Hanussen

Hungarian director Istvan Szabo and actor Klaus Maria Brandauer once again join forces (Mephisto, Colonel Redl) to explore yet another facet of Nazi Germany. Based on a true story, Hanussen features Brandauer as the title character, a common soldier in WWI who suffers a head wound, and discovers that he is able to read people's minds as well as forecast the future. As Hanussen's star rises and he becomes a prominent figure in the decadent Berlin of the 1920s, so do the fortunes of another man escalate: Adolph Hitler. Despising politics but committed to telling the truth of what he sees, Hanussen predicts that Hitler will become Germany's Chancellor--a public statement which alarms and disgusts Hanussen's close friends. Although completely apolitical, Hanussen is wooed by success, and he gladly accepts invitations to Nazi soirees, where the propaganda people take advantage of his volatile comments to promote Hitler's ascension. But then Hanussen sees a vision of the Reichstag in flames... Telling this "truth", of course, sets in motion the wheels of his own self-destruction. A powerful drama, Hanussen is also notable for its precise rendition of the forces--particularly economic--which allowed Hitler to rise to power. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)