Amsterdam (2022)
Enjoy the glow of watching a really good movie? Then settle down because Amsterdam is for you…
Great performances. Unusual story. 10 movies in 1! Christian Bale, Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Robert De Niro!!!!! Anya Taylor-Joy (all the Taylors here!) Rami Malek, an unrecognisable Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldaña, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough. As well as all the starryness, David O Russell lets actors act and act against type too — Zoe Saldaña gets to be serious and guarded; Chris Rock — ordinary and never tells a joke; John David Washington is the love interest (not Bale!) and Robert De Niro gets to be a hero in a very calm, contained kind of way, assessing everyone he meets. A story driven film that can’t be easily defined and much to enjoy. Plus, Drake and Christian Bale are among the producers too!!!
Taking in the First World War, war wounds, plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery, the development of Big Pharma and medical technology, the role of women, the development of Surrealism and Modern Art, Inter-War politics, Civil Rights, political uses of sterilisation and the growth and fight against Fascism over a sweep of American politics.
Sounds dull? Not a bit of it! For me this film feels very much like a 1940s film where military heroes uncover a plot to topple the government or do something dastardly and defeat it. It also feels like a big budget Stephen Poliakoff, American style. And it’s based on real history, proving that the truth really is stranger than fiction….and a reminder of how compelling the 1914–1930s era is as a subject for movies.
Dr Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale), doctor and veteran and his friend Harold Woodsman (John David Washington), lawyer and veteran have a very disturbing encounter. A beautiful woman (Taylor Swift with fabulous shingled hair) asks them to perform a quick autopsy on her deceased father, and make it quick. This isn’t official and she wants the results delivered to her at a tearoom. The woman is Elizabeth Meekins, daughter of Bill Meekins, U.S. Senator and the men’s kindly and decent army commander in the First World War.
Cue the flashback. It’s 1918 — Berendsen is sent to the war by his wife’s rich family who are keen glory hunters. A very much alive Meekins brings in Berendsen to sort out an escalating stand-off (indeed strike and fight) by black soldiers who refuse to serve under racist and bigoted ‘Jim Crow’ officers anymore, when they are fighting for the same cause and doing the same job. They want to be seen very much as people and men, not things or tools any longer. Booting out one such officer, enlightened Meekins thinks Berendsen (part Catholic, part Jewish) will have a better, more reasonable perspective. And he does — he asks questions, listens and they are able to work together so well that Berendsen and Woodsman save each other’s lives. Messily wounded, they are patched up by a surgical nurse who doesn’t believe in head wear or even PPE, and has a bizarre collection of bits of shrapnel, bullets etc taken out of former patients.
There is French! There is ‘medicinal’ alcohol consumption, there is a sly date on the ward, there is Surrealist poetry and singing before it was even a thing (very David Bowie-esque lyrics), there is a call out of the shrapnel collection — it’s not weird, it’s modern art! There is art, dancing, song and home cinema! It’s a Surrealist match made in heaven. Following their pact, Berendsen and Woodsman stay together, no matter what, and now Valerie ‘the I don’t need any historical PPE!’ nurse is in the gang too. They stage a prison aka hospital break out to go to Amsterdam to get early plastic surgery — glass eyes and tin painted covers for scars. It turns out that Valerie is a bit like a good Mahta Harie (nurse version) — she’s a sort of spy, providing information to her good reconstruction friends (and secret agents). When they’re not working for American Naval Intelligence and MI6, they provide top-class replacement glass eyes and reconstructive services for servicemen. One of them is apparently Mike Myers — you’d never know!
Post-World War One they live a happy recuperative life in Europe — there is love and art for Harold and Valerie, dancing for all of them — especially Berendsen. Then Berendsen remembers that he has a wife and should go back to see how she’s doing. This is also the time of terrible ethnic and racially motivated riots and murders in the UK and America and appalling discrimination — Harold wants to both be with Valerie in freedom and to help people of colour to rise up and thrive. Valerie makes this decision for him — she and the art do a runner.
Cue return to the present. Nurse Irma (Zoe Saldaña), (who is passing — is she Portuguese or is she black?) detects that the autopsied Meekins has been poisoned. The film then goes film noire detective story (after a very squelchy autopsy aka Ripper Street style) as Elizabeth Meekins is fleeing the cafe — she thinks she’s being followed, and she is. She’s been warned to stop investigating her father’s apparent murder. Only she's right. Before they can say any more, she is horribly thrown under the wheels of a car and killed. Berendsen and Woodsman get the blame, a riot/citizen’s arrest develop and the two manage to flee the scene being tracked all the way. (Now it’s a gangster, 1930s mob movie with hints of James Bond)….
In his wife’s house, Berendsen becomes a fetishized freak show — his wife is both repulsed and fascinated by his transformation into ‘ugliness and horror’. It’s not love or kindness though. His back has to be kept up by supportive braces; his eye can be knocked out and has to be kept clean and managed. What she does have though is social clout — which she uses to the full when the police raid her house and try to arrest Berendsen and Woodsman. As a veteran and a patient enduring pain (they both wear back braces), one of the two police officers is very much on Berendsen’s side. They agree to provide evidence to clear their names. However, they are being watched and stalked by a threatening revolver waving man.
Having moved from war film to relationships to detective story/thriller, it now twists again as the men go to Vose’s house to get more information. Here they encounter Valerie, who is also a Vose! She’s not an impoverished Bohemian artist — she’s the sister of a very rich society man. She’s also very unwell and maybe her treatment is making things worse, not better. The film swerves again to consider medical treatment, therapeutic treatment for nervous disorders (mental health today) — especially of women and people of colour, as well as class hinted at. Valerie’s brother is Rami Malek, who isn’t evil in any way, just a nice twitcher, keenly spotting birds! (and destroying ecosystems by taking rare birds’ eggs). Her sister-in-law and carer is the exquisitely fashioned and very concerned Anya Taylor-Joy, who is not a fan of her art and very much wants Valerie to lead a calm and quiet, medicated life.
Harold is persuaded to visit Valerie the next day — which leads to love, art and a disturbing visit to a sterilization clinic. Where they spot a symbol which looks like a swastika. It turns out that General Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro) has the information they need. Generally, they’ve not done well — Irma the nurse (Zoe Saldaña) has been mugged and the autopsy report stolen from her, as well as her wrist broken, though she can still clearly recall the results. Finding a name leads to needing to find another name. At first the General won’t see them because Valerie is very unwell and appears drunk. But they remind the General of their veteran status and that they have met him before. The General isn’t easily impressed and makes them sing to prove who they are!
Once he’s convinced, the General is very much on their side. Here it goes full on Stephen Poliakoff political/social thriller — there is a celebration for veterans at which the General will speak. He has already been offered money for his new ‘Foundation’ (which he doesn’t have or want) on two occasions. and is forced to meet some big businessmen. Although the agents are hidden in the area, the General feels a target very much and it is down to Valerie and Harold to save the day when they spot a gunman aiming at the General. Not to be left out, Burt too heroically saves the General too, until the gunman is wrestled to the ground.
We get huge contrasts now. Valerie’s brother and sister-in-law turn out to be devout Fascists and Nazi sympathisers (swastika topiary on the lawn and covered photos of their heroes including an little known Hitler). The big businessman wanted the General to name drop Mussolini and infact to be their political puppet in the style of the Generalissimo, taking the veterans with him.
Amidst the glamour, schmoozing, singing and dancing, there is a standoff between Black/Brown shirt veterans and those who want America to be Fascist free, developing into scuffles and very reminiscent of the Battle of Cable Street and other Fascist marches in the UK at the time. Berendsen’s wife and in-laws want Burt back in the family officially now he’s a hero and recognised as an all-round good egg by the General — most of all they want to meet the General and any other famous people around. They may also be influenced by the fandom of Valerie’s sister-in-law.
But this isn’t the end. Burt’s been shot — only he hasn’t as the back brace took the bullet (literally). Burt also realises that his marriage is a sham, he and his wife don’t love or even like each other and it’s Irma he loves. Harold and Valerie run away to freedom (guided by the secret agents) — very James Bond now. Burt imagines joining them, then snaps back to reality and carries on. The General, at personal cost to his reputation, speaks out shaming the politically manipulative businessmen. Burt realises that love and kindness are the keys to winning, of recognising the dignity in others; affirmed by Valerie and Harold’s loving kiss smashing all racial and ethnic prejudices.
The only things that let this marvellous film down are the length — it does go on a bit, and the women’s hair styles. It was really hard to work out when this movie was set if I’m honest — Taylor Swift’s shingles suggested 1930s; then Andrea Riseborough was a bit all over the place — later 1920s? Zoe Saldaña— probably 1920s-1930s, but a bit vague as could have been 1940s. Margot Robbie determinedly 21st century. (But she was a futurist artist). I wish, that in showing modern women in a historical setting, they’d be allowed to have their regular clothes, headgear, hat pins and usual everyday stuff. Whilst they might think futuristically, most people conformed to the fashions of the day and carried on looking like everyone else. It was odd to see a nurse doing quite bloody surgery), which I’m not sure she would have done in real life at all, more supported doctors, without any PPE, especially as she oozed glamour and had a lovely poufy hairstyle. Real nurses at the time had cuffs, covers, aprons and nun-like headgear, cos it was messy! Bizarrely Margot Robbie’s character looked more historic when she was wearing masculine style suits with a feminine twist, apart from dodgy bobbed hair heading towards a kob! Her art was great though- very Surrealist!
The men look ok, apart from Bale’s wild hair post-World War One. They have suits, cravats, ties and facial hair — hurrah!
Captivating in its content, it was compelling to see a film about veterans living their day-in, day out lives with war wounds and pain, and how they managed. (Especially with society’s expectations that the veterans cover up their facial scars and wounds). Also, how medical treatments responded to care for long-term suffering and how medical treatments were misused as agents of social control — in terms of class, ethnicity, gender and anyone society regarded as ‘deviant’ at times. It turns out that Valerie’s family have been medicating her inducing most of her ailments — with hints of the treatment of ‘hysterics’, ‘nervous’ complaints and ‘unacceptable’ social behaviours or mental health/learning difficulties a lot of the time in this era. In both the UK and USA, businessmen and press barons pushed politics — and in the case of this movie, actually sought to put a Mussolini style figure in power. We forget also how anti-Semitic, racist and prejudiced society had become at this time — especially in the higher echelons of society where Mussolini, Franco and Hitler were seen as doing apparent good by creating strong nations. (Until Jewish reports of the true state of things started being brought out and young people went to fight in the Spanish Civil War).
The Vose’s were allowed to be nuanced — apparently nice, super wealthy people, from a culturally Jewish background, who wanted the strength and social control of Facists everywhere. I wish they hadn’t included the drug taking scene (i.e. look what Fascist supporting big industry will give us!) as it implied that those who supported Fascist leaders outside of Europe were influenced by other things (rather than choice/active decisions and hearts and minds), or the face shooting scene as it was distracting and unnecessary and frankly very stylised. Also, a big insult to the veterans with real facial wounds and scars around Valerie! The hidden photos of the wall was a better touch as it did show how Fascism was a cult like religion as well as a political/social system.
Small and few criticisms though. There is so much to enjoy and savour and be drawn into — this is a movie which really draws you in. Much of the comment is nuanced too — allowing you to think for yourself, with things hinted at or woven into conversations. What the world needs, the movie concludes is more love, art and beauty! L’Chaim!
Real life is weirder than fiction — the film is based on the Business Plot of 1933 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot
First World War reconstruction — https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/birth-plastic-surgery
The Facemaker — https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/20/1112276638/facemaker-harold-gillies-lindsey-fitzharris
Lindsey Fitzharris has written a fascinating book about the medical innovations of the First World War.
