Europa Europa **** (1990, Marco Hofschneider, René Hofschneider, Julie Delpy, Solomon Perel) – Classic Movie Review 4668

Marco Hofschneider’s acting career started unexpectedly when he was cast to play the lead in writer-director Agnieszka Holland’s exciting, rousing and highly emotional 1990 true-life war drama. It was the Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992 and was Oscar nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The role of Solomon [Salomon] Perel in the movie was supposed to be played by Marco’s brother René Hofschneider but, when production was delayed by raising finances until 1989, René was too old to play Solomon and Marco got the role. Rene played Solomon’s older brother Isaak.

Marco Hofschneider plays German boy Solomon Perel, who hid his Jewishness to survive first Russian soldiers, then the Nazis, who enroll the blond-haired but circumcised boy as a crack cadet in the Hitler Youth.

The 20-year-old Hofschneider convinces as the hero and Holland directs with drive, conviction and flair, adding moments of dark humour to lace the grim proceedings. Julie Delpy makes her mark in a small, stereotyped part as his Nazi girlfriend Leni, whom he fears may betray him.

The elderly real Perel appears at the end of this upbeat movie of survival and triumph against some of life’s worst adversities. Holland’s screenplay is based on Perel’s book. It is not that the film is not credible at all, it is, but if this story were fiction you would not believe it. It is made in German with some Russian, Polish and Hebrew spoken.

Also in the cast are Andre Wilms, Aschley Wanninger, Hanns Zischler, Klaus Kowatsch and Hanna Labornaska.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4668

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