In addition to the points made by other viewers, one of the historically most out of place scenes comes at the end, when "Carole" tells "Clark" that the radio news just reported that Corregidor has fallen and MacArthur left the Philippines. Trouble is that the real Carole was killed January 16, 1942, two months before MacArthur left Corregidor (March 11) and almost four months before it surrendered (May 6, 1942). The real Clark had suggested his wife for a war bond tour because he was in the middle of making a film with Lana Turner. He volunteered for military service out of guilt over her death and the scene at the end in a military camp (as well as the opening scene, both of which have him in uniform) is pure invention. There is a lot more that could have been done in playing out this love story, and unfortunately, Clayburgh's portray of the character emphasizes her vulgar side but not her very human one. I hope they do a remake of this some day and pay more attention to the facts, which are compelling enough on their own. Gable worshiped his wife and collapsed emotionally after she died.
Reviews
2 Reviews
I Served the King of England
(2006)
Unconventional Reliving of Czech History
23 August 2007
Menzel's film is a modern masterpiece. It tells the story of one man's fate, as seen through the mythical pen of Bohumil Hrabal, one of the greatest Czech writers of the 20th century. The film is interspersed with documentary footage of the occupation of the remnants of the Czech republic in 1939. It tells how one man grows up in one system, survives another, and willingly submits himself to a third (Communist). The slogan "my happiness was always in the fact that some unhappiness overtook me" belongs to the East European theater of the absurd. For those of you who have seen the amazing performance of Julia Jentsch in "Sophie Scholl - The Last Days" it will come as a surprise, if not a shock, to see Ms. Jentsch play a character exactly opposite to the one which brought her such fame -- a true blue Nazi! But that's what great actors are made of -- anti-Nazi heroine this year, Nazi lover of the main protagonist the next. She learned some Czech for this role, but when she speaks in German, the screen shows Czech subtitles. Some scenes are really priceless, as when Dite is escorted out of his hotel (presumably in 1948), by two members of the Communist people's militia who at first are inclined to allow him to stay on as administrator of his now nationalized enterprise, but when he keeps insisting he is a millionaire and needs to be arrested, they willingly oblige. Irony stays with us through the film, starting with the opening scene when the elder Dite is released from a Communist jail in Prague and he explains: "I was sentenced to 15 years (for being a millionaire), but because of the amnesty, I only had to sit for 14 and 3/4."
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