Slow moving but emotionally powerful, this drama set in 1944 Yugoslavia at a private resort starts off quietly and builds. Tom Conti is the lifeguard there, marrying the beautiful Susan George to protect her from the Nazis who haven't arrived yet, and when they do, he's distraught to see how they turn the idealistic world upside down.
Quiet solitude becomes a bloody battle, and the switch from singing swimmers to screaming victims of Nazi bombing is real life horror. The slow love that grows between Conti (quite versatile an actor) and the sultry George is based on the desire to survive, and like a great novel, grows deeper with every turning page or change of scene. Rod Steiger is memorable in a small part. Perhaps not a big epic of war, but a thoughtful one.
Quiet solitude becomes a bloody battle, and the switch from singing swimmers to screaming victims of Nazi bombing is real life horror. The slow love that grows between Conti (quite versatile an actor) and the sultry George is based on the desire to survive, and like a great novel, grows deeper with every turning page or change of scene. Rod Steiger is memorable in a small part. Perhaps not a big epic of war, but a thoughtful one.