As in the case of many adaptations, the book is much better - even if the original author wrote the screenplay himself. Nobel Prize winner Kertesz and Koltay, the Oscar nominated cinematographer in his directing debut, are both newcomers to their respective roles and the film bears all the resulting flaws. Morricone is an old pro, but he seems not to have given everything when composing the soundtrack - not much actually, besides his name.
The original book is genius and the film itself was a national cause in Hungary, with heavy government funding, so in some ways it's not surprising that it fails to deliver.
It's easy to tell the movie was shot with the master cinematographer's eye, as it rolls beautifully throughout and it does follow the book's heart-wrenching plot relatively closely.
What it misses, is the book's unique voice. What sets Sorstalansag (Fateless) apart from the ocean of Holocaust books is the young protagonist's withdrawn, uninvolved perspective. He never allows himself to dive into the big questions of life and never protests against his fate - or a lack of it. The book lacks big emotions, those are always formed in the reader, making them all the more powerful.
This is where the film fails miserably. Maybe it was too tempting to go the sentimental route, maybe it's Morricone's uninspired music, maybe it's Koltay's inexperience as a director, but Fateless turns into nothing more and nothing less than a relatively well made Holocaust film. Enjoyable, if a bit longish.
The great bright spot is young Marcell Nagy, who delivers with precision well beyond his age as the lead character. Whether knowingly or by chance, he always has an aura of remoteness about him that nails the original's voice exactly. Even surrounded by some of the best Hungarian actors, the boy carries the film by himself. If for nothing else, it's well worth to see to witness such a stunning performance.
The original book is genius and the film itself was a national cause in Hungary, with heavy government funding, so in some ways it's not surprising that it fails to deliver.
It's easy to tell the movie was shot with the master cinematographer's eye, as it rolls beautifully throughout and it does follow the book's heart-wrenching plot relatively closely.
What it misses, is the book's unique voice. What sets Sorstalansag (Fateless) apart from the ocean of Holocaust books is the young protagonist's withdrawn, uninvolved perspective. He never allows himself to dive into the big questions of life and never protests against his fate - or a lack of it. The book lacks big emotions, those are always formed in the reader, making them all the more powerful.
This is where the film fails miserably. Maybe it was too tempting to go the sentimental route, maybe it's Morricone's uninspired music, maybe it's Koltay's inexperience as a director, but Fateless turns into nothing more and nothing less than a relatively well made Holocaust film. Enjoyable, if a bit longish.
The great bright spot is young Marcell Nagy, who delivers with precision well beyond his age as the lead character. Whether knowingly or by chance, he always has an aura of remoteness about him that nails the original's voice exactly. Even surrounded by some of the best Hungarian actors, the boy carries the film by himself. If for nothing else, it's well worth to see to witness such a stunning performance.