Knife in the Head (1978)
"Messer im Kopf" (original title)

One night when seeking his estranged wife, Hoffmann goes to the youth center where she works. The police are there rounding up radicals who frequent the center - Hoffmann runs into the ... See full summary »

Director:

Reinhard Hauff

Writers:

Reinhard Hauff, Peter Schneider

Stars:

Bruno Ganz, Angela Winkler, Hans Christian Blech

6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruno Ganz	...	Hoffmann
Angela Winkler	...	Ann
Hans Christian Blech	...	Anleitner
Heinz Hoenig	...	Volker
Hans Brenner	...	Scholz
Udo Samel	...	Schurig
Eike Gallwitz	...	Dr. Groeske
Carla Egerer	...	Schwester Angelika
Gabriele Dossi	...	Schwester Emilie
Hans Fuchs	...	Chefarzt
Gert Burkard	...	Institutsdirektor
Erich Kleiber	...	Pförtner
Karl-Heinz Merz	...	Patient (as Karl Heinz Merz)
Ursel Lessoing	...	Frau Schurig
Heinz Hürländer	...	Kommissar (as Heinz Hurlander)

Storyline

One night when seeking his estranged wife, Hoffmann goes to the youth center where she works. The police are there rounding up radicals who frequent the center - Hoffmann runs into the building and ends up being shot in the head. He awakens with brain trauma, partially paralyzed and unable to speak. The police accuse him of stabbing an officer; the radicals herald him as an innocent victim of police brutality. During his slow recovery at the hospital, Hoffmann must piece together his life and struggle to remember the events of that night.

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Plot Keywords:

police | trauma | youth center | hospital | knife | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

17 November 1978 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Knife in the Head

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bioskop Film, Hallelujah Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
[English subtitles: voiceover as Hoffmann looks out his office window]
Hoffmann: An American in my case would start shooting out the window.

User Reviews

A regrettably overlooked masterpiece

Bruno Ganz is astonishing as a man recovering from traumatic brain injury. His performance is more realistic than most cinematic depictions of brain injury (aside from the idea that brain surgery could have been performed without shaving his head!), which is in itself remarkable; the many ways in which there is a knife in his head, literally and figuratively and symbolically, add layers to an already brilliant performance.

Angela Winkler also shines in her complex and troubled relationship to the injured man.

It's been years since I saw this film, and yet it stays with me. I really want to see it again. I have to say I think it's a real shame that it was not more widely seen initially, and that it never seems to make it back to the revival houses...