POLITICAL THEATER: Movie reviews of Diplomacy, Viva la Liberta and Citizenfour

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Warning: SPOILERS

diplomacyDid General von Choltitz, the Nazi governor of Paris during its final days of occupation, and Raul Nording, the Swedish counsul-general, really meet cute the night before von Choltitz was to blow up the major cultural buildings of Paris and cause the Seine to overflow and kill millions of people? And did Nording actually talk him out of doing so?

Some people say “yes”, some say “no”.

Of course, petty details like that have never stopped dramatists before (see Schiller having Mary, Queen of Scots confront Queen Elizabeth I). And either way, it’s hard not to see the potential for a fascinating confrontation and battle of minds.

So who cares if it really happened or not. Read the rest of this entry »