DVD Review: The Good German

By Jeff Swindoll May 21, 2007, 14:23 GMT

Who knows what American journalist Jake Geismer (George Clooney) expected to find in postwar Berlin? Peace, maybe. Or at least a story. But certainly not Lena (Cate Blanchett), his beautiful, embittered one-time love. And not the trail of secrecy and deception that leads from Lena to the scheming young corporal (Tobey Maguire) who\'s her new lover...and to a murder no one seems interested in solving. Except Jake. Steven Soderbergh directs ...more

This new film from director Steven Soderbergh harkens back to the 1940s in both setting and style of film.  George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, and Toby Maguire find themselves involved in a mystery in the bombed out remains of post-war Germany.

What the back of the box says:
“Who knows what American journalist Jake Geismer (George Clooney) expected to find in postwar Berlin?  Peace, maybe.  Or at least a story.  But certainly not Lena (Cate Blanchett), his beautiful, embittered one-time love.  And not the trail of secrecy and deception that leads from Lena to the scheming young corporal (Toby Maguire) who’s her new lover…and to a murder no one seems interesting in solving.  Except Jake.”

The Good German is shot in black and white and utilizes the styles and camera techniques of films shot in the 1940s and has elements of Casablanca and The Third Man amongst others.  Soderbergh even uses a Warner Brothers logo that harkens back to the times to open the film and music by Thomas Newman that invokes the period.

The plot is really best not discussed since it is a maze of twists and turns and I’ll try not to go too much into them as to spoil it for you.  Clooney plays a journalist in town to cover the Potsdam peace conference but finds himself wrapped up in a mystery that involves his crooked driver Toby Maguire (Tully) and Cate Blanchett (Lena).

Lena is Tully’s lover but she also happens to have been involved with Jake during the war.  Maguire plays both to type of this type of character with an “aw-shucks” type delivery but he also goes against type since he turns out to be a nasty little weasel.  Clooney plays on his status as a modern day Cary Grant and takes a role that the screen idol might’ve played if this film would’ve actually been made in the ‘40s.  Blanchett also seems to invoke a Katherine Hepburn or Rita Hayworth in her role as the femme fatale.

Director Steven Soderbergh brings a palpable sense of desperation and destruction to the bombed out ruins of what remained of Berlin after the war.  He even used a few shots that might’ve fared better with today’s technology, such as when Jake and Tully are riding around in a jeep and the background is most obviously a process short done in the style of a film made in the time period.  It looked pretty obvious then and it looks equally obvious know, but it also has a sense of nostalgia for those of us that love to watch films from the time. 

A few times he also uses newsreel footage to great effect.  Now if you don’t like the movies from the ‘40s or are expecting a more modern take from those involved then you’ll probably be disappointed.  They do drop the “F” bomb in the dialogue and there are some scenes of sexuality, but you can imagine that the Hayes Office would’ve just insisted that Warner Brothers take those out of the film or rewrite the screenplay, if it were made in the ‘40s that is. 

The Good German is presented in fullscreen.  This may cause a bit of controversy since the IMDB lists the aspect ratio as 1.66:1 and some might’ve wanted it seen that way (with enhancement for 16x9 televisions).  However, in keeping it in Academy ratio (1.33:1 aka fullscreen) it makes it feel more like those films of yesteryear. 

The special features department is where it really disappoints.  I guess they didn’t have special features in the 1940s since the disc doesn’t have any at all (unless you count scene selection and languages options).  I would’ve welcomed a commentary track from Soderbergh, the stars, or both. 

The Good German feels like a film that is out of a time past, both in postwar subject and film style.  I found it reminding me of oldies of goodies like the Third Man and Casablanca and that’s never a bad thing.  If you liked those films (or any other 1940s war films) then you’ll want to give this one a look.

The Good German is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.