Tmavomodrý svet (2001)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jan Sverák

Writers:

Zdenek Sverák (story) and
Zdenek Sverák (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 May 2001 (Czech Republic)

Genre:

War | Drama | Action | Romance

Plot:

The friendship of two men becomes tested when they both fall for the same woman.

Plot Keywords:

Exile | Fighter Plane | Airplane | Color In Title | WWII

Awards:

7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ondrej Vetchý	...	Frantisek Sláma
Krystof Hádek	...	Karel Vojtisek
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Susan Whitmore
Charles Dance	...	Wing Commander Bentley
Oldrich Kaiser	...	Jan Machatý
David Novotny	...	Bedrich Mrtvý
Linda Rybová	...	Hanicka Pecharova
Jaromír Dulava	...	Railwayman Kanka
Lukás Kantor	...	Tom Tom
Radim Fiala	...	Jura Sysel
Juraj Bernáth	...	Jan Gregora
Miroslav Táborský	...	Vilha Houf
Hans-Jörg Assmann	...	Doctor Blaschke
Thure Riefenstein	...	German Officer Hesse
Anna Massey	...	English Teacher

Also Known As:

Dark Blue World (International: English title)
Leidenschaft in dunklen Tagen (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

Czech Republic | UK | Germany | Denmark | Italy

Language:

Czech | German | English | Slovak

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Czech Republic

Company:

Biograf Jan Sverak

Trivia:

The cost of renting the British Spitfires used in the film was $10,000 an hour.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Susan is explaining to Karel that her husband is serving in the Royal Navy but has been missing at sea for a year, the ship below his photograph is an American Iowa class battleship. The first ship of this class (USS Iowa, BB-61) was not commissioned until February of 1943, long after the period of the film.

Quotes:

Susan: Are you hungry?
Karel Vojtí?ek: Not really... Yes.
Susan: Not really - yes?
Karel Vojtí?ek: I mean yes. Sorry... My English isn't very well. I mean good.

Movie Connections:

Edited from Memphis Belle (1990)

Soundtrack:

If I Have It My Way

Sparse realism

I've been a devoted IMDB visitor for a few years. This is the movie that finally compelled me to write in a review.

I caught this movie by chance (the opening credits happened to be scrolling past when I turned my TV on one morning). I thoroughly enjoyed the film for many reasons, all of which have been well covered by other reviewers -- the moodiness, the forgotten history of the Czech pilots, the subtle charm of the supporting characters, the fatalism of the main characters, and the first person view during the battle scenes.

But the element of "Dark Blue World" that really stood out was the lack of dramatic effects, especially during combat (and this is a good thing!). While the pilots were flying in battle no musical score accompanied them, no manipulative shots of worried spouses/girlfriends were interwoven, every little aerial maneuver did not elicit trite patriotic cheers, and viewers weren't asked to swallow unbelievable James Bond-esque pilot heroics. Instead the audience is allowed to feel the melancholy, fear and isolation of these single pilot fighters while they try to stay aloft during combat. As comrades are shot down we are spared tearful howls and the typical (but audience pleasing) revenge based heroics. Instead the other pilots sadly and quietly observe their fellow pilot's fate -- in reality they still need to remain intensely focused on their own safety and objectives at that very moment. We only briefly experience the pilot's breathing and the background roar of the engines as we, the audience, witness a friend spiral quietly down to his death. And then immediately 'we' need to jump back into combat mode and focus on survival.

Too often in Hollywood we're spoon-fed the emotions we're supposed to feel and no room is left for the viewer's imagination. "Dark Blue World" maintains a sparseness that captivates and involves the viewer, allowing us to invest in the movie and fill in the gaps and spaces using our own thoughts and feelings.

Excellent film, well worth seeing.