The Couple
by John Daly
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DVD details
Actor: Caroline Carver, Danny Webb, Judy Parfitt, Kenny Doughty, Martin LandauDirector: John Daly
Brand: First Look Pictures
Producer: John Daly
Writer: John Daly
Producer: Arcadiy Golubovich
Producer: Ilya Golubovich
Producer: Irina Szufarska
Writer: Kendrew Lascelles
Writer: Lance Miccio
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-16
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: First Look Pictures
DVD Reviews of The Couple
DVD Review: Engaging, but has its flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
As far as Holocaust dramas go, "The Couple" engages the viewer's attention, but is certainly not among the best Holocaust movies (listed below) made. Aside from the question of authenticity, there are other flaws such as stilted acting by some of the cast, and less than stellar production details. The story is set during WW II in Hungary, the year is 1944, significant because it was the period when massive deportations of Hungarian Jews was conducted by the Nazis as part of their Final Solution. These Jews were mostly deported to the extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, where most of them were murdered.
The central characters in this movie are a young Aryan couple, Hans and Ingrid Vassman (played by Kenny Douhgty and Caroline Carver) who work for a rich Jewish industrialist Joseph Krauzenberg and his wife, Rachel (played by Martin Landau and Judith Parfitt). Joseph is desperate to save his extended family who are under threat of deportation and in the process of being rounded up by the Gestapo. He appeals to the high-ranking Nazi officers, and is promised exemption from deportation and escape out of Hungary, in exchange for almost all of his fortune. There are some tense moments but Joseph gets the assurance he seeks, but there's one complication - the `Aryan' couple turn out to be Jews and they too need safe passage out of Hungary. Will Joseph help them, or is it too late?
Landau and Parfitt are credible in their roles as the patriarch and matriarch of a large Jewish family, and a prominent one at that. The young Jewish couple are ok in their performances, but not as credible in their roles. The story has its suspenseful moments, and does keep viewers on edge, so this was a plus factor in viewing this movie. However, there are historically inaccurate portrayals that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the movie. One is the implication that Krauzenberg and his family were given safe passage out of Hungary under the Europa Plan. This plan was actually begun by a group of Slovakian Jews under the leadership of Rabbi Weissmandel, with the aim of bribing the Germans so that the deportation of the Jews would be halted. To cut a long story short, the plan was a failure. Hence, in this movie, the Krauzenbergs' escape under such a plan is pure fiction.
Despite this and other flaws, the movie makes for an engaging watch, and for those who love Holocaust-based dramas, I'd like to recommend the following titles (I'm leaving out known classics such as Schindler's List and The Pianist as many are familiar with these movies) :
Uprising
Out of the Ashes
Au Revoir Les Enfants [VHS]
Amen
Europa Europa
The Island on Bird Street
Sunshine
Conspiracy
The Devil's Arithmetic
Fateless
Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg
Description of The Couple
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