Schtonk! (1992)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Helmut Dietl

Writers:

Helmut Dietl (writer)
Ulrich Limmer (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 March 1992 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Der Film zum Buch vom Führer

Plot:

Fritz is a falsifier drawing a picture of Eva Braun, the girlfriend of Adolf Hitler. He meets Hermann...

Plot Keywords:

Hitler | Female Nudity | Nude Model | Spoof | Satire

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Götz George	...	Hermann Willié
Uwe Ochsenknecht	...	Fritz Knobel
Christiane Hörbiger	...	Freya von Hepp
Rolf Hoppe	...	Karl Lentz
Dagmar Manzel	...	Biggi
Veronica Ferres	...	Martha
Ulrich Mühe	...	Dr. Wieland
Martin Benrath	...	Uwe Esser
Hermann Lause	...	Kurt Glück
Karl Schönböck	...	Professor Strasser
Rosemarie Fendel	...	Mrs. Lentz
Georg Marischka	...	Von Klantz
Thomas Holtzmann	...	Notary Cornelius
Hark Bohm	...	Catholic pastor
Willy Harlander	...	Bavarian customs officer

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Germany:6 (f) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Alsterarkaden, Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Trivia:

Mario Adorf wanted to play in this movie, preferably the role of Hermann Willié, which went to Götz George, or the role of Fritz Knobel, which went to Uwe Ochsenknecht. Adorf later admitted that he had been offended for a few years, that Helmut Dietl didn't cast him in any role.

Movie Connections:

References The Great Dictator (1940)

Soundtrack:

Bride's Chorus from Lohengrin

One of the most brilliant German movies

This film is a must see for everybody who heard of the Hitler diary affair. Although the real affair is larger then life, and, according to many even more absurd that the movie, it is a must see.

The DVD is excellent, and I have watched it over and over again. Scenes are excellent, the way Christiane Hörbiger is addressed by Götz George, over and over again by the title of her late husband. His obsession for detail in restoring the ship he bought and finding Nazi `nick-nacks' It is all just too much to mention. One thing though, the better you know German, and Germany, the better you will understand the in-jokes. A lot of the humour is very subtle, and even in the comments here is misunderstood. Karl Schönböck for instance just claims to be an intimate friend of the Führer, he never was really, he is an fake, just like the diary's. He is brilliant at it. When Uwe Ochsenknecht is selling a painting of Eva Braun he just painted, as an original, Karl Schönböck claims he was there when Hitler painted it. The film just goes on and on like a rollercoaster and it is just unbelievable that Stern fell for this one. When something sounds to good to be true, it is, is a wisdom many people do not seem to have. However, like in House of Games, David Mamets brilliant movie on how scams work, you cannot cheat an honest man.

See this movie, buy the T Shirt, read the book, and never trust somebody who wants to make you rich.