The Good German
(USA, 2006, 105 minutes)
In 1945 Berlin, an American war correspondent in town for the Potsdam peace conference finds an old flame is connected to the murder of a black-marketeering GI. Old-fashioned potboiler, presented in chiaroscuro black and white, that neglects its byzantine plot through its fascination with aping 1950s film noir style, which it does lovingly and at great length; as exercises in style go, though, this is an amazing (if flawed) one. (The film was not actually shot in black and white, but rather in colour and then digitally converted into b&w.) As usual, director Steven Soderbergh also photographed and edited the film under his usual aliases “Peter Andrews” and “Mary Ann Bernard”.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Virtual Studios, a Section Eight production. Starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire; with Beau Bridges, Tony Curran, Leland Orser, Jack Thompson, Robin Weigert. Directed, photographed (as Peter Andrews) and edited (as Mary Ann Bernard) by Steven Soderbergh; produced by Ben Cosgrove and Gregory Jacobs; screenplay by Paul Attanasio, based on the novel The Good German by Joseph Kanon; music by Thomas Newman; production designer, Philip Messina; costume designer, Louise Frogley.
In 1945 Berlin, an American war correspondent in town for the Potsdam peace conference finds an old flame is connected to the murder of a black-marketeering GI. Old-fashioned potboiler, presented in chiaroscuro black and white, that neglects its byzantine plot through its fascination with aping 1950s film noir style, which it does lovingly and at great length; as exercises in style go, though, this is an amazing (if flawed) one. (The film was not actually shot in black and white, but rather in colour and then digitally converted into b&w.) As usual, director Steven Soderbergh also photographed and edited the film under his usual aliases “Peter Andrews” and “Mary Ann Bernard”.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Virtual Studios, a Section Eight production. Starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire; with Beau Bridges, Tony Curran, Leland Orser, Jack Thompson, Robin Weigert. Directed, photographed (as Peter Andrews) and edited (as Mary Ann Bernard) by Steven Soderbergh; produced by Ben Cosgrove and Gregory Jacobs; screenplay by Paul Attanasio, based on the novel The Good German by Joseph Kanon; music by Thomas Newman; production designer, Philip Messina; costume designer, Louise Frogley.
Comments