Max Manus: Man of War
Last Christmas the Norwegian film “Max Manus” premiered in cinemas across the country. The film is based on the true story of World War 2 resistance fighter and saboteur Max Manus (1914-1996). It received top ratings and was by many considered one of the greatest Norwegian films ever made. Even though the directors took some ‘artistic liberties’, the film was also acclaimed for its authenticity.
The DVD release of “Max Manus” came out in stores a few weeks ago, and an international release is being shipped these days. One thing I have found interesting is how the film has been profiled for an English-speaking audience. The film largely focuses on Manus as a person, battling his demons, alcoholism, nightmares and the guilt of putting his friends and countrymen in danger. In the international release, the trailers and movie posters seem to focus less on the biography and more on the action sequences. If you take a look at the different DVD covers you may catch my drift:
The title has even been changed to “Man of War”. I guess the film ads had to get a little “hollywood-ised” for the English-speaking audience, firstly to make up for the language barrier, and secondly because Max Manus was not such a famous person outside Norway. Still, it feels a bit like turning “Schindler’s List” into “Rambo”.
Just take a look at the Norwegian versus the English trailers…
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I really want to see this movie. I found out about it a few weeks back and have been trying to locate a copy here in the US. I found out about the movie while planning my trip to Norway in May. It is rather annoying that everything stateside has to glorified. Unfortunately movies are made to be sold to the cinemas, and for DVD sales. But am excited that his story is told on the big screen, otherwise not as many people would know of him.
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from L-Jay:
The film follows Norwegian storytelling structure and themes – the little guy outsmarts the oppressors. It’s not about glamour but Norwegian character – it’s a good example of modern Norwegian film-making.
Some trivia for you: His name should have been Max Magnussen but his dad (Johann Magnussen) was a sailor and travelled mostly to Spanish speaking countries so he changed his name to Juan Manus to sound more ‘international’.