The Round Up (2010)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Man, the Holocaust was depressing. And this movie faithfully shows real life events of Jews in France in about the most depressing way possible.The main focus is one family, and their various neighbors, who escaped Poland and came to Paris to avoid the Germans. Through the course of a pretty much hopeless two hours you follow them and a French Protestant Nurse, as they go through the various horrible things that the Germans and with compliance from the French, did to them.A lot of the other reviews are calling it a French Schindler's List. It isn't. Schindler's List is beautifully directed and acted, this is not. The direction always feels like you're watching a documentary and aren't actually feeling a lot of the things that the characters are supposed to be feeling. Then it cuts to something else completely, like backroom dealings, and you almost feel like some voice over guy says, "Meanwhile in a dark dusty room in Paris." I think the director's main goal was to try to convince you that the French government was no better than the Germans and it didn't matter if that story fit his film or not.My biggest issue with movie was actually the plot. At this point, pretty much everyone knows that the Holocaust was absolutely terrible. We see small moments of ordinary people being heroic and either hiding Jews or doing little things to help them. But then they're gone and there's no hope. Most of the other Holocaust movies focuses on a denouement of something good happening. Schindler had a list. Life is Beautiful *spoiler* ended the war. Not in this film. In this film, you knew that basically everyone was going to die since it gave the time frame of when it started. Sure a couple individuals survived. But you knew that basically all of the things that were done, would lead to the death of hundreds of characters. It just doesn't make the film that much fun to watch. It's tough to get attached to someone you know is going to die for no good reason.If you want to see a movie about Jews in occupied France, sure. If you want to be depressed for a couple hours, with almost nothing breaking it up or giving hope, then La Rafle is for you. If you want to watch a movie about the Holocaust or the plight of Jews in that time period, there are some better films that actually give you some amount of hope about the whole situation. This one just didn't focus on that, instead going through the step by step ways that people were lead to their deaths.

The Jewish people faced many dark moments in its long and troubled history. What happened in the night of July 16, 1942 in Paris - the arrest of more than ten thousand Jews, men and women, young, old and children, their detention at the Velodrome d'Hiver, followed by their deportation to transit camps in France and then to the death camps in Poland - was one of these dark moments. It is for the French nation however that I dare say this was maybe the darkest moment in their history. Never has France - or at least modern France - abandoned the principles of tolerance and generosity to the weak and prosecuted who knocked at its gates as did that night Petain, Laval and the other collaborationists who were accomplices to the sending to hell and death of so many innocent people.I have used a few film reviews back the term of 'docu-melodrama' and I guess that I can use it here as well, adding maybe the adjective 'historical' in front. 'La Raffle' ambitiously retraces the story of a few Jewish families of all conditions living in Paris at the time of the German occupation in 1942 and falling victim to the deeds of the German occupiers and of their French collaborators. Although the characters may be fictional the stories are essentially true, and the film starts with a written message attesting the historic accuracy of all the extreme situations that are being described. The fiction parts are interleaved with a few documentary sequences, as well as with re-enacted scenes from the headquarters of the German army and French police, of the discussions between the French leader Petain and prime minister Laval, and between Hitler himself, his faithful executioner Himmler and other people in his entourage. The script written by Rose Bosch (who also directed) takes good care to balance the acts of the 'bad' and 'good' French but the horror of the situation of the descent of a whole people from trust and hope into fear and despair is the strong message that cannot get lost.There is great acting to be admired in this film - first of all Jean Reno as the Jewish physician trying to face an impossible situation, alleviate sufferings, save lives, while knowing about his own faith. Melanie Laurent is sensible and credible in the role of the nurse that aims to represent what was left good and human among the French in those times. Some of the supporting roles are also memorable such as the Trotskyst family father played by Gad Elmaleh, a victim of a double disillusion. I liked less the historic background scenes, especially the ones related to Hitler's environment, and the actor playing Hitler who was badly miscast and directed, undecided whether he should be evil or operetta-ic. Overall the film has however very strong scenes, some of the best in the Holocaust movies and asks the right questions about the French role in the tragedy of its Jews. Is this melodrama? yes - but very strong and well made, impressing to tears and nothing is wrong with this - there are no bad genres, just bad movies and La Raffle is certainly not among them.

I came across this film quite by accident, but I am glad I did. I am a huge fan of Jean Reno, and I became a fan recently, of Melanie Laurent, who I met through the film, "Inglorious Basterds". I knew I wanted to watch this film based on these excellent actors, and the fact that it was a French story surrounding the Holocaust, which I'd never seen before - a French story regarding the Holocaust. The fact that it is a true story of the events of July 16, 1942, sealed the deal. This story is heart-wrenching and heartbreaking, and is so well told, that as a human, you are feeling everything each Jewish person and family goes through, in these events. As a human, you are reminded how evil and cold- hearted the Nazi machine was, and how there are some people who refuse to give up their humanity, no matter the costs. While we say that we don't want this to ever happen again, I am reminded of news stories where these things are happening again. Ethnic groups killed with machetes, or chemicals like sarin gas, or restriction of water and food, so they starve or die of thirst. I think this film should be watched by every high school student, in any country, so that they see what really happened that day. Maybe, if we all share the same vision that this should not be repeated, then perhaps it won't. It is a naive dream, I know. I think evil will always be here. Jean Reno and Melanie Laurent are excellent in their performances, and I applaud, applaud, applaud them!!!!

The Roundup is a must see movie even beyond its historical mission. The interpretation of the actors is excellent. Its quiet difficult to remain indifferent in front such a tragedy, a tragedy so unfair for these innocent people. French they were, but apparently not enough for the French police, with the Vichy regime headed by a man, Philippe Petain, which is known today to have done nothing to protect Jews. Quite the contrary by the way. With his henchmen, they have not mounted the raid in order to meet German demands, but to give pledges to antisemites of all stripes who supported this worthy scheme. I recommend these movie.