''Diplomacy'' (German and French: ''Diplomatie'') is a 2014 Franco-German

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and sw ...

directed by

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939 Friday) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s ...

and adapted from the play '' Diplomatie'' by Cyril Gély. Set in Paris in 1944, it offers an imagined account of the efforts by the Swedish diplomat

Raoul Nordling Raoul Nordling (, ; 11 November 1882 – 1 October 1962) was a Swedish businessman and diplomat. He was born in Paris and spent most of his life there. Biography Nordling's father, Carl Gustav Nordling, arrived in Paris from Sweden at the en ...

to avert the destruction of the city by the German general Dietrich von Choltitz. The film premiered at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival on 12 February 2014. It was also screened at the

Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado during Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 49th edition took place on September 2 -6, 2022. History First held on 30 August 1974, t ...

in August 2014. It won the

César Award for Best Adaptation The César Award for Best Adaptation (french: César de la meilleure adaptation) is an award presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. It was initially awarded from 1983 to 1985, and then awarded again in 2006, when the origin ...

at the

40th César Awards The 40th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, honoured the best films of 2014 in France and took place on 20 February 2015 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The ceremony was chaired by actor ...

Plot summary

As the Allied Forces move toward Paris,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

commands General Dietrich von Choltitz to destroy the city. Choltitz sends engineering teams to demolish the city's famous landmarks and to overflow the Seine, led by Lieutenant Hegger and advised by a captured Parisian engineer named M. Lanvin. The landmarks targeted include the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

, the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, the

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde () is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. ...

Notre Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

and Les Invalides. The Swedish consul,

, sneaks into the general's office in the

Hotel Meurice Le Meurice () is a Brunei-owned five-star luxury hotel in the 1st arrondissement of Paris opposite the Tuileries Garden, between Place de la Concorde and the Musée du Louvre on the Rue de Rivoli. From the Rue de Rivoli, it stretches to the Ru ...

by means of a secret staircase originally built for a famous courtesan who lived there. He points out the loss of innocent lives if the demolition goes through, and asks the general not to do it. The general is not swayed and is determined to do his duty. Parisians start to revolt against the German patrols. Fighting fills the streets. Choltitz reveals that through its policy of ''

Sippenhaft ''Sippenhaft'' or ''Sippenhaftung'' (, ''kin liability'') is a German term for the idea that a family or clan shares the responsibility for a crime or act committed by one of its members, justifying collective punishment. As a legal principle, it ...

'', the Nazi government punishes the families of disobedient officers. Nordling tries to downplay its significance, but Choltitz points out that it was enacted right as he was promoted, meaning that Hitler has his eyes on Choltitz. Nordling offers the chance for the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

to try to evacuate Choltitz's family. He confesses that he would not be able to choose between saving his family and saving Paris, were he in Choltitz's position. However, if he chooses Paris, the world will remember him as a hero. Choltitz relents and cancels the demolition. Lt Hegger tries to trigger it anyway, but is shot by Lanvin. After the fall of Nazi Germany, Choltitz serves a two-year prison sentence for his earlier actions during the Siege of Sevastopol. Nordling is awarded a medal for his persuasion of Choltitz in Paris, but he passes it over to Choltitz, recognizing him as the real hero.

Cast

André Dussollier André Dussollier (born 17 February 1946) is a French actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as fi ...

Niels Arestrup Niels Arestrup (; born 8 February 1949) is a French-Danish actor, film director and screenwriter. He has won three César Awards. Biography Arestrup was born in Paris into a family of modest means; his father was Danish and his mother was Br ...

as General von Choltitz *

Burghart Klaußner Burghart Klaußner (born 13 September 1949) is a German film actor. He received acting training at the in Berlin. Klaußner had engagements at Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin, Hamburger Kammerspiele and at the theaters in Cologne, Hamburg, Zür ...

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

Werner Ebernach *

Robert Stadlober Robert Stadlober (born 3 August 1982) is an Austrian actor and musician. His sister is Anja Stadlober, also an actress. Life and career Robert Stadlober was born on 3 August 1982 in Friesach in the Austrian province of Carinthia, and grew up in ...

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...

Bressensdorf * Charlie Nelson as the concierge * Jean-Marc Roulot as Jacques Lanvin * Stefan Wilkening as

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...

Mayer * Thomas Arnold as Leutnant Hegger

Critical reception

The movie was well received by the critics. Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reports that 93% of 45 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus states that "For filmgoers who value character development and smart dialogue over plot, Diplomacy yields rich, powerfully acted rewards." Brenda Benthien of kinocritics.com judged the "theatrical tour-de-force" was "a Valentine to Schlöndorff’s beloved Paris".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diplomacy (2014 film) 2014 films 2010s historical drama films German films based on plays French films based on plays 2010s French-language films 2010s German-language films Films directed by Volker Schlöndorff German historical drama films Gaumont Film Company films Films set in 1944 Films set in Paris Western Front of World War II films French historical drama films Plaion Films about diplomats 2014 drama films 2010s French films 2010s German films