The Harmonists

REVIEW
Involving true-life story of a singing quintet -- The Comedian Harmonists -- who were superstars in Berlin in the '30s. Unfortunately, Hitler was coming into power, and three of the five were Jewish. This is a standard rise and fall of a music group drama, given dimension by the Nazism background. While there is some great music and a handful of good scenes, The Harmonists never really transcends its cliches or sentimentality, and a treacly ending leaves a bad taste. It holds the attention, though, and its heart is in the right place. (German with English subtitles)