''Conversation with the Beast'' (german: Gespräch mit dem Biest) is a 1996 German film directed by

Armin Mueller-Stahl Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 17 December 1930) is a retired German film actor, painter and author, who also appeared in numerous English-language films since the 1980s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role i ...

, and written by Mueller-Stahl and

Tom Abrams Tom Abrams (North Carolina, 1958) is an American screenwriter and director whose work has been recognized in both the United States and Europe. Early life and education Abrams was born and raised in North Carolina. His father was Richard Abr ...

. The film is about an American researcher (played by

Bob Balaban Robert Elmer Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, author, comedian, director and producer. He was one of the producers nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for ''Gosford Park'' (2001), in which he also appeared. Balab ...

), who interviews a 103-year-old man claiming to be

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 ...

. The film was released on 10 September 1996 at the

1996 Toronto International Film Festival The 21st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and September 14, 1996. Deepa Mehta's ''Fire'' was selected as the opening film. Awards Programme Gala Presentation *'' Shine'' by S ...

, shown at over twenty film festivals worldwide, but never released on video.

Plot

The film is based on the idea that Adolf Hitler, the "beast" of the film title, is still alive—hidden in a bunker—at the age of 103 (in 1992). The protagonist sits in a wheelchair and speaks English. This "real" Hitler invites six Hitler doubles into the bunker, furnished with Nazi paraphernalia, in which he lives with his apparently very young wife Hortense. Webster, an American journalist, breaks into the bunker and asks uncomfortable questions. He interviews the self-proclaimed Hitler for ten days before shooting him on the last day of the interview, as he is now sure that he is facing the real Hitler.

Cast

as Hitler *

as Webster *

Katharina Böhm Katharina Böhm (born 20 November 1964) is a Swiss-born Austrian actress. Between 1999 and 2002 she played the role of Livia Burlando in the Italian TV series ''Il commissario Montalbano'', based on the character Salvo Montalbano from the novels ...

as Hortense *

Hark Bohm Hark Bohm (; born 18 May 1939) is a German actor, screenwriter, film director, playwright and former professor for cinema studies. He was born in Hamburg-Othmarschen and grew up on the island Amrum. His younger brother was the actor Marquard Boh ...

as Dr. Hassler *

Peter Fitz Peter Fitz (8 August 1931 – 10 January 2013) was a German stage and film actor. Biography Fitz completed an apprenticeship at the drama school of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg in the 1950s. In the 1960s, engagements at the Schaus ...

as Dr. Segebrecht *

Dieter Laser Klaus Dieter Laser (17 February 1942 – 29 February 2020) was a German actor. Laser's career spanned over five decades, appearing in both German and English-language productions. He achieved recognition for his lead role in the 2009 film ''The ...

as Peter Hollsten *

Joachim Dietmar Mues Joachim Dietmar Mues (1945–2011) was a German stage, film and television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in mod ...

as Heinrich Pfarmann * Kai Rautenberg as Horst Sievers *

Harald Juhnke Harald Juhnke () (born Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke, 10 June 1929 – 1 April 2005), was a German actor, comedian, and singer. Life and career Juhnke was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg. His father was a police officer and his mother came from a ...

as Hitler double *

Otto Sander Otto Sander (; 30 June 1941 – 12 September 2013) was a German film, theater, and voice actor. Life Education and early career Sander grew up in Kassel, where he graduated in 1961 from the Friedrichgymnasium. After leaving school he s ...

as Hitler double

References

External links

*
''Gespräch mit dem Biest''
at

Filmportal.de filmportal.de is an online database of information related to German film. It includes extensive information on films and filmmakers as well as articles on film issues. The website was released on occasion of the 54th Berlin International Film Fe ...

1996 films German drama films Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler 1990s German-language films 1996 drama films 1990s German films Films set in bunkers {{1990s-Germany-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links