''Hotel Lux'' is a 2011 German period film directed by

Leander Haußmann Leander Haußmann (sometimes Haussmann) (; born 26 June 1959, Quedlinburg) is a German theatre and film director. The son of actor Ezard Haußmann and costume designer Doris Haußmann, he attended the Ernst Busch theatre school in Berlin. Hau� ...

. The

tragicomedy Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragedy, tragic and comedy, comic forms. Most often seen in drama, dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the ov ...

begins in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and moves to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Featuring the main character Hans Zeisig, an apolitical comedian, the picture involves him with numerous historical facts and figures of this era.

Plot

In 1933, as

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the Nazis come to power in Germany, actor and comedian Hans Zeisig (

Michael Herbig Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

) and his partner, Siggi Meyer (

Jürgen Vogel Jürgen Peter Vogel (; born 29 April 1968, in Hamburg) is a German actor, screenwriter, film producer and singer. One of the most successful character actors in German cinema, he first broke out in 1992 with his role in ''Little Sharks''.Jürgen ...

), have a successful comedy act at a Berlin

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

doing impersonations of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

and

. Meyer is politically active in the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

and through him, Zeisig meets the attractive Dutch communist Frida (

Thekla Reuten Thekla Simona Gelsomina Reuten (born 16 September 1975) is a Dutch actress. Life and career Reuten was born in Bussum, Netherlands, the daughter of a Dutch father, Joost Reuten, and an Italian mother, who was born in Benabbio near Bagni di Lucc ...

). Zeisig is apolitical; he's dreaming about a career in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. He finds the growing political tension an unpleasant nuisance, but Meyer is endangered by the Nazis' power grab. He arrives one day at the theater with a black eye from an attack and says he is going to go underground. Another performer, a Nazi supporter who caricatures a Jewish man, makes a wisecrack about Meyer's black eye. They get into a backstage brawl, fully made up and in costume—the Nazi as a Jew and the Communist as Hitler.Catherine Hickley
"Stalin Cavorts With Hitler in Communist Spoof ‘Hotel Lux’: Film"
''Bloomberg News'' (November 2, 2011). Retrieved November 13, 2011 The fight careens its way from the dressing room to the stage, with "Hitler" on top of the "Jew". The audience, larded with uniformed Nazis, assumes it to be part of the show and cheers. The situation continues to deteriorate in Germany. Audiences grow dour, and the theater management has to comply with the prevailing

Gleichschaltung The Nazi term () or "coordination" was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party successively established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all aspects of German society and societies occupied b ...

Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...

occurs. Zeisig refuses to perform the defamatory act of the stereotyped Jew. When he is told that it won't do anybody harm, Zeisig states, "It will harm ''me!''" He goes onstage clad as Hitler and satirizes him, knowing he will have to flee.Alexander Cammann
"Müde Kalauer im roten Bunker"
''

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

'' (October 23, 2011). Retrieved November 13, 2011 Zeisig learns Meyer has been arrested and deported to

Oranienburg concentration camp Oranienburg was an early Nazi concentration camp, one of the first detention facilities established by the Nazis in the state of Prussia when they gained power in 1933. It held the political opponents of Nazi Party from the Berlin region, most ...

. Equipped with a forged passport, a fake beard and an assumed name, Zeisig leaves Germany and eventually enters the Soviet Union. His goal is still Hollywood. In Moscow, he arrives at the

Hotel Lux The former Hotel Lux in Moscow Hotel Lux (Люксъ) was a hotel in Moscow during the Soviet Union, housing many leading exiled and visiting Communists. During the Nazi era, exiles from all over Europe went there, particularly from Germany. A n ...

(this was a historic hotel in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where many exiled German communists sought shelter during the Nazi era). Zeisig encounters Frida, who under a different name, has an important position in the exiled German Communist Party. He also encounters numerous historical figures, such as

Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later (after spending the years of Nazi rule in ...

Herbert Wehner Herbert Richard Wehner (11 July 1906 – 19 January 1990) was a German politician. A former member of the Communist Party, he joined the Social Democrats (SPD) after World War II. He served as Federal Minister of Intra-German Relations from 1966 ...

and others, who later became important political figures in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. The apolitical Zeisig has landed in a hotbed of political intrigue; all important conversations are held with the water running to shield them from the ubiquitous bugs. Zeisig wonders if he is in more danger at the Moscow hotel than he was in Nazi Germany. Taken for a ride to an unknown location, he learns his assumed identity is that of Hitler's astrological advisor, a person of great interest to Stalin. Zeisig is taken to Stalin in the only available safe place, the bathroom. Stalin motions for him to come forward, but remain silent. Stalin turns the water on and only then begins to speak. With Stalin's

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...

underway, Zeisig realizes that his life depends on his ability to placate the leader. Zeisig narrowly escapes one danger after another, revives his friendship with Meyer, and gains Frida's support.

Background

The film's director, Leander Haußmann, grew up under communism in

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of in ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

. The film is dedicated to the director's late father,

Ezard Haußmann Ezard Haußmann (10 February 1935 – 6 November 2010) was a German stage, television and film actor. He and costume designer Doris Haußmann were the parents of film director Leander Haußmann. Haußmann appeared in several of his son's films, w ...

. ''Hotel Lux'' was in pre-production more than four years; the script was worked on by two screenwriters. Herbig, a popular comedian, actor, and director known as a perfectionist, required more changes before he would sign on. He found the first versions of the script to be "too dramatic, too brutal," but joined the production after a lighter tone was reached. Herbig said he could finally relate to the character, a clueless comedian. At the Rome Film Festival 2011, German distributor

Bavaria Film Bavaria Film is a German film production and film distribution, distribution company. It is one of Europe's largest film production companies, with some 30 subsidiaries. History The studios were founded in 1919, when Munich-raised film produc ...

sold the film to Italian distributor Archibald Films.

Reception

Accolades

The official German film evaluation institution Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung rated ''Hotel Lux'' as "especially valuable" (''besonders wertvoll''), the highest rating possible.

Historical references

The production company has released teaching materials related to the film.Filmheft LUX (Teaching materials)
(PDF) ''Hotel Lux'' film website. Retrieved November 9, 2011

Notable figures portrayed or mentioned (selection)

Other historical references (selection)

References

External links

* *
''Hotel Lux'' at the Film Festival of Rome in 2011

Official Trailer with English subtitles

Review
Screen Daily (November 3, 2011). Retrieved November 10, 2011 {{subscription required 2011 films 2010s historical comedy-drama films German historical comedy-drama films 2010s German-language films Films about actors Films set in the 1930s Films set in Moscow Films set in the Soviet Union Films about Joseph Stalin Films shot in Cologne Films critical of communism Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler Cultural depictions of Joseph Stalin Cultural depictions of Leon Trotsky 2010s German films