The Aryan Couple (2004)

The Worst Film Ever

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Another in the string of "Holocaust" movies released in recent years, "The Aryan Couple" is a fictionalized account of a wealthy Jewish couple buying their way out of Germany in 1944 in return for handing over all of their wealth to the Nazis, represented in this film by Himmler and Eichmann along with a number of subordinates - some repulsive and some more sympathetic. Martin Landau had the lead role as Jewish industrialist Joseph Krauzenberg - desperate to get his family out of Germany before they end up being sent to Auschwitz or Treblinka. Added into the mix are the Krauzenberg's "Aryan" servants Hans and Ingrid, who are really a Jewish couple working for the resistance who also need to be spirited out of Germany before their real identities are discovered.The movie attempts to reveal part of the somewhat shadowy plan to exchange Jews for cash (the so-called "Europa Plan.") In that it sheds a bit of light on a piece of the Holocaust that hasn't really received very much attention over the years. This isn't however one of the stronger Holocaust movies, in spite of its relatively fresh subject matter. It tends to plod along for the most part, until moments of extremely high tension suddenly appear (such as the dinner at the Krauzenberg home attended by Eichmann and Himmler which included a wonderful performance by Judith Parfitt, who played Rachel Krauzenberg, as she displayed her completely undisguised contempt for her Nazi guests), the revelation of Hans and Ingrid's true identities and their eventual escape into Switzerland. Sometimes, though, it seemed to me as if director John Daly was trying too hard to raise the tension in those dramatic scenes, almost as if to compensate for the relative lack of drama in the rest of the movie.This is certainly worth watching because it does deal with a little known aspect of the Holocaust, but in no other way could it really be considered a great movie. (4/10)

The last WW is a generous field for every experiment in art. The facts may be ingredients for games, moral lessons or love stories. "The Aryan Couple" is one of that stories.Seductive and childish, beautiful and strange, about price of freedom and food for emotions, romance and thriller, with a spectacular cast, it is precise definition of good and evil and gift for any form of hope. Martin Landau is Prometheus of action. Judy Parffit- the spice. The events are only shadows and the Nazis - cartoons.Not a great movie but a delicious trip to a lost age. Not a historical page but Schindler's list for teenagers. Amovie about a reality and a honey truth. A game. Ad usum Delphini.

Despite the fact that there have been many good films about the Holocaust, the Nazi manipulated genocide of the Jews in World War II, there is enough room for a new perspective to that hideous period in history to make THE COUPLE a welcome addition to the repertoire. Written by Director John Daly based on a story by Kendrew Lascelles this film reveals a little known bit of history that shows that the Nazis allowed the wealthy Jews to 'buy their freedom and lives' at enormous losses. And the key Nazi, at least in this story, is none other than Himmler.Joseph Krauzenberg (Martin Landau) is a very wealthy German Jewish industrial tycoon whose fortune is mirrored in his palaces that are more like museums of great art. But in the year 1944 his important steel mills and other major industries are needed by the Nazis and so a plan is hatched to offer Krauzenberg, his wife Rachel (Judy Parfitt) and his considerable family the opportunity to escape death by allowing them to leave Germany for Switzerland and ultimately for Palestine. The only servants the Krauzenbergs maintain are the Vassmans - Ingrid (Caroline Carver) and Hans (Kenny Doughty) - an Aryan couple who in reality work for the Underground and are actually Jews under strong cover.Eichmann (Steven Mackintosh) and Himmler (Danny Webb) are perpetrating the plan to gain all of the wealth and lands and homes and art of the Krauzenbergs and they attend a dinner party at the Krauzenberg palace to sign the final papers. One of the other officers Edelhein (Christopher Fulford) is the most repulsive of the group and despite the fact that Ingrid Vassman is pregnant, Edelhein pursues her as a perfect foil for implanting his precious seed in the 'Aryan beauty' to populate the new Germany. As the night of transaction occurs Krauzenberg visits his large family being held by Eichmann in the Gestapo and reassures them that all will be safe. The Vassmans love the Krauzenbergs and ultimately confess that they are Jewish and wish to escape to Palestine with the Krauzenbergs. In a fast paced finale the trials and tribulations of the final plan are worked through in a somewhat surprising way.THE COUPLE is beautifully photographed (the film was shot in Poland despite the fact that the Krauzenberg estates were in Hungary) and the mood of evil is always present in the night scenes with the requisite searchlights penetrating the darkness. Laudau and Parfitt are strong as are Webb, Mackintosh and Fulford. Neither Caroline Carver nor Kenny Doughty is up to the task of making the Couple credible. But the overall impact of the film is the focus of the evil that drove the Nazi machine, even with this slight bit of human kindness that was bestowed on the Krauzenberg family at such an awful cost. Grady Harp

It's a shame that such serious subject matter was ruined by such bad direction and a terrible script. The concept of The Europa deals, and the plight of the Jews in WW2 are great and worthy subject matter. But here, they were developed into a wooden, ill developed, emotionally immature, corny script, which I felt was a crime against the film industry! Sadly I have to say the same about the direction - who was telling who the story? ( What unbalanced story there was!) It was muddled, heavy handed and corny. My heart goes out to the actors who played the Aryan Couple. They struggled valiantly throughout, but even with the obviously good skills of both, ( Kenny Doughty, Caroline Carver) this old fashioned dinosaur of a film struggled to get going. The best bits were when they were on the screen, which to my opinion was far too little. Both deserve much better.