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Brainwashed

Original title: Schachnovelle
  • 1960
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
616
YOUR RATING
Brainwashed (1960)
DramaSportWar

In 1938 Austria shortly after the Nazi occupation, a prominent Viennese intellectual, Werner von Basil, is arrested for smuggling art treatures out of the country and imprisoned by the Gesta... Read allIn 1938 Austria shortly after the Nazi occupation, a prominent Viennese intellectual, Werner von Basil, is arrested for smuggling art treatures out of the country and imprisoned by the Gestapo in a hotel room without any mental sustence of any kind to break him down to make him t... Read allIn 1938 Austria shortly after the Nazi occupation, a prominent Viennese intellectual, Werner von Basil, is arrested for smuggling art treatures out of the country and imprisoned by the Gestapo in a hotel room without any mental sustence of any kind to break him down to make him talk while a young ballerina, named Irene Adreny whom is the lover of the SS officer Berger... Read all

  • Director
    • Gerd Oswald
  • Writers
    • Stefan Zweig
    • Harold Medford
    • Gerd Oswald
  • Stars
    • Curd Jürgens
    • Claire Bloom
    • Hansjörg Felmy
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    616
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gerd Oswald
    • Writers
      • Stefan Zweig
      • Harold Medford
      • Gerd Oswald
    • Stars
      • Curd Jürgens
      • Claire Bloom
      • Hansjörg Felmy
    • 7User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos37

    The Devil's General (1955)
    Brainwashed (1960)
    Brainwashed (1960)
    Rudolf Forster and Curd Jürgens in Brainwashed (1960)
    Curd Jürgens in Brainwashed (1960)
    Hansjörg Felmy and Curd Jürgens in Brainwashed (1960)
    Mario Adorf, Albert Bessler, Alan Gifford, Jan Hendriks, Curd Jürgens, and Dietmar Schönherr in Brainwashed (1960)
    Curd Jürgens in Brainwashed (1960)
    Claire Bloom in Brainwashed (1960)
    Claire Bloom in Brainwashed (1960)
    Mario Adorf, Alan Gifford, and Dietmar Schönherr in Brainwashed (1960)
    Claire Bloom in Brainwashed (1960)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Curd Jürgens
    Curd Jürgens
    • Werner von Basil
    Claire Bloom
    Claire Bloom
    • Irene Andreny
    Hansjörg Felmy
    Hansjörg Felmy
    • Hans Berger
    Mario Adorf
    Mario Adorf
    • Mirko Centowic
    Albert Bessler
    • Scientist
    Rudolf Forster
    Rudolf Forster
    • Hotel Manager
    Alan Gifford
    Alan Gifford
    • Mac Iver
    Jan Hendriks
    Jan Hendriks
    • First Officer
    Albert Lieven
    Albert Lieven
    • Hartmann
    Harald Maresch
    Harald Maresch
    • Ballet Master
    Dietmar Schönherr
    Dietmar Schönherr
    • Rabbi
    Karel Stepanek
    Karel Stepanek
    • Baranow
    Wolfgang Wahl
    • Moonface
    Hans Söhnker
    Hans Söhnker
    • Bishop Ambrosse
    Rainer Brandt
    • First Officer
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Rijk de Gooyer
    Rijk de Gooyer
    • Berger's Secretary
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Dietl
    Robert Dietl
    • Steward
    • (uncredited)
    Susanne Körber-Harlan
    Susanne Körber-Harlan
    • Young Lady
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Gerd Oswald
    • Writers
      • Stefan Zweig
      • Harold Medford
      • Gerd Oswald
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Final film of Susanne Körber-Harlan.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    a disappointment
    This movie is the first (and the last?) adaptation of Stefan Zweig's short story "Die schachnovelle". I read it and I studied it for my exams when I was in high school. But above all, I loved it so I was quite impatient to discover this movie. I watched it and I must say that I was disappointed. Not only is the short story a toned down and softened adaptation of Zweig's masterpiece but it's also a betrayal. For example, when Mr B... is prisoner of the Gestapo, he's succeeding in finding a book that deals with chess. In the movie, the Gestapo's leader's taking it from him and not on the short story. Moreover, Mr B... is appearing at the beginning of the movie whereas in the book, he's entering the plot in the middle. I also noticed that the subjects broached in the short story like Mr B...'s madness against chess or Nazis' goal to dehumanize their prisoners were more sketched out than showed and analyzed. On another hand, unlike Zweig, Gert Oswald doesn't succeed in recreating a choking and unhealthy atmosphere in the part where Mr B... is prisoner of the Nazis. Nevertheless, I thought that the actor who played Czentovic's role was quite convincing thanks to his physical appearance (Zweig is writing about his head "a farmer's fat head") and he's recreating perfectly his feelings: he's conceited, unpleasant even ridiculous and he's despising his adversaries during the chess game. But this positive side isn't sufficient enough to save the movie and I hope that there'll be another (better) adaptation of the short story.
    helpful•10
    30
    • dbdumonteil
    • Nov 3, 2002

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 25, 1961 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Novela o šahu
    • Filming locations
      • UFA Studios, Berlin, Germany(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Roxy Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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