Review of Left Luggage

Introduction

There will, no doubt, be some of you reading this who have seen the 1999 film `Virtual Sexuality`, about a girl who fashions her ideal man out of a virtual reality machine and, in some sort of bizarre radioactive-spider-moment, he becomes a REAL living, breathing man, with a penis, a Y chromosome and a fear of commitment - the whole shebang. I can`t really remember how it ends, but I`m sure it all turns out ok. I think I recall our heroine going into a computer and racing a bike against her nemesis. Oh no, wait, that was `Tron`.

If any of the above sounds familiar to you (apart from the bit about `Tron`), then you have probably had the misfortune to sit through the aforementioned movie starring Laura Fraser, an actress for whom subtlety and depth are seemingly alien concepts found in `foreigns`, and the `Grange Hill` school of acting is the spiritual home. Now, I am in no way degrading `Grange Hill` - its contemporary look at the social ills of the education system in Great Britain has provided much entertainment and a point-of-view without which our `Great` nation would surely be poorer. Yet, when you transpose its style of acting to a film about Holocaust survival, anti-Semitism and a deconstruction of the Hassidic way of life, you might just hit a few problems.

Chaya (Fraser) is a rebellious student in early 1970s Antwerp, the child of two Holocaust survivors (expertly portrayed by Marianne Sägebrecht and Oscar Winning Maximilian Schell). When she loses her job at a restaurant, her old companion Mr. Apfelschnitt (Fiddler on the roof Chaim Topol) suggests that she works as a nanny for The Kalmans - a strict Jewish family - as it pays well and, as it happens, she needs the money. On taking the job, she initially quits after finding the rules and regulations of the household too harsh. However, her relationship with the family`s small mute boy Simcha persuades her to give it another go, and she soon finds herself accepted by Mrs Kalman (Isabella Rossellini) and the rest of the children, although Mr Kalman is not at all accepting, and Chaya finds herself fighting a losing battle against his dislike of her and his adherence to his family`s own customs.

Directed by and starring Jeroen Krabbé, the film touches on religious and racial prejudice, social exclusion and how one`s roots are not so easily hidden. Chaya`s father may have buried his suitcases somewhere in Antwerp after fleeing from the Nazis, but his sense of identity, and thusly Chaya`s, is never too far from the surface.

Video

At first, the overall look of the movie seems distinctly odd. Shunning the dusty greys and brown hues of the sepia tinted introduction describing the `lost luggage` title, and a thousand other Holocaust referencing movies, it burst into a surprisingly colourful picture. It will come as no surprise that, after the first ten or twenty minutes, we are back in familiar territory, with the introduction of the Karlsen family neighbourhood, and the characteristic washed and bleak buildings of the poorer areas of Europe.

The 4:3 picture is not a problem in this instance, although a widescreen presentation might have added some credence to the movie, struggling as it does to live up to a fantastic plot and great performances from the MAJORITY of those involved

Audio

A great score by Henny Vrienten accompanies the on screen action, with stereo presentation perfectly adequate in a film like this where there are no major explosions or eeriness commanding 5.1 surround-sound.

Features

All we get are Biographies, a Trailer and Stills from the movie. The suitcases containing a wealth of bonus material must have been left on the platform before the DVD departed.

The trailer itself is hilariously ropey. Employing the pre-requisite `over the top` American voice-over talking about a `Must see film`, this hype is unfortunately overshadowed by an out-of-synch audio track and poorly chosen clips from the movie. Certainly a `Must-see` feature.

Conclusion

Just like a Royal Bungalow, this movie has one great flaw, and that`s the lead actress. Despite fantastic performances from a host of proven film stars, working within the framework of an emotionally connecting story, Laura Fraser is so ill fitting and badly cast that she pulls the film down several notches. Although she plays the lead, her name isn`t even mentioned on the front of the DVD - and it`s easy to see why.

This may seem a little harsh, and the blame probably lies as much with the casting and production teams as much as it does with the woman herself, but if someone of greater pedigree had taken the role, then I would be commenting on a great DVD, rather than an average one. Make no mistake, Rossellini, Schnell, Topol and the Director himself turn in great performances, and the events are genuinely shocking as they unfold. Shame, then, that Fraser undermines all this effort on behalf of everyone else by apparently confusing the film with an episode of `Hollyoaks`.

The other detail that deserves brief analysis is why make it an English Language film in the first place? Admittedly, it is a common language for the Israeli, Dutch, German and Swedish-Italian members of the cast, but sometimes such pictures lose impact when they pander to the American market (a notable exception being Polanski`s `The Pianist`), and the inclusion of an overtly anglicised, and poorly performing lead certainly makes this one of such films.

Due to the previously stated problems, this is not a DVD which is particularly easy to recommend, despite having many strengths. Hopefully, some studio big-wig will commission a remake sometime soon, bringing the entire cast back together, whilst Fraser is busy making `Kevin & Perry Go Large 2 - Kevin & Perry Go Larger`. Then, and only then, will we have a great DVD on our hands.