|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DARK BLUE WORLD (2001) | |
|
|
Dark
Blue World depicts the story of Franta (Ondrej Vetchý), an officer of the
Czechoslovakian air force, that has been imprisoned after having served for
the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in their fight against the Nazi's during
World War II. When Franta returned to his motherland after the war
the Russian communists had occupied the country and fear that those
who fought with the Brits would once more fight for freedom lead the
communists to lock them all up in prison, or so called labor camps.
Franta was confined to one of these labor camps where the prison captain
was a rough thug that seemed to take pleasure in tormenting and beating up the
inmates. The prison captain was uncaring of any health issues as he
merely demanded the men to work while encouraging them to work by letting
them know that the only way of escaping his presence was by the cart that
carries out the dead. Delirious in a high fever, Franta ultimately
passes out as he is brought to the infirmary where he recovers under the
hand of a former SS-officer while pondering over his past transgressions.
In flashbacks the audience is brought into the past where Franta's memories begin with the moments before the Nazi's occupied Czechoslovakia without bloodshed. The only fighting that Franta faces is from one of his younger flyers, Karel (Krystof Hádek) , who displayed his resentment to the Germans while handing over the keys to the hangar with the planes. Offended and saddened by the event Franta decides to travel wherever he can to fight the Germans as he brings the young Karel with him on a journey that brings both of them to England. In England Franta is assigned a group of Czechoslovakians that spend more time learning English and practicing flying with bicycles as the learn how to fly in group formations than they do flying. This ends up being a little demoralizing as they were in high spirits to get up in the sky and shoot down German Messerschmidts. However, the day arrives when they are allowed to take to the sky, but soon they realize the painful nature of war as people die, people fall in love, and people get hurt. War brings agony to everyone as people are left in a twilight unknowing whether someone dear is dead or alive. Jan Sverák captures this moment in this film through several characters and their personal lives as they must find a way to continue to strive for something better: peace, freedom, and happiness. In this struggle, which is tremendously wearing on the emotional aspect of mankind, people must grab affection when it is given and nurture it with the best of their ability. One scene that brings the essence of affection to the audience is where Karel mentions that he liked one of the fallen pilots, but never told him. Franta responds that he probably knew as men do not openly display their affection. However, Karel insists that the fallen friend did not know, as he was more annoyed with the dead man's idiosyncrasies, and now he wishes that he would have told him before he died. Dark Blue World is a poignant cinematic experience much like Jan Sverák's previous film Kolya (1996), which won an Oscar for best foreign film in 1997. However, Dark Blue World does not have the warmth as Kolya did. It is also missing uniqueness as this film has aspects comparable to previous war films such as Battle of Britain (1969), English Patient (1996), Pearl Harbor (2001), and Enemy at the Gates (2001). Nonetheless, the film succeeds in standing on its own feet as it it offers a film event with a wealth of character and wisdom. |
|
DIRECTED BY |
|
|
COUNTRY |
|
|
Czech Republic / UK /
Germany |
|
| REVIEWED | |
| 12/27/2004 | |
| GRADE | |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
The Internet Movie Database. |
