Taking Sides is a 1995 play byBritishplaywrightRonald Harwood, about the post-war United Statesdenazification investigation of the German conductor and composerWilhelm Furtwängler on charges of having served theNazi regime. Harwood drewinter alia on a detailed diary kept by Furtwängler of his interrogation sessions. Although the investigation that is the focus of the play resulted in formal charges being brought against Furtwängler, he was eventually cleared by the tribunal.[1]
The originalWest End theatre production was performed at theCriterion Theatre inPiccadilly Circus,London. It starredDaniel Massey as Wilhelm Furtwängler andMichael Pennington as Major Steve Arnold. Massey was nominated for theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in 1996 for his role as Furtwängler. Harwood was also nominated for theLaurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. The cast had originally performed the play at theMinerva Theatre inChichester, which was directed byHarold Pinter. It premiered there on 18 May 1995. The play then transferred to the West End and premiered on 3 July 1995.[2]
When the play transferred toBroadway for a limited run in 1996,Ed Harris took over the role of Major Steve Arnold, andDaniel Massey reprised his award-winning role as Wilhelm Furtwängler. The first of 15 previews of the production commenced on 4 October 1996 and the show officially opened at theBrooks Atkinson Theatre on 17 October 1996. 85 performances of the play were shown before the production closed on 29 December 1996.[3] For his performance in the role of Furtwängler, Massey was nominated for theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.
In 2001, the play was adapted into amotion picture of the same name, directed by Hungarian directorIstván Szabó. Harwood wrote the screenplay for the film himself.Taking Sides premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2001 and was released to cinemas in the US and UK, on 5 September 2003 and 21 November 2003 respectively.[4] The film starsHarvey Keitel as Major Steve Arnold andStellan Skarsgård as Furtwängler.
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