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Andre Gregory recommended Topsy-Turvy (1999) in Movies (curated)

 
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
1999 | International, Comedy, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"The Lady Vanishes is one of the great World War II films. I honestly might have seen it two dozen times. I adore it, each and every scene. As I adore almost every Hitchcock film. And, in passing, I have to mention the greatest book on Hitchcock, which is also one of the finest on film and on the creative process in general, Truffaut’s marvelous work called Hitchcock, in which he interviews Hitchcock about his films. As for Mike Leigh, he is one of my most treasured filmmakers. I love his subject matter, and I love his actors. I shouldn’t admit this, but part of the reason I love his actors so much is that I can think of no other director, no one, who works with his actors in ways so similar to my own. We could sort of be the same person as directors. And Topsy-Turvy is one of my favorite of all Mike Leigh’s films because, except for the actors who appear in it, it resembles no film he had ever shot before. The style is different. The content is different. And it’s about the theater!"

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I haven't read anything before about World War II from the German perspective and therefore was very interested to see how this is portrayed from that angle and whilst I found this book definitely provided insight of what it was like from Raffeiner's eyes, from what I have read in other books and seen in documentary's, I'm not sure how much was "missed", "forgotten" or "locked away" as the memories are too painful or too awful to talk about.

This is however a valuable read if you want to get some idea of what it was like for a "simple" German soldier; the vivid descriptions of the hardships of being on the Eastern frontline and how luck played a huge part in his life are well documented and it also gives a really good account of Raffeiner's tough early years growing up and the choices he had to make.

Whilst this isn't what I feel a comprehensive book on this subject, it is an important individual and personal story that is captivating and I need to thank Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Dec 17, 2021  
Cover reveal alert! Check out the awesome cover for PERFECT PAYBACK, a mystery/thriller/suspense, by Bill Briscoe! (This book sounds amazing!)

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/12/cover-reveal-perfect-payback-pepperman.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
When Jim and Laura Pepperman find a musty German Olympic jacket and an old journal in their attic, they stumble onto a gripping pre-World War II story of a cousin Jim knows nothing about.

After a career-ending injury forces Hans Pepperman to lose his spot on the 1936 Olympic boxing team, he trades his athletic aspirations for a degree in mechanical engineering and secures his dream job working for the famous Willy Messerschmitt. Tasked to solve the stalling issues of the BF109 fighter plane engine, Hans finds himself smack in the middle of the Abwher Intelligence Service’s radar. Pro-Germany but anti-Nazi, he reluctantly agrees to help flush out the spy leaking secret information on the BF109 engine to foreign agencies . . . and finds himself a suspect of espionage and murder. Unsure who to trust, he must unravel the tangle of lies he’s caught in before he falls prey to the Nazi agenda slowly and stealthily taking over the country he loves.