81. Occupied City; movie review

 

OCCUPIED CITY

Cert 12A

266 mins

BBFC advice: Contains references to persecution, mass murder, racism, suicide and sex, language

Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities in the world and the Nazi persecution of the Jews has been a subject which has long prompted morbid fascination.

I am also a fan of director Steve McQueen - especially his no-holds-barred movies, Hunger and 12 Years A Slave.

Therefore, I had very high hopes for his documentary about the occupation of the Dutch capital city during the Second World War.

However, Occupied City is a bloated disappointment because McQueen attempts to run it parallel with Amsterdam being in Covid lockdown.

Only after two hours and 45 minutes does the audience understand why - there are just not enough images of Amsterdam in the 1940s to support a feature-length film.

In addition, the film runs at four hours and 11 minutes because its makers did not want to leave out any crucial evidence of Nazi atrocities.

What is presented is a tour around the modern-day city with narrator Melanie Hyams giving concise details of horrors at each named address during the 1940s.

Meanwhile,  it seems contradictory that the most famous address in the city, Prinsengracht 263, where Anna Frank's family hid, is absent.

There is no flowery language, just stark information in the film, which makes the facts of the deportations to death camps and summary executions on Amsterdam's streets resonate even more.

The commentaries run alongside current images, which are sometimes interesting but often dull - simply because buildings may have been demolished or degraded since the 1940s. 

I understand the need for spacing for the narration, so it doesn't become a jumble but the camera lingers far too long.

And, because it is four hours, there is no chance of remembering everything.

It also needs to be clarified that the Amsterdamers don't appear to have adhered to Covid regulations, so there continue to be street gatherings.

Nevertheless, Occupied City does have a sombre atmosphere that matches the devastating true stories and prompts that old thought: How could people be so cruel to fellow human beings?

Reasons to watch: Important historical detail

Reasons to avoid: Dull imagery and far too long

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know?  The Dutch Empire, in particular the Dutch East Indies, supported the Allies in the Second World War and the colonies were unaffected by the surrender. Many ships of the Royal Dutch Navy in Dutch waters fled to the United Kingdom.

The final word. Bianca Stigter: "The book is one you would not expect to be made into a film or inspire a film. So when Steve told me about this idea, I thought, that's amazing, and that this can be a new way to deal with a historic subject matter that has not been done before, as far as I know. So I thought it was quite wonderful." Screen Slate

Share this post