“He saw the future. And it was war.”
A man's story parallels Hitler's rise. Austrian Klaus Schneider, wounded in World War I, recovers in the care of Dr. Emil Bettleheim. Bettleheim discovers that Schneider possesses powers of empathy and of clairvoyance, such that could aid suicidal patients. After the war, with one friend as his manager and another as his lover, Schneider changes his name to Eric Jan Hanussen and goes to Berlin, as a hypnotist and clairvoyant performing in halls and theaters. He always speaks the truth, which brings him to the attention of powerful Nazis. He predicts their rise (good propaganda for them) and their violence (not so good). He's in pain and at risk. What is Hanussen's future?
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Cast
27 people
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Schneider / Eric Jan Hanussen
Known for
Never Say Never Again
Out of Africa
Erland Josephson
Dr. Bettelheim
Known for
The Sacrifice
Nostalgia
Ildikó Bánsági
Sister Betty
Known for
Mephisto
Walter Schmidinger
Propaganda Chief
Known for
Requiem
From the Life of the Marionettes
Károly Eperjes
Tibor Nowotny
Known for
Colonel Redl
Grażyna Szapołowska
Valery de la Meer
Known for
365 Days
A Short Film About Love
Colette Pilz-Warren
Dagma
No other roles listed
Adrianna Biedrzyńska
Wally
Known for
Decalogue IV
Dekalog
György Cserhalmi
Count Trantow-Waldbach
Known for
Son of the White Mare
Damnation
Michał Bajor
Becker
Known for
On the Silver Globe
No End
Jiří Adamíra
Rattinger
Also in
A Prague Underworld
Byl jednou jeden dům
Róbert Rátonyi
Prof. Gábor
Known for
The Witness
Colonel Redl
István Szabó Director · Péter Dobai Screenplay Lajos Koltai Cinematographer
United States release March 10, 1989 · Produced in Austria, Germany, Hungary · Languages German, Hungarian
Production
ZDF
Production
Hungarofilm
Production
Mafilm
Production
Mokép
Production
Objektív Filmstúdió Vállalat
Production
CCC Filmkunst
Production
Central Cinema Company Film (CCC)
Production
Austria · Germany · Hungary
Produced in
Languages
Original language
Hungarian
Spoken on screen
German · Hungarian
Release dates
France · May 20, 1988
Theatrical
Hungary · October 6, 1988
Theatrical
United States · March 10, 1989
Limited theatrical
Germany
October 13, 1988 · Theatrical
Netherlands
February 11, 2010 · Physical · DVD
Sweden
December 25, 1988 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
April 21, 1989 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.