Flame & Citron

Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen), directed by Ole Christian Madsen, is a biopic of the most famous members of the Danish resistance to the German occupation of World War II–Bent Faurschou-Hviid (Flame) and Jorgen Haagen Schmith (Citron). President Harry Truman posthumously awarded them the Medal of Freedom in 1951. The film demonstrates the ambiguity of the underground, as information about members rounded up and shot are either obtained by Nazi intelligence or by double agents within the resistance. Flame’s love affair with Ketty Selmer (played by Stine Stengade), who claims to be a courier of documents to Stockholm, complicates his life when his superior orders him to kill her as a double agent. Knowing that someone inside the underground may be responsible does not deter Citron, who has no compunctions about eliminating Nazis. Accordingly, they agree to shoot the Gestapo head Gestapo in Denmark, Hoffmann (played by Christian Berkel), rather than small fry. The film has been nominated for best film exposé of 2009 and the year’s best film on peace.  MH

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