Rarely have I been so impressed by a new film, or so eager to see it again. This one is all about eye candy and superb acting. The visual opportunities of the Alpine village where it begins and the Freudian dream interpretation angle are fully exploited. Ganz's powerful portrayal of Sigmund Freud--so much more sympathetic than the man himself--might overshadow all else. While indifferent as a history lesson, this does have a fine ring of truth from all I know about the place and period.
It caught my eye that when Anezka takes up with a Nazi, he is a member of Waffen SS. Does that mean she will soon be brutalized by an arch psychopath, or that she has placed her bet on someone with a very short life expectancy? I am exercised to read the underlying novel to find out.
I have a gripe with the period cars. Was every other car in Austria a Model A Ford? And an immaculate, bright colored collector car at that? (The cars other than Fords are appropriate.) The opportunities to see this in a theater will be sadly few. Please watch for it.
Review of The Tobacconist
