A 4.5-hour German epic where justice dies while Hitler lives. Buckle up, buttercup.
For fans of history, this glimpse of Munich society in the 1920s will be a much-treasured event. The story revolves around an art-gallery manager who puts on a show featuring the scandalous works of a woman artist who committed suicide. He is unjustly accused of having committed adultery with her, and for some reason the authorities decide to make an example of him. He is imprisoned at about the same time that Hitler and the nascent Nazi party attempt the infamous Beer Hall Putsch, and the gallery manager's girlfriend and a Swiss writer valiantly (and unsuccessfully) attempt to get better justice for him. Nobody in authority, it seems, has the courage to take up the challenge of righting this particular injustice.
Acting
Bruno Ganz carries crushing helplessness in every scene.
Production
Meticulous 1920s Munich recreation, down to the creeping fascism.
Writing
Adapted from Lion Feuchtwanger's sprawling novel with bitter precision.
Director
Franz Seitz Junior
Bruno Ganz
Jacques Tüverlin
Franziska Walser
Johanna Krain
Peter Simonischek
Dr. Martin Krüger
Mathieu Carrière
Erich Bornhaak
Manfred Zapatka
Kaspar Pröckl
Thomas Holtzmann
Dr. Franz Flaucher
Jutta Speidel
Katharina von Radolny
Gerd Anthoff
Paul Hessreither
Günter Mack
Förtsch
Dietrich Mattausch
Dr. Hartl - Amtsgerichtspräsident
Toni Berger
Baron Reindl
Gustl Bayrhammer
Vorsitzender Disziplinarausschuß
Wilfried Klaus
Staatsanwalt
Elfriede Kuzmany
Mathilde Berath
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lion Feuchtwanger's novel was banned and burned by the Nazis in 1933; this 1991 adaptation finally un-censored his warning.
Bruno Ganz famously played Hitler in 'Downfall'—here he's the victim of the system Hitler would soon command.
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