

    An Evening With Spike Lee: The always-provocative American filmmaker
    had his own go at a WW II-period drama with 2008's underrated Miracle
    at St. Anna.

    Though Lee's been slow to follow up with a new feature, he's still
    been plenty busy - his second documentary on post-Katrina New Orleans,
    If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise debuted on HBO last summer.

    He's also making time to visit Toronto for an onstage interview by
    fellow filmmaker Clement Virgo.

    Presented by the TD Bank Financial Group and the Canadian Film Centre
    in celebration of Black History Month, the discussion will focus on
    the role of music in Lee's films. Expect anecdotes about working with
    Stevie Wonder on Jungle Fever and Prince on Girl 6 on Jan. 25 at the
    Varsity (55 Bloor St. W.).

    Culloden: One of the most groundbreaking movies of the 1960s screens
    at the latest edition of Early Monthly Segments.

    First aired on the BBC in 1964, Culloden is an ingenious recreation of
    the decisive battle that ended the Jacobite uprisings which rocked
    Britain in the 18th century.

    Filmmaker Peter Watkins's innovation was to imagine there was a
    documentary crew capturing events as they happened, lending a rare
    authenticity and immediacy to the recreation. What sets Culloden apart
    from the countless imitators that followed was its fiercely political
    nature. Rarely has the futility of armed conflict been portrayed with
    such force.

    Culloden screens with Brian Frye's Across the Rappahannock (about a
    group of Civil War re-enactors) on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the
    Gladstone Hotel's Art Bar (1214 Queen St. W.).




    From: A. Papazian
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