Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- serious
- austere
- confrontational
- historical film night
- classical music viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film dramatically compelling and historically interesting, driven by the powerful clash between Arnold's moral absolutism and Furtwängler's aesthetic self-defense, though some found it unsatisfying and uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Furtwängler's career and defense are inseparable from his decision to remain active during the Nazi era.
The Allied investigation of Furtwängler supplies the film's central conflict and moral framework.
The immediate postwar investigation unfolds amid Berlin's physical devastation and occupied uncertainty.
Arnold treats conduct and complicity as decisive, while Furtwängler and his defenders invoke musical and moral achievement.
Films like Taking Sides, and why
The Reader
shared postwar reckoning, moral ambiguity, and tense interrogation-driven drama
The Pianist
shared focus on music, artistic responsibility, and compromise under fascism
Amen.
shared historical drama about culture, power, and collaboration in Nazi Germany
Judgment at Nuremberg
shared courtroom-like moral confrontation and postwar political accountability
Movie Details
- Director
- István Szabó
- Release Date
- 2002-03-07
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (50)
Cast
- Harvey Keitel
- Stellan Skarsgård
- Moritz Bleibtreu
- R. Lee Ermey
- Birgit Minichmayr
- Ulrich Tukur
- Oleg Tabakov
- Hanns Zischler
- Armin Rohde
- Daniel White
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Taking Sides about?
- A postwar American investigator confronts a legendary German conductor over whether artistic greatness can coexist with moral compromise under Nazism.
- What is Taking Sides like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Taking Sides as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Taking Sides violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Taking Sides as mild.
- What did critics think of Taking Sides?
- Critics broadly found the film dramatically compelling and historically interesting, driven by the powerful clash between Arnold's moral absolutism and Furtwängler's aesthetic self-defense, though some found it unsatisfying and uneven.
- Which films are like Taking Sides?
- Films with a similar feel include The Reader, The Pianist, Amen., and Judgment at Nuremberg.
- How long is Taking Sides?
- Taking Sides runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Taking Sides?
- In United States, Taking Sides streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
