The Only Way (1970)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

This portrayal of Danish rescuers of Jews in World War II is the fictional story of how one family's world was turned upside down when the Nazi occupiers in Denmark (since 1940) moved against the Jews of Denmark in violation of their own agreement with Danish leaders that the Jews in Denmark would be left alone. In the fall of 1943, the Germans plotted to gather the Jews of Denmark for deportation on a Jewish holiday evening when the vast majority of Jews would be at home. Jews were so well integrated in Danish society, that no public government records identified the religious affiliations of the population. Thus, the Nazis had to steal the records from Jewish organizations in order to know where to find them. The story illustrates the surprise and refusal of many to believe a round up of Jews would actually take place. The pace of the movie is neither plodding nor frenetic. The tension builds and is enhanced by the bewilderment and on-the-spot decision-making by a specific family and their would-be rescuers. Having read the 1955 book, "October 1943", by actual rescuer Aage Bertelsen, I resonated with virtually every incident faced by those at risk. Although this is not a polished film by modern film-making standards, the content and context of the events is accurately presented. A major strength of the movie is the extensive on- location filming in Copenhagen, and the use of Danish actors.

To put it simply...just awful. The dialogue was boring, poorly delivered, and the characters were dull. One other tidbit, the musical score was at best, generic, at worst mundane. I can't imagine what they were thinking. I forced myself to watch it to the end because it was a short film, and the subject matter had such potential. I expected to be engaged and looked forward to learning something about WWII that I had never read about before. I was looking forward to seeing a young Jane Seymour, but even that was a disappointment. I suppose if you are a huge fan of Denmark, this might hold some interest for you; but otherwise, you would be better off watching a rerun of Hogan's Heroes.

I wish I could say something positive about this film. I suspect the other review was written by a Dane who is related to the film's director, or possibly one of the actors. But I'm sure it was a Dane!The script is quite dreadful. The characters are wooden and one dimensional and deliver their lines like robots. There are some fine Danish actors in this film who should not have necessarily been hindered by playing their respective parts in English. However, with such an awful script, no actor in the world could have injected life into such dreary dialogue. I hope a contemporary Danish film maker will have the courage to tell this important story again one day. With a proper storyline. And a proper script.

With great acting on all accounts with other good aspect (including Art/Set decoration and Music Score) this becomes a great movie detailing about the heroism of the Danish Christians in protecting their Jews from the Nazis. All actors perform brilliantly making this a should-see movie. Especially for movies telling about Danes helping to save their Jewish population from the Nazi concentration camps.