A man's story parallels Hitler's rise. Austrian Klaus Schneider, wounded in World War I, recovers in the care of Dr. Emil Bettleheim. Bettleheim discovers that Schneider possesses powers of empathy and of clairvoyance, such that could aid suicidal patients. After the war, with one friend as his manager and another as his lover, Schneider changes his name to Eric Jan Hanussen and goes to Berlin, as a hypnotist and clairvoyant performing in halls and theaters. He always speaks the truth, which brings him to the attention of powerful Nazis. He predicts their rise (good propaganda for them) and their violence (not so good). He's in pain and at risk. What is Hanussen's future?
Acting
Brandauer's charisma is genuinely hypnotic.
Direction
Szabó turns psychic visions into visual poetry.
Director
István Szabó
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Schneider / Eric Jan Hanussen
Erland Josephson
Dr. Bettelheim
Ildikó Bánsági
Sister Betty
Walter Schmidinger
Propaganda Chief
Károly Eperjes
Tibor Nowotny
Grażyna Szapołowska
Valery de la Meer
Adrianna Biedrzyńska
Wally
György Cserhalmi
Count Trantow-Waldbach
Michał Bajor
Becker
Jiří Adamíra
Rattinger
Róbert Rátonyi
Prof. Gábor
Gabriela Kownacka
Wife of Propaganda Chief
Ewa Błaszczyk
Hennie Stahl
Péter Andorai
Fabian
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Hanussen was murdered in 1933, likely by SA members; his body was found in a forest near Berlin, making his cinematic fate historically accurate.
Szabó made this as the second in his 'German trilogy' with Brandauer, exploring how individuals enable fascism through ambition or denial.
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