Taking Sides

Taking Sides is an ambitious, but ultimately disappointing, film. It's based on Ronald Harwood's play and tells a fictionalised version of the deNazification interviews between an American major and legendary German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler after the end of World War Two.

The film makes little attempt to conceal its stage origins, consisting mostly of conversations between the two men, as they discuss the relationship between art and politics and argue over Furtwängler's complicity with the Third Reich.

Furtwängler was never a member of the Nazi party, we learn, and refused to give the Nazi salute to Hitler. He also used his considerable influence to rescue many Jews. On the other hand, he performed at high-profile state events and received honorary titles from the Nazis. How, the film asks, should we judge such a man?

As its title suggests, the film aims to present an evenly balanced case, forcing the viewer to make his own verdict as to Furtwängler's guilt, or innocence. It's possible that this was more successful in the stage version, but on film the case is hopelessly lopsided, leaving no one in doubt where the filmmakers' sympathies lie.

Harvey Keitel plays the American major, turning him into a sarcastic, pumped-up tyrant, who seems determined to nail Furtwängler before hearing any of the facts. Furtwängler is played by the likeable Stellan Skarsgård, who presents a courteous and refined artist, obviously haunted by the horrors he has witnessed. The major's petty humiliations include refusing to offer Furtwängler a drink and making him wait in the lobby. As a result, we sympathise entirely with the German from the start.

Of course, having someone to root for would normally be an asset, but Taking Sides is an ethical discussion rather than anything else. The major interrogates Furtwängler as if he's in a courtroom, but actually all he's doing is gathering evidence for a case that will be heard by a court elsewhere, so there's nothing at stake in these exchanges. His accusations are also infuriatingly imprecise; at one point Furtwängler denies accepting Hitler's offer of protection and the major barks back, "Well, you see what I'm getting at?" - but actually we don't.

The film hints at a fascinating and moving internal struggle that never quite emerges. It closes with documentary footage of Furtwängler shaking hands with Hitler after a performance, and then very discreetly wiping his hand with his handkerchief. It's a moment with more drama than anything in the preceding two hours.