Divided We Fall
Divided We Fall
| 16 October 2000 (USA)
Divided We Fall Trailers

In 1943, a childless couple, the Čížeks, decide to hide a Jewish refugee, David Wiener, the son of Čížek's former employer, in the secret pantry of their apartment. Čížek is aware of the danger into which he has brought his household and his neighbours, but he takes helping his fellow man in need for granted. But at the same time, as a largely unheroic hero, he is dying of fear. His personal situation is greatly complicated by the approaching end of the war, when he faces danger from both the Germans and his "honest" fellow Czechs...

Reviews
Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action
KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
unnirad2011 This 2000 masterpiece is a creed apart from the usual holocaust narratives . Amazing to see that World War II is still a fertile ground for brilliant creations like this one . A rare mix of drama , realism , comedy , suspense and what all ? A wonderful message on how as flesh and blood humans good , evil and the undecided all are interdependent on each other , how we need to realise that there isn't anything pure evil or pure good . 1940 Czech town where the patriot , collaborator ( with the occupying Nazis ) , the hunted , the humanist all coexist and live out the everyday drama of survival against all odds .Finely wrapped in heart wrenching comedy this sure belongs to the league of true classics .Wonderful and brilliant use of symbolism , the strung out pork and the entrapped potential meat Jew , the perambulator cross over at the ghost town street with the hand cart carrying the post conflict rubble ... brilliant strokes of mastery !! A must watch for cinephiles and non cinephiles ... do not ever miss this one !!!
museumofdave Certain significant subjects have been covered in cinema so often, and with brilliant results that one wonders if still another is needed. The Holocaust and the Nazi menace have certainly inspired numerous fine films, with Schindler's List and The Pianist and The Tin Drum and scores of others covering the subject exhaustively. Why then another? Perhaps we can never be reminded too often to look at humanity's recent history, and perhaps because the subject of civilized man treating his equals in such subhuman ways can , in careful hands, perhaps impart still another needed reminder. And sometimes a repeated story has subtleties not covered heretofore. Divided We Fall is a story similar to that of Anne Frank's, and the idea of community is examined with quirky humor under great stress, and the concept of friendship is questioned in a way that may make you examine your own ideas.This is a thoughtful film with many surprises in store, and an ending that does not disappoint; because you probably will not will not recognize most of the performers, there is a feeling of truth in character that pervades this often-tense, sometimes oddly funny study of a society assaulted.
dwpollar 1st watched 12/5/2008 -(Dir-Jan Hrebejk): Well executed film about a couple in Czechoslovakia who house a Jewish friend during the Nazi occupation of the country. The storyline is really about how people can stick together despite their differences and this is where it shines. The initial credits start by showing us a strange segment passing thru three years where nothing really happens except the introduction of the Jewish character who is ratted on by a neighbor so that their own family will not be harmed. We then are introduced to the main couple in the story entertaining a Nazi friend. They decide to house the Jewish friend and the conflict begins. The conflict is the real possibility that the Jewish person will be found and the couple will be punished as well as the entire town. The wife is the most stable person while the husband almost takes on some of the nazi's attitudes during the period while they are housing their friend. The movie shows how fragile the entire period was with the fear imposed by the Nazi's and the ability they had in changing the culture to becoming suspect of everyone. The couple want a child but are unable to have one themselves, but then end up telling a nazi that they are unable to house him because the wife is pregnant. The husband then makes the Jewish friend pregnate the wife to cover up for this lie. So, the Jewish character, is in some ways still imprisoned even though he is not in a camp. In the end, the four main characters work together to survive after the Czech's take back over the country and this is how the movie got it's title. The excellent performances and story and the opportunity to visit another time and place are just part of the reason to watch this wonderful movie. Hopefully many others will see this DVD release and this very good movie.
mph10 I normally have a hard time watching sub-titled films. This was an easy, likable watch. No, it obviously wasn't a 50 million dollar Hollwood epic, but it told a personal story involving a few people, and done very nicely. The story was moving, not knowing what was going to happen next. The period costumes seemed very accurate. I enjoyed it. I wasn't going to say much more, but since 10 lines is required, I will add that anyone who says things like "oh why did I waste my time watching this movie," or "what a waste of 2 hours of my life," or "what a boring movie," needs psychological help. And let me add, that I read these reader reviews, partly to decide whether or not I want to watch a movie; and I actually like them to be short and concise. Pete