Schtonk!
Encyclopedia
Schtonk! is a satirical German
movie
, retelling the hoax
of the Hitler Diaries
.
Subtitled Der Film zum Buch vom Führer ("The film accompanying the Führer
's book"), the movie is a grotesque farce about the events when, in 1983, German Stern
magazine began to publish, with great fanfare, the 60 volumes of the alleged diaries
of Adolf Hitler
– which two weeks later turned out to be entirely fake. That story is commonly described one of the greatest failures of modern journalism overall.
The film is widely considered a hilarious tale, making fun not only of the events and characters who were involved in the hoax, and who are only thinly disguised in the movie, but also of the discomfort Germany has with its difficult past. It is especially fun to viewers familiar with the country.
The film is co-written and directed by Helmut Dietl
and, among his many respected comedies, frequently considered his best. Dietl researched the scandal for two years and has been quoted as having to leave out several real events from the movie because they were too outrageous.
The title is a bow to Charlie Chaplin
's classic The Great Dictator
, in which the Fooey repeatedly uses "Schtonk!" as an expression of disgust – the word has no meaning in German
but resembles Stunk , a colloquial expression for a scuffle or altercation.
) supports himself by faking and selling Nazi memorabilia. So he sells a portrait of Eva Braun
and one volume of Hitler's alleged diaries to factory owner Karl Lenz. Lenz presents this on a "birthday party to the Führer" to his guests, among them sleazy journalist Hermann Willié. Willié is working for the magazine "HH press" (real-world Stern magazine is located in Hamburg
, which is abbreviated "HH" on German car license plates; "HH" is pronounced "haha"). In the events Knobel writes down according to what happens around him; after he meets his later lover Martha, she becomes his inspiration for Eva Braun. As he then comes under increasing stress, having to deliver the remaining volumes that he had already sold, he turns more and more into a mock image of Hitler himself.
Since the circulation of Stern had been in decline for years at the time since its glory days under editor Henri Nannen
(and has been since then), the depiction of its "HH press" movie counterpart and the people who are running it is also quite telling.
), as well as for a Golden Globe in the same category (losing there to Indochine also).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, retelling the hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
of the Hitler Diaries
Hitler Diaries
In April 1983, the West German news magazine Stern published excerpts from what purported to be the diaries of Adolf Hitler, known as the Hitler Diaries , which were subsequently revealed to be forgeries...
.
Subtitled Der Film zum Buch vom Führer ("The film accompanying the Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
's book"), the movie is a grotesque farce about the events when, in 1983, German Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
magazine began to publish, with great fanfare, the 60 volumes of the alleged diaries
Hitler Diaries
In April 1983, the West German news magazine Stern published excerpts from what purported to be the diaries of Adolf Hitler, known as the Hitler Diaries , which were subsequently revealed to be forgeries...
of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
– which two weeks later turned out to be entirely fake. That story is commonly described one of the greatest failures of modern journalism overall.
The film is widely considered a hilarious tale, making fun not only of the events and characters who were involved in the hoax, and who are only thinly disguised in the movie, but also of the discomfort Germany has with its difficult past. It is especially fun to viewers familiar with the country.
The film is co-written and directed by Helmut Dietl
Helmut Dietl
Helmut Dietl is a German film director and author from Bad Wiessee.- Work :After completion of grammar school in 1958, Dietl studied theatre science and the history of art. Afterwards, he became head of photography and later assistant director to the Munich Kammerspiele theatre...
and, among his many respected comedies, frequently considered his best. Dietl researched the scandal for two years and has been quoted as having to leave out several real events from the movie because they were too outrageous.
The title is a bow to Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
's classic The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator is a comedy film by Charlie Chaplin released in October 1940. Like most Chaplin films, he wrote, produced, and directed, in addition to starring as the lead. Having been the only Hollywood film maker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was...
, in which the Fooey repeatedly uses "Schtonk!" as an expression of disgust – the word has no meaning in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
but resembles Stunk , a colloquial expression for a scuffle or altercation.
Plot
Fritz Knobel (the movie's alter-ego of real-life forger Konrad KujauKonrad Kujau
Konrad Paul Kujau was an illustrator and forger who became famous in 1983 as the creator of the so-called Hitler Diaries, for which he received DM 2.5 million from a person who in turn sold it for DM 9.3 million to the magazine Stern.-Early life:"Konny" Kujau was one of five children of Richard...
) supports himself by faking and selling Nazi memorabilia. So he sells a portrait of Eva Braun
Eva Braun
Eva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
and one volume of Hitler's alleged diaries to factory owner Karl Lenz. Lenz presents this on a "birthday party to the Führer" to his guests, among them sleazy journalist Hermann Willié. Willié is working for the magazine "HH press" (real-world Stern magazine is located in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, which is abbreviated "HH" on German car license plates; "HH" is pronounced "haha"). In the events Knobel writes down according to what happens around him; after he meets his later lover Martha, she becomes his inspiration for Eva Braun. As he then comes under increasing stress, having to deliver the remaining volumes that he had already sold, he turns more and more into a mock image of Hitler himself.
Since the circulation of Stern had been in decline for years at the time since its glory days under editor Henri Nannen
Henri Nannen
Henri Nannen was a famous German journalist....
(and has been since then), the depiction of its "HH press" movie counterpart and the people who are running it is also quite telling.
Nominations
In 1993, the film Schtonk! was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Foreign Language Film (losing to the French film IndochineIndochine (film)
Indochine is a 1992 French film set in colonial French Indochina during the 1930s. It is the story of Éliane Devries, a French plantation owner, and of her adopted Vietnamese daughter, Camille, with the rising Vietnamese nationalist movement set as a backdrop...
), as well as for a Golden Globe in the same category (losing there to Indochine also).
Won
In 1992, Schtonk! won 3 Film Awards in Gold at the German Film Awards in the categories Outstanding Feature Film, Outstanding Individual Achievement: Actor (Götz George), and Outstanding Individual Achievement: Direction (Helmut Dietl), as well as the Best Screenplay Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Helmut Dietl, Ulrich Limmer). In 1993, Harald Juhnke won the Ernst Lubitsch Award for his role as Pit Kummer in Schtonk!Major characters
- Götz GeorgeGötz GeorgeGötz George is a German actor, son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg commissar Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series Tatort.-Early years:...
– Hermann Willié (journalist; fictional equivalent of Gerd HeidemannGerd HeidemannGerd Heidemann is a German journalist best known for his role in the publication of purported Hitler Diaries that were subsequently proved to be forgeries....
) - Uwe OchsenknechtUwe OchsenknechtUwe Adam Ochsenknecht is a German actor and singer.-Work:Films Uwe Ochsenknecht has starred in include Schtonk!, Das Boot and the TV miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune.-Personal life:...
– Fritz Knobel (forger Konrad KujauKonrad KujauKonrad Paul Kujau was an illustrator and forger who became famous in 1983 as the creator of the so-called Hitler Diaries, for which he received DM 2.5 million from a person who in turn sold it for DM 9.3 million to the magazine Stern.-Early life:"Konny" Kujau was one of five children of Richard...
) - Christiane HörbigerChristiane HörbigerChristiane Hörbiger is an Austrian television and film actress.-Life and work:Christiane Hörbiger is one of the three actress daughters of Austrian actors Attila Hörbiger and Paula Wessely . Her sisters are Elisabeth Orth and Maresa Hörbiger.She has played roles in various German and Austrian TV...
– Freya von Hepp (Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
's grand niece, Willié's/Heidemann's noble girl friend) - Veronica FerresVeronica FerresVeronica Maria Cäcilia Ferres is a German actress who gained fame as Pierre Richard's co-star in the French TV-movie Sans famille and as the horrible Mme. Thénardier in the 2000 French TV miniseries Les Misérables...
– Martha (Knobel's lover) - Ulrich MüheUlrich MüheFriedrich Hans Ulrich Mühe was a German film, television and theatre actor. He played the role of Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler in the Oscar-winning film Das Leben der Anderen , for which he received the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Gold, at Germany's most prestigious film...
– Dr. Wieland (publisher) - Harald JuhnkeHarald JuhnkeHarald Juhnke , actually Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke, was a well-known German actor, comedian and entertainer.-Life:...
– Pit Kummer (Williés boss) - Hermann Lause – Kurt Glück