It was probably the scariest thing I've ever done. I'm used to moving to music but I am
not used to the music moving to me because you have to be ahead of everything and doing it
with an entire symphony orchestra... And to make it more fun, you had 600 extras to watch
when you made a fool out of yourself. But I understand the sort of power kick a
conductor can get out of it. And, of course, the music was beautiful but it was really
scary.
In the film, it will not be the Furtwängler who really existed. He, parts of him, are
used to put up a moral dilemma and when I do the part, what serves the moral dilemma is
more important than whatever might be accurate. It's pretty complicated to balance the
character. You have to be able to feel critical about him and then; and then identify with
him because if you don't ever identify with the character, you will not cause a moral
conflict within the audience. No decision during that era here in Germany was easy and we
have to know that.
When I saw Istvan Szabo's "Mephisto" and I left the cinema, I was very upset. I was not
upset because I could criticize... but I was upset because I could not tell what I would
have done. I think it's a very good lesson and hopefully the audience has some doubts
about themselves because if you have those doubts about yourself, there is a better chance
that you will do the right thing, because you keep an eye on yourself.
REVIEWS:
"Stellan Skarsgård’s deceptively low-key performance as the beleaguered
musician — furtive, indignant, drowning in self-pity blended with a kind of ruined
nobility — pushes the emotional temperature to a quiet fever pitch, and raises
fascinating questions about the moral predicament of cultural figures working under
totalitarian regimes." ...L.A. Weekly
"A career-best performance by Stellan Skarsgård gives pathos and dignity to
Istvan Szabo's Taking Sides." ...Variety
"Mr. Skarsgård doesn't look much like the conductor, who is shown at the podium
in an old newsreel at the end of the movie. But in a wonderfully layered performance that
never turns mawkish, he allows Furtwängler's defenses to be peeled away to expose his
raw, quivering soul. ... NY Times
"Brilliant acting, with top honours to Stellan Skarsgård (Furtwängler) and
Harvey Keitel (Arnold), reveals people in just those shadows when they want to be
unobserved. ...The Hindu
"Taking Sides relies for its impact on powerhouse performances from
Keitel and Skarsgård, as their two strong characters repeatedly lock horns."
...New York Post
"Furtwängler himself (acted with great nuance and conviction by Stellan
Skarsgård) is depicted as torn between pride and humility." ...Classicalnotes.net
"The performances are all good, and especially Keitel's passionately sincere
Arnold and Skarsgård's tortured Furtwängler." ...The Observer
"Veteran actor Keitel and multilingual performer Skarsgård give multi-layered,
convincing performances throughout the film." ...Orcasound
"Stellan Skarsgård gives a fine performance as the proud conductor, who is soon
humbled by Arnold's relentless attacks." ...St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"This movie, like Elia Kazan's of A Streetcar Named Desire, is
magnificent piece of theater-as-cinema,with performances so intense, backgrounds so
evocative, the camera so ingeniously placed and the tempo so crisp, it's impossible to be
bored. As Arnold, Keitel is tirelessly cynical, relentlessly invasive. As Furtwängler,
Skarsgård really gives the impression of a great musician in torment, tied to his native
Germany and repelled by its wartime brutalism." ...Chicago Tribune
"But the movie is primarily a showcase for two Oscar-worthy performances. As
Furtwängler, Skarsgård is haughty and magnificently haunted, and Keitel has simply never
been better as a crass middle American who becomes the unlikely custodian and avenging
angel of the values of Western Civilization." ...Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"For the entire film wearing the wounded and stunned look of a man who can't
believe his situation, Skarsgård manages the difficult task of revealing subtle shades of
shock, guilt, despair, and indignation." ...Reel Movie Critic
"Wilhelm Furtwängler, played with exquisite finesse by Swedish actor Stellan
Skarsgård." ...Film Forward
"The strength here lies in the performances, particularly that of the Danish
(oops!) veteran Skarsgård. A compelling piece of cinema" ...The
Sunday Telegraph
"The main reason to see the film - belong to Skarsgård's impressive performance
as the bewildered yet still defiant scapegoat, who can't believe his own downfall."
...BBC
"A wonderful performance by Skarsgård." ...Mail on
Sunday
"Skarsgård has less screen time, but it's his performance that is truly
brilliant, portraying in his face and body language an almost titanic struggle between
denial and torment. We witness on what seems a visceral level the agony and the crumbling
reason of this proud, self-deluded man." ...Cinescene
"Skarsgård claims the moral high ground and the acting honour." ...The
Daily Express
"What an excellent film this is. Superb performances from the great Harvey Keitel
and Stellan Skarsgård... fascinating true story... brilliant movie" ...Daily
Mirror
"Stellan Skarsgård's deceptively low-key performance as the beleaguered musician
pushes the emotional temperature to a quiet fever pitch, and raises fascinating questions
about the moral predicament of cultural figures working under totalitarian regimes."
...L.A. Weekly
"Stellan Skarsgård is brilliant as the brooding Teutonic genius, tragically
puzzled by his loss of authority." ...Village Voice
"For the film to have dramatic impact (and it does!), a
great deal rides on Furtwängler... Skarsgård proves more than equal to the challenge...
For Jewish viewers, I suspect, it may be fairly easy to take sides on this issue. But
thanks in large part to brilliant direction and Skarsgård's mesmerizing performance as
Furtwangler, I doubt most other viewers will find it so easy." ...Cleveland
Jewish News
"As Furtwängler, the Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård gives an imperious
performance, brilliantly conveying the genius of the man, his arrogance and fierce
dedication to high ideals. At the same time, Skarsgård allows us to see the stirrings of
self-doubt as Furtwangler confronts those who accuse him of collaboration with the
Nazis." ...Electric Shadows
"Commanding performances by Harvey Keitel and Stellan Skarsgård." ...Hollywood
Reporter
"The figure of Furtwängler is fascinating enough and sufficiently well performed
by Skarsgård to sustain the interest throughout." ...Robin Gatto, Karlovy
Film Festival
"Skarsgård's performance is poignant; it has a kind of exhausted passivity,
suggesting a man who once stood astride the world and now counts himself lucky to be
insulted by the likes of Major Arnold." ...Roger Ebert
"Skarsgård gives a powerful performance as a man beaten by his surroundings but
grasping onto the conviction that he has lived a moral life." ...Premiere
magazine
"Skarsgård is magnetic and affecting even if he doesn't resemble the bald,
eagle-like conductor, who is seen in a final documentary clip. He brilliantly captures the
torment of a man who naively believed in the separation of art from politics, and in
staying in his country and fighting." ...Boston Herald
"Each one in their role, Keitel and Skarsgård camp this confrontation
magnifiquement: Keitel oscillates between charm, humour and intransigence relentless,
while Skasgard passes from solemn imposing to pathetic tortured." ...Cine
Chronique (fr)
"As a man who has enjoyed the pinnacle of worldwide respect now brought down off
such loftiness to stand against an accusatory enemy, Skarsgård is immense as he goes
through the emotions such a man would likely feel. In turns, he shows us blustery pride,
confusion, defensiveness and a moment or two of uncharacteristic doubt. It's a role that
is artful revelation of a character on award-level caliber." ...The
Filmiliar Cineaste
"Furtwängler beautifully played here by the Swedish film star Stellan
Skarsgård... Skarsgård’s voice, eyes and facial expressions reveal a catalog of
subtle transformations, from supreme confidence to agonized self-doubt, as his
character—a great talent and by most accounts a great man—spirals into emotional
freefall." ...Film Journal International
"The performances of Skarsgård, Bleibtreu and Minichmayr are deeply textured and
satisfying." ...Movie Vault
Skarsgård claims the moral high ground and the acting honour" ...The
Daily Express
"A wonderful performance by Skarsgård." ...Mail on Sunday
"Stellan Skarsgård, in his arguably best role so far, has limited his acting to
his intense introverted gaze and scarce but meaningful gestures. His Furtwängler is not
comfortable with words, which is not surprising since his medium of expression is
music." ...Kinema
"When the two men face off, Harvey Keitel gets meaner and tends toward the overly
dramatic, while Stellan Skarsgård seems to withdraw into himself under the harsh
treatment and his understated performance is absolutely brilliant." ...Movie
Chicks
"Skarsgård does a good job of portraying someone compromised yet vulnerable, who
when pressed reveals a haughty, distant man who refuses to truly see the evil his country
had perpetrated." ...Miami New Times
"For the entire film wearing the wounded and stunned look of a man who can't
believe his situation, Skarsgård manages the difficult task of revealing subtle shades of
shock, guilt, despair, and indignation." ...Reel Movie Critic
Istvan
Szabo
PRODUCTION
NOTES:
