Flame And Citron [DVD] [2008]

Violent, realistic history, not a Pulp Fiction entertainment where violence is viewed as hilarious and absurd. War may be many things, but funny is rarely one of them.9 April 1940: Denmark has been invaded, essentially annexed by Nazi Germany. The Germans have done it partially with the help of Danish collaborators. The fledgling Danish resistance (Holger Danske in Danish) is therefore at war with two enemies, one foreign, the other domestic. The situation is dangerous and desperate. Outnumbered and outgunned, the resistance must live by its wits and internal solidarity. Yet two of the most fragile things in war are trust and truth. Without trust it’s hard to know the truth, and without truth who can you trust? All is muddled in the fog of war.The partisans mean well. They love their country and want to protect it. They despise the invaders. They also want to rid their homeland of the worst sort of cowards — traitors. But the enemy, so clear in theory, is not the same on the ground. Duplicity and treachery blur identities, perspectives, especially so with the collaborators. Germans are easier to target than Danes. Then again, killing a Nazi is dangerous for all Danish society, not just for the resistance, as Nazi retribution — swift, wide, systematic and brutal — is notorious. They are hoodlums, thugs, the only rule of law their iron fist.Flame and Citron were the code names of two key members of the Danish resistance. Flame was Bent Faurschou-Hviid (1921-44), so named for his bright red hair, a Nordic inheritance. Citron was Jørgen Haagen Schmith (1910-44). They worked largely in tandem, coordinating their attacks. One was normally the driver (usually Citron), the other the hit man. Flame was better with the trigger, less apt to hesitate. He was a killer, but not a psychopathic one. He behaved more like a maltreated man, appalled and offended by bullies, his resolve motivated by a sense of vigilante justice. But of course, patriot or not, this was dangerous territory too, the line between morality and nihilism thin, always a problem when justice relies on vengeance.Another thing that makes the killing easier for Flame: he’s single, a loner. He only has himself to live for. Citron is married, a family man. His wife and child depend on his survival. Citron’s psychology is therefore more complex. If Flame is like Billy the Kid, a raw gunslinger in the American Wild West, Citron in more like Richard Boone in “Have Gun, Will Travel”, a dapper, well-mannered gentleman in shiny shoes whose occupation happens to be bounty hunter. Different styles seeking identical results.The pretext for the German invasion was a laugher — to protect Denmark from British invasion, a Teutonic joke that no one fell for. The main Nazi purpose was to seize Norway, more important strategically to German war aims. This eventually happened. But the Nazis maintained their presence in Denmark throughout the war, principally in Copenhagen where most of the action in this story takes place.Apart from Flame and Citron, there are at least three other key persons in this drama. They are:Karl-Heinz Hoffmann — cunning, ruthless, psychopathic head of the Gestapo in Copenhagen. Also, owner of nine lives, cat-like. He survived the war, though with complications. He was condemned to death for war crimes by the High Court in Copenhagen in 1946. On appeal, the sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison. On further appeal he was released in 1950 and expelled from Denmark. They say crime doesn’t pay, but they’re not always right, are they?Ketty Selmer — the femme fatale of the piece. What was she? — Danish? Swedish? German? Was she, or was she not, a double agent? Who paid and protected her? She’s slippery, cunning, devious. Flame makes the mistake of noticing her beauty, a moth drawn to the flame, so to speak. Yes, a beautiful butterfly or moth. She’s flighty, unaccountable: a riddle, an enigma.Askel Winther— Leader and coordinator of the Danish resistance, operating out of both Stockholm and London. Another shadowy figure. Is he as upfront and authentic as he appears or wants to appear? Hard to tell. He, too, is enigmatic. Political infighting in any group is inevitable. With the stakes and stress levels this high within the resistance there was bound to be heated, aggressive discussion. Opinion will divide over the extent to which he can be trusted. His doubters see too many coincidences, too many possible tip-offs that foil resistance plans. Where is the information coming from? More and more uncertainty makes Flame’s finger itch on the trigger. He wants clarity, simplicity, and it may take more blood to achieve it. The blood of Winther as well?It’s a labyrinth. It takes us into cellar meeting rooms, cafes and bars, hotel rooms, back alleys, seedy apartments, luxurious estates, safe houses. A world of secrecy, dealing, double dealing. We’re just as confused as the partisans much of the time. But this is one of the strengths of the film, not a weakness. Why should things be clear for us if they weren’t for them? Instead, we go forth with similar trepidation. We don’t know whom to trust or what to think. Mistakes will be made. We see them happen even if we can’t know for sure how they occurred.From the dates above you will have seen that both Flame and Citron died in 1944, a war year. Flame was young, only 23. Citron, 11 years older, was still young as well. Their ends could not have been pleasant, not that death is ever pleasant.The two are heroes in Denmark today, especially Flame, symbols of the country’s resistance to terrorism. Fire had to be met with fire and Flame provided much of it, as that is the only logic terrorism understands. Strength, resolve, determination, indignation — these were Flame’s strengths. Citron’s too. They were outraged patriots. They loved their country and were ashamed of its debasement. They punished the punishers. They hit back with force. They weren’t born killers. The politics of the time made them what they were. They did what they thought was right.The large stone in a Danish forest that rests atop Flame’s grave has this inscription carved into it:“In memory of the freedom fighter ‘Flammen’ Bent Faurschou-Hiviid, born 7-1 1921, died 18-10 1944. The best must die.”Yes, the best must die. He was among the best. He said ‘no’ to the Nazi menace. He fought them as they fought, with extreme violence. Men like him inspired others to resist in quieter, non-violent ways that were equally dangerous. Most of the small Jewish population in Denmark, for instance, was saved. They found safe houses, hiding places, or were rowed to safety across the Kattegat to sanctuary in neutral Sweden. Ordinary Danes risked their own lives for the salvation of others.Heroism of this sort may have motivated the Danish government to finally speak up publicly about its wartime past. In 2003, the Prime Minister of the country (Anders Fogh Rasmussen) said:“[Denmark’s collaboration with the Nazis] was morally unjustifiable. ”Indeed. It was the first condemnation of the wartime Danish government by a Danish head of state. As such, deeply gratifying, even 60 years after the events that take place here in the film.Flame and Citron, and hundreds of others in the resistance, did not die in vain. They were on the right and good side of history. They knew what they were fighting for and helped to crush authoritarianism in their midst.This film makes them better known to a wider world. It’s significant too, I think, that some of the producers of it are German. Germany has come a long way in owning up to its awful modern history. It has learned. This shows what knowledge can do when properly applied, suggesting there is hope for all of us.The film is dark, harrowing, disturbing. But it’s a story I’m glad has been told. Hard to watch, yet necessary. Fine, intelligent cinema. The Danes are good at this.

Recently watched a French classic about their resistance fighters, 'Army Of Shadows' directed by the great Jean-Pierre Melville. This is Danish and reputedly their biggest budget film ever made at that time, in 2008.Neither film is typically Hollywood so don't expect non-stop action, expect something a bit deeper and unconventional like we get with Nordic tv serials.Writer / director Ole Christian Madsen has crafted a dark espionage thriller with assassinations by the two main protagonists, red haired 'Flame' played by Thure Lindhardt and 'Citron' played by sour faced and sweaty Mads Mikkelsen. Reserved performances from both, nothing flamboyant as both men are at the mercy of betrayal at any time, and need to camouflage themselves within Copenhagen society to operate successfully against the Germans.At 2 hours 10 minutes this is deep enough to explore some of the main players in the Danish Resistance and the film can be a bit confusing at times as there are several 'usual suspects' that emerge and not everybody is who they seem to be. The sad fact is that the plot is based on actual events and as in every country occupied by another there will always be men and women who can be 'turned' by whatever means that prove effective------ sometimes money, threat or fear.A good film, with bursts of action to intersperse the wordy nature of the story line. Mads Mikkelsen is outstanding again.Dialogue in Danish and a bit of German, English subtitles throughout. Bonus features are very good with interviews and a documentary on the Danish Resistance force,

So, the Nazis have just invaded your country, and they have banned freedom of speech,religious freedom, and all your human rights. What would YOU do? Thankfully for menlike Flame and Citron, you and I have never had to make that decision.This film is based on the true story of two Danish resistance fighters, fighting the Nazioccupation, and It is a very dirty business at that. Here we see the dark underworld ofthe fight for freedom, and the toll it takes on a person's humanity. Of cause, in the middleof WW2, they didn't know who would ultimately win the war, so loyalty and betrayal are atevery corner. That is loyalty to whom and betrayal of what. This is the story of the greybetween the black and white of history. A lot of people did a lot of bad things, in the nameof freedom. Here we see the consequences of those actions.This film is so good on many levels, the plot twists and turns like a Danish pretzel, and itdeserves to be up there with other great wartime resistances movies. Classics like Jean PierreMellvile's Army in the Shadows, or Claude Berri's Lucie Aubrac, and Female Agents, also TheArmy of Crime. These films show the human cost of being on the right side of history. Flameand Citron were real heroes, and we owe them a debt for our freedoms we have today.