Diplomatie
Diplomacy

Volker Schlöndorff’s historical drama Diplomatie envisions a fateful night at the end of World War II. General Dietrich von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup), the German military governor of occupied Paris during the Allied liberation, is ordered by Hitler to destroy the city. With a ton of explosives set to take down Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde, and most other iconic structures--not to mention all of the city’s major bridges--von Choltitz is paid a visit that night by the Swedish consul-general Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier). As they argue politely into the night, Nordling tries to convince the general to disobey Hitler’s insane directive and prevent Paris from being reduced to a smoldering pile of rubble. While the situation and characters are true, the conversation is speculative fiction. French playwright Cyril Gely (L'autre Dumas), who adapted the screenplay with Schlöndorff, explores von Choltitz’s motivations and the historical mystery of why this brutal, disciplined career officer didn’t follow orders and destroy one of Europe’s greatest cities.  

This modest, philosophical picture is a little too chilly to elicit a passionate response, but it’s certainly a compelling take on conflicting ideologies. The story has been told before, most memorably in René Clément’s film Is Paris Burning? (1966) with Gert Fröbe as Choltitz and Orson Welles as Nordling. But where that visceral, star-studded film is epic in scale, Diplomatie, is quiet, intimate and cerebral. Schlöndorff and Gely do little to open up what is essentially a theatrical two-hander--Arestrup and Dussollier originated their roles in the successful play upon which the movie is based.  Of course, there is little suspense generated because we all know that Paris is still intact. But Schlöndorff (director of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, the Oscar and Palme d'Or winning The Tin Drum, and the acclaimed 1985 TV adaptation of Death of a Salesman) finds myriad ways to mine the inherent dramatic tension of the scenario. The two leads give mesmerizing performances. Schlöndorff’s staging enables his camera to pick up on the tiny details of these men assessing each other at various points in their all-night conversation. Diplomatie demonstrates the value of toning down a stage play when adapting it to the big screen, rather than building it up.