Divided We Fall (Musíme si pomáhat)

Released 2000
Stars Bolek Polívka, Csongor Kassai, Jaroslav Dusek, Anna Sisková
Directed by Jan Hrebejk

Divided We Fall is the story of Josef Cizek (Bolek Polivka) and his wife Marie (Anna Siskova), who hide for two years a Jew who escaped from one of the [concentration] camps because he is the son of Josef's former employee and Josef can't conceive of doing anything else. To support the precarious situation, the perpetually-sleeping man gets a job confiscating the property of Jews leaving the neighborhood through his former subordinate Horst (Jaroslav Dusek), who helps the family out because Josef helped him get a job, but also because he really wants to jump Marie's bones.

Summary by Ed Wartell

While watching this movie, I had the overwhelming feeling that this is what "Life is Beautiful" had hoped to accomplish. To show the horrors of the Nazis in a light(er)-hearted manner through a small, personal story. I think "Divide We Fall" is more successful, because it's understated and doesn't feature Roberto Benigni.

I like how this movie is set in Czechoslovakia and lets us feel what it was like in that country. I've seen many French films related to the Holocaust, but the story of Czechoslovakia was different than France's. The Germans had established the Vichy government in France, and the level of collaboration was quite high. In Czechoslovakia, however, they were merely occupied. Step out of line and get shot or sent to the camps. I don't know if it was true that they would execute every family on the street if someone harbored a Jew, but it would be consistent with the Nazi treatment of Czechoslovakia. They needed to control the country with a minimal force so they had to be brutal. This movie gives you insight into what it may have been like.

This movie is billed as a comedy, but there's not a lot of comedy here. There are several amusing moments and it's not heavy-handed, which is how I guess it's classified as a comedy. Director Hrebejk does a good job of maintaining suspense and tension while keeping it light. I enjoyed his slow-motion, blurring technique whenever there was a sense of danger, and I really enjoyed the character of Horst. Czechoslovakia was in an interesting position, because there were many Germans living there due to the proximity of the countries. Horst's wife is German, and he takes  advantage of it to get a job confiscating Jewish property. He eagerly becomes a collaborator, because he's a selfish, opportunistic pig. He uses his contraband for an excuse to frequent his friend's home, while secretly (well, maybe not so secretly) hoping for a chance to score with his wife. As despicable as he is, he does have some humanity, though. Surprisingly, he doesn't take the opportunity to turn his friends in when he learns they're harboring a Jew; nor does he use this information to force Marie into bed. That surprised me.

All of the roles were well written with good performances to match. Take Bolek Polívka as Josef, for example. When he saves David from the street, he knows he's doing the right thing. He risks his life to fulfill a promise to David's father, who was Josef's employer, and he has no moral choice but to save David. The interesting aspect, however, is how he soon realizes how dangerous it is. He then regrets it and behaves as though he wished he had not saved David in the first place, but we know this character well enough to know he would have made the same choice if given a second chance.

I like personal stories, because that's the best way to illustrate a big picture. This is unusual, because it's really a personal story for Czechoslovakia. --Bill Alward, December 15, 2001