Better than most people think

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I consider this to be my favourite movie of all time, and everyone I've shown it to has absolutely loved it.Director Jan Hřebejk certainly deserves his reputation as a great storyteller. The tale is logically developed right until the end, and I enjoyed the clever subtle moments. The humour and writing in general have a very distinctly Czech flavour: witty and sharp. It makes for a very engaging script.The casting and acting were also excellent. Each actor had the perfect personality for his/her character. Polívka as the slightly goofy but level-headed Josef; Sisková as his wife who wants only the best for everyone no matter what the risk; and Dusek as the pesky but "not quite bad guy" Horst - great performances which complemented each other well.My only (slight) gripe would be the use of jerky camera work during the tense moments, but that is most easily overlooked in such an amazing film.Tears, laughter and a message of hope all in one package. Watch this movie - you really won't regret it, and you may even feel compelled to watch it 5+ times like I have!

I like to eat a snack when watching a film. Sometimes it's chocolate and other times it's fruit. Rarely do I eat oranges because I hate the sticky juice on my fingers. And that is what this film is. Sticky juice that you want to wash off right away.Not for many a year have I seen such a terrible film except for the nonsense of Beligni's La Bella e Vita.I curse myself for wasting minutes of my 'life time' in watching this totally useless film. How it was given an Oscar nomination I shall never know. The implausible story aside, the filming techniques were an utter disgrace. Hand cam is not the right word. It seems like it was filmed by someone with a serious neurological disease. Panning, close focus, long shots etc were thrown out of the window and substituted with a manic frenzy of out of focus close ups and wavering mid shots. And as to the scene cuts? I can only assume that all members of the crew were given a pair of scissors. If not I can only assume they had a break for drinks every three minutes. Compare this film with "The Return" I you will know what I mean. Listen folks, if the story is good, let it speak for itself. No amount of trickery will make a bad plot into a good one. If you want to know the secret of filming watch "Paper Moon". Better still watch real life. How often do you walk around in circles while having a normal conversation.And then there's the lighting. I don't think the subdued lighting shots were intentional. I guess they needed the candles for the dinner table scene. As for 'contre jour'. The words and method escaped them I think. Clichés. This film has so many you could release a second copy DVD showing them all. How many more films will I have to see without wanting to scream as the camera pans/jolts upwards to reveal a Gestapo flag? In this film they spared no measure. They did it three times! It was good to see that they used a Jack Russel terrier as a continuity link for the street scene. Something must have happened though because when it was having to do some night time barking it changed into a rotweiller. How odd?I was very impressed with the sole German soldier who was on duty in the street. Obviously the budget couldn't go beyond a Jack Russel, its food and one member of the Wehrmacht. As to the acting. If it hadn't been for the main character it would have died a death in the first ten minutes. Hold on! It did. This film wasn't satire nor was it dark humour. It was farce with a badly written story line, appalling filming and casting. It is on the same level as Benigni's La Bella e Vita. Which is to say - banal. Finally. Remind me never to watch another film with Janslav Dušek, In his character role he would, as a collaborator, have been shot by the resistance. As it is, he can take part responsibility for the film being peppered with holes from start to finish. If you are going to film a subject which directly or indirectly relates to the extermination of 6 million people then do it with taste and elan.Would someone please inform the director as to what real satire is as opposed to Benny Hill/Mr. Bean comedy. For example: "Apocolypse Now" or "Dr. Strangelove"It fully deserves a minus 100 rating. It would have been given a minus 1000 but some credit needs to be given to the dog.

Just saw this on BBC4 - extraordinary - it's the kind of achievement American (and British) screenwriters should practice for years to emulate. Robert McKee, see this film!The writing, directing and acting are all superb, and in the service of a supremely human story beautifully constructed around timeless epic themes of man's inhumanity to man, war, and all the other big stuff. To separate these from the movie itself, though, would be to do it a great disservice. The mix of laugh-out-loud humour, gripping thriller, and finally a well-earned and unsentimental tear-jerker of a last 15 minutes is the zenith of a movie-watching experience. "Divided We Fall" is very funny from the outset, but it doesn't take long for the filmmakers to skilfully tighten the knot with sudden character twists and brilliant writing early on. Once we're immersed in 1943 Czechoslovakia, we're not only rooting for the lead character Cizek, played immaculately by Bolek Polivka - a winning combination of contemporary earthy Brit character actor Philip Jackson and 20th century comedy genius Alistair Sim - we're feeling like we're there with him. He and the ensemble cast play every beat of the story just right (there's even one moment midway through where the audience are maybe allowed to get a bit too far ahead of Polivka's character, but it's remedied by the performances). The visual flourishes, especially the effects of switching between film speeds and using a DV tape look, all enhance the narrative without intruding into it, and thus heighten the tension at unexpected moments. The costume and make-up designs bring the human stories to warm life; and set against war-torn 1940s backdrops, the production design could hardly go wrong. A great treatment of a much depicted time and narrative that manages to make events feel fresh, real, scary, funny, dramatic, ultimately hugely moving...somehow many more people should get a chance, and be urged, to see this film.

This film is so touching!This film does not try to depict war on a massive scale like' The Pianist', but on an individual level like 'Life Is Beautiful'. The storyline is simple, and yet effective. People do extreme things to survive, and this is portrayed effectively in this film. There is no history lesson here, no boring details, just plain portrayal of civilians' lives. Although 'Life Is Beautiful' remains THE most beautiful film ever made, and my all time favorite film, this film is truly touching and inspiring.