Der Befehl (1967)
7KDer Befehl: Directed by Ralph Nelson. With Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell, Kathryn Hays, Leslie Nielsen. A famous orchestra conductor is captured by the Germans in WW2, and is forced to perform at private concerts for the Nazi generals.
“Counterpoint remains one of my favorite movies mainly because of the interesting interplay between Schellu0026#39;s and Hestonu0026#39;s characters. It is good movie making to set up a psychological tug-of-war with life at stake. Schell does an excellent job portraying a conflicted authoritarian who has stumbled upon a small bit of beauty in the midst of chaos. Schell exudes his characteru0026#39;s charm and ultimate control over the situation when he comments on the orchestrau0026#39;s performance list – u0026quot;Something Wagnerian perhaps…u0026quot; I always have the feeling watching this movie that it would translate very well to the stage. Your eye is never distracted by other things. The premise, though a bit unrealistic, is still compelling enough to make the movie a good watch.”
