A Jewish family tries to escape from Denmark in October 1943 during the German occupation.
Based on true-life events, director Bent Christensen and his co-writers John Gould and Leif Panduro start with a somewhat worn premise – though not without promise – and slowly, almost deliberately, take the genre to a whole ‘nother level to the downside. During German occupation in World War II, the Danes adopt an unwritten arrangement on behalf of its Jewish citizens. Though a tiny minority of the Danish population, the government stands in solidarity with its varied factions.
The narrative centers around Leo Stein (Ebbe Rode), a somewhat smug violin maker and auction house speculator, his wife Ruth (Helle Virkner), and daughter Lillian (a young Jane Seymour). For three years after the initial occupation, Germany upheld its end of the deal. However, in 1943, the Nazis unexpectedly and abruptly plan to enter the bulk of the Jewish population on a single day, likely under pressure from Adolf Hitler.
Though such rumors have been commonplace in Denmark almost from the beginning of the German arrival, this time, things are different, no doubt, because the raid is set to take place on the Jewish New Year. The Stein’s neighbor one flight up is Mr. Peterson (Ove Sprogøe), who correctly senses the gravity of the situation.
Lillian teaches ballet at a local school and receives an appeal from a colleague to take herself and her one Jewish pupil into hiding ahead of the planned German abductions. In her first movie role of note – ahead of “Live and Let Die,” “Somewhere in Time,” “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and “The Wedding Crashers,” Seymour demonstrates her prospective acting chops, though little else.
The family’s thick-headed father, Leo, repeatedly acts as if nothing is amiss despite the ominous signs to the contrary. He replies that he has heard the threats about German atrocities many times before and naively sets off to the street markets despite credible warnings. When the Germans begin their house-to-house searches, they largely come up empty-handed and are infuriated. This prompts them to pay additional attention to the ports of exit.
Mr. Peterson wisely ushers Ruth and Lillian to his upstairs apartment, where the Germans are unlikely to look. He leaves them to secure safe passage for the family to neutral Sweden, just a mile or two off the coast of Denmark. Most of the plot centers around Peterson’s bicycle rides to various seaport embarkations to arrange for the short but perilous journey. He is rebuffed mainly due to the heightened German presence but eventually gets a line on sympathetic Danish fishermen willing to take the risk.
Not too much more of interest follows, except to say that even stubborn Leo manages to join up with his wife and daughter, thus avoiding German capture. The pervasive soundtrack by Carl Davis is heavy-handed and hoary – with hints of Lalo Schifrin’s score from “The Eagle Has Landed,” but without the dramatic effect. For producer Barry Levinson, one can only assume that this disappointing movie was a labor of love. Although “The Only Way” holds significant promise, it goes unfulfilled mainly due to passive direction and flaccid dialog.
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