A historical drama that depicts the relationship between Dietrich von Choltitz, the German military governor of occupied Paris, and Swedish consul-general Raoul Nordling. In 1945, Raoul Nordling meets with Dietrich von Cholitz to convince him not to destroy historical landmarks across the city.
If you've had your fill of tony World War II dramas, this probably won't renew your interest in the genre, but the leads are fine as usual and Schlöndorff succeeds in making the stagebound material feel reasonably cinematic.
Expanded from Cyril Gely's stage play, this film remains finely focussed on a history-changing dialogue between two men on the day Paris changed hands from the Nazis to the Allies.
Arestrup and Dussollier are mesmerizing as they attack and parry, argue and counterargue. They reminisce about their lives before the war and wax poetic about their families - then engage in battle again.
