Jacob the Liar
by Frank Beyer
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Product details
Actor: Blanche Kommerell, Erwin Geschonneck, Henry H?bchen, Manuela Simon, Vlastimil Brodsk?Director: Frank Beyer
Cinematographer: G?nter Marczinkowsky
Writer: Frank Beyer
Editor: Rita Hiller
Writer: Jurek Becker
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Subtitled); German (Original Language), Analog
Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled
Running Time: 100 minutes
Release Date: 2001-12-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: First Run Features
Studio: First Run Features
VHS Movie Reviews of Jacob the Liar
Movie Review: Jacob The Liar
Summary: 1 Stars
Bought Jakob The Liar because am a fan of Robin Williams, actors will make a bad movie every now and then, this is one.Movie Review: Highly Recommended
Summary: 4 Stars
Excellent film! Shows a realistic view of life in the Ghetto during WWII without the gore of "The Pianist." This is the only comedy that I have ever seen regarding the Holocaust; Robin Williams gives a stellar performance! I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in WWII or the Holocaust, but who is turned off by intense brutality or gore. Of course, the movie loses quite a bit of historical accuracy by cutting this reality out, but in my opinion it still captures the event well and appeals to anyone who might not be able to sit through the more intense movies. Very well done!Movie Review: Beware of the Reviews
Summary: 4 Stars
There are two films named "Jacob the Liar". The Robin Williams film (actually spelled "Jakob the Liar") is a remake of the film displayed above, which was an award-winning East German film of the 1970s. You can ignore any of the reviews below which mention Robin Williams, since they have been posted here in error.Movie Review: An honest liar
Summary: 3 Stars
Jakob the Liar/Jakob der Lugner was the only East German film to be Oscar-nominated and, considering how neatly it falls into the ever-popular tradition of East German films reminding the population of their sins during the war as a means to engender guilt and stifle criticism, it's surprising to learn how difficult it was to get made after the government detected a possibly subversive thread - you don't think the Nazis could be symbolising the communists, do you? It's a good film but not a great one, surprisingly visually unimaginative considering the strong qualities of Frank Beyer's other films and only really starting to hit home in the last half hour. Still, it's hard to dislike a film that begins with the caption `The story of Jakob the Liar is not true. Honest. Or perhaps it is.'
Armin Mueller-Stahl also featured in the Robin Williams remake, and its interesting to see note the way his stock-in-trade changed from slightly dense working class to his respectable and likeable grandpa schtick after the crossing the border.
Movie Review: Sincere but not entirely successful remake
Summary: 3 Stars
Jakob the Liar/Jakob der Lugner was the only East German film to be Oscar-nominated, yet it was long-forgotten by the time this much-delayed Robin Williams remake finally made it to cinema screens. Indeed, many people thought it a ripoff of Life is Beautiful, despite being finished long before it's rival.
It's certainly isn't really deserving of the contempt poured on it when it was initially released in the wake of Roberto Begnini's surprise hit. The film certainly has better design and resources than the original, but the tone is a constant problem. It's not so much that the comedy is highlighted at the expense of its Warsaw Ghetto background, more that the comedy doesn't work because it seems overplayed - like the performances, it's always a little too big to convince. On the plus side, it goes to a few darker places than the original, but loses all its Brownie points with a hideous Hollywood ending that may just be another lie but just seems like the wrong lie.
Armin Mueller-Stahl features in both the original East German version and this remake, and its interesting to see note the way his stock-in-trade changed from slightly dense working class to his respectable and likeable grandpa schtick after the crossing the border.
Summary of Jacob the Liar
Trapped in a Polish Ghetto with thousands of other Jews facing starvation or deportation to the death camps, Jacob is detained one evening at Gestapo headquarters. Eavesdropping, he overhears a radio report about a nearby Russian victory. At first he is silent, but circumstances compel him to pass on the good news of hope. In order to be believed, he feigns access to a hidden, strictly forbidden radio. Quickly he becomes a one-man bulwark against despair, a reluctant hero, but a tragic figure still-a man ultimately powerless to see or change the fate of his people. Jacob the Liar is a heartbreaking yet funny film that enlivens with the sheer power of its insight.The inspiration for the 1999 Robin Williams comedy Jakob the Liar didn't come from Roberto Begnini's acclaimed tragifarce Life Is Beautiful; it's a remake of a 1976 German film. Curiously enough, the original wasn't so much a comedy as a wistful, sad drama of the human spirit buoyed by memories, fantasies, and a lie that takes on a life of its own. Set in the waning days of the Warsaw ghetto when the Polish Jews have all but given up hope as the population dwindles and rumors fly, sad sack Jakob (Vlastimil Brodsky) overhears news of a Russian advance on a nearby German town while detained at the police station. Because no one will believe he survived a visit to the Nazi police, he makes up a story of a hidden radio. News of Jakob's secret spreads like wildfire through the town, lifting spirits and starting debates, and he's forced to start making up news to keep the neighbors satisfied. In the film's most touching scene, Jakob creates a mock broadcast for the orphaned girl he looks after. She peeks around the corner to see his handiwork, then chooses to believe the fantasy instead and sits back down to enjoy his stories. Frank Beyer's picture, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1977, becomes a quiet, gently ironic tale about the need to believe, against all evidence. --Sean Axmaker
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