This is a brilliant film. Masterfully set in the tense historical and ideally theatrical moment, the story demonstrated that the combination of the power of the iron will and the eloquent linguistic skills, both built on the trust of the two human beings, was able to defy something impossible.From the linguistic point of view, the film was made very realistic, switching between German and French. This is a relief, given a flood of supposedly European movies of recent with a way too many English speaking characters. I want my children to watch this film to eyewitness the history and perhaps something more important than that: Words, not the sword, saved Paris and her people from calamity.

There's an old joke - how many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris? Answer: No one knows. It's never happened.That actually comes up in this film, "Diplomatie," from 2014, based on a play. It's basically a two-person movie about the conversation Swedish consulate Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier) has with Général von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup).Germany has basically lost the war; the Allies are en route to Germany, and Hitler has decided to make Paris scorched earth, killing millions and razing the city to rubble. There was no strategic reason to do this. He was just feeling especially spiteful that day and figuring, why leave the Allies with this jewel.Nordling, a Paris resident, comes to ask von Choltitz to spare Paris. von Choltitz has never defied an order, no matter how he felt about it, and he is very dismissive of Nordling. He points out that there's practically nothing left of Hamburg - did those civilians not matter? He tells Nordling that the Parisians gave the Nazis Paris "with their legs open - like whores. We can do what we want with it." They go back and forth on this, and von Choltitz later admits that Hitler has gone off the rails. But there's nothing he can do - his family will pay the price if he doesn't do as he's told.This is an excellent film with superb acting by both men. The most chilling scene takes place in the beginning, when von Choltitz and soldiers go over the plan to destroy Paris. It's absolutely shocking. They go through every landmark, every famous street, discussing how it will be taken down, how the city will be flooded when they break through the river barriers. It's awful.I knew right away that Neils Arestup was not German - I could understand every word he said. When real Germans speak, I can't. He does a masterful job, so aggressive and cold in the beginning, and then gradually weakening. André Dussollier, with his quiet performance, is excellent in his persuasiveness.I believe the mayor of Paris and Nordling both visited von Choltitz. Well, we all know what happened. Here in the U.S., I think sometimes World War II has been glamorized a bit as it was not fought on our soil. And for many of our fathers, it was their first time away from home and their normal lives and, in reminiscing, for an 18-year-old who maybe went over at the end of the war, it was an adventure and the beginning of lifelong friendships. Sadly the outcome was not the same for all.World War II was filthy, it wasn't the propaganda movies trying to keep our spirits up. It was a horrible war that killed many people through bombing, extermination, and starvation. For much of Europe, the aftermath wasn't that much better."Diplomate" is just a microcosm of one man's efforts to stop the carnage. Definitely worth seeing.

By late August of 1945, Allied forces that had broken out of the Normandy beach head in July were racing across France and were approaching Paris. It was their intention to bypass the city and continue their push toward Germany. French Partisan fighters rose up against the German troops occupying their capital, but lacked the strength to quickly dispatch their enemies and take control of the city.Adolph Hitler had ordered the Paris commander to blow up or burn much of the city before leaving it, and the Germans set explosives and prepared to follow those orders. Learning of this, Allied Supreme Commander Eisenhower gave the go ahead to Charles de Gaulle's French forces to take Paris, but their ability to prevent the city's destruction was in serious question. In 1965, the Collins/ La Pierre historical book, "Is Paris Burning?" was published and became a best seller. A movie of the same title was released the following year. This book describes in broad detail how the situation in Paris developed and how it ended.Almost half a century later, Zeitgeist Films released "Diplomatie". This film focuses on the dramatic interchange between German commander Von Choltitz, who felt compelled to carry out his Fuhrer's orders, and Swedish consul Nordling, who hoped to change his mind.The acting and the dialogue of these two main characters is a tense and captivating debate. Rarely do contemporary films focus so intently on a non-violent confrontation between adversaries. The acting is excellent, the script top notch, and the attention to period detail marvelous. This is an outstanding motion picture.

I haven't seen the play on which this movie is based but it's a reasonable guess that it's a two-hander as is the movie for although there are a good dozen supporting roles the main thrust is the long duologue between Niels Arestrup and Andre Dussollier, two of the best actors in the business. The trick facing director Volker Schondorff is to keep us interested in a debate in which there is no suspense left to milk - in the interests of clarification we're in the Hotel Meurice, Paris, in August 1944. The allies are hours away from liberating the city and in more or less a fit of pique Hitler has ordered that Paris be razed to the ground. The question comes down to - with all the bridges, monuments etc wired with dynamite and awaiting only the green light - can Swedish Ambassador Nordling (Dussollier) talk General Cholnitz (Arestrup) out of going ahead. It's a question, of course, that is academic as everyone knows the order was never given and Paris remains intact. With two such fine actors recreating an albeit slightly fictitious meeting the answer has to be a resounding YES. Not really Multiplex fodder this will appeal most to those who relish great acting and great games of chess. Recommended.