Willem & Frieda
- Director: John Hay
- Writer: Rik Carmichael
- Producer: Glenn Kendrick Ackermann, Ewan Dunbar, Justin Johnson, Jason Piette, Julian Scott
CGiii Comment
As fascinating as this story is...
There are major and unforgivable flaws...of [ridiculous] transference, of [unnecessary] 'outing', of [obvious] invention, of absolute disrespect [of memory]. Most importantly, no [on-screen] corroboration is even offered. And, false 'facts' are presented - Anne Frank did not write her diary, her father did!
Stephen Fry, basically and erroneously, directs the flow of thought. This is his re-telling of the story...no-one disagrees, no-one questions, no-one objects...ultimately, no-one believes. Shame.
It's only in the last few minutes that some [horrible] truth emerges...and, it is shocking. Let us not be sentimental. Let us be truthful, even when it hurts.
In most cases, the truth is neither welcoming nor palatable...but, it is the truth that will make us better. The truth always speaks its power...to those intelligent enough to accept it!
This film should have/could have raised the bar...sadly, it didn't. Facts are far more important than subjectivity and creation.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Stephen Fry investigates the inspiring and moving story of a gay man and a lesbian who led anti-Nazi resistance in Holland.
Willem was an artist who lived openly as a gay man at a time when few did. Frieda was a well-connected musician who became the first woman to lead an orchestra. We learn of their early lives and the selfless decisions that informed their devotion to the anti-Nazi cause, often at great personal risk. The gentle revelation of these extraordinary lives is gradually revealed through archive footage, skillfully combined with photographs and interviews with experts, journalists and family members. (The testimony of a key survivor is particularly poignant.) Fry is a passionate and informative guide and John Hay’s illuminating documentary is an important and emotionally resonant record of the queers who stood up to the Nazis.
Brian Robinson
Cast & Characters
Stephen Fry (as Presenter)