Disappointing.

Rating: Null/10 (19 August 1999)

My girlfriend and I went to see this last night. She thought it was the most moving film she'd seen in years. I was hardly moved at all.

Best Actor? A one note performance as far as I could see. Constantly manic, ignoring rather than reacting to what was going on around him. Very few nuances suggesting what his character must have *really* been feeling in the camp. There was only one scene where he managed to do this, and it was well put over. This was where he finally realised that Horst Buchholz was not going to help him. The mask disappeared briefly. Excellent scene.
I suppose you have to like Guido in the first place to be moved by him. I thought he was a shallow and selfish jerk. Maybe that's where the film and I parted company. I never cared that much about him because of that.
It's seems to me that this film was less about the triumph of the human spirit, and more about extolling the virtues of self-delusion. This runs counter to my philosophy of life (too much of this in the world) and is yet another reason for my dislike of this film.
Contrary to what my girlfriend jokingly said of me after she heard my reaction to the film, I *do* have soul and am quite easily moved by a good movie. This one left me cold...