Hanussen is a 1988 Hungarian film directed by István Szabó, centered around the life of Erik Jan Hanussen. Starring Klaus Maria Brandauer, the German-language film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also featured at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot During World War I, Klaus Schneider, a train conductor, is hospitalized for head injuries. His doctor, Dr. Bettelheim, discovers Schneider's clairvoyant abilities. Post-war, he reconnects with Captain Nowotny, who becomes his advisor. Schneider, now known as Erik Jan Hanussen, becomes a successful variety star after Nowotny's guidance. He gains fame for predicting a cruise ship's sinking but faces arrest and trial for fraud. However, he's acquitted after showcasing his abilities in court.
In Berlin, where he resides with his girlfriend Valery (Wally) and Nowotny, he socializes with the elite. Despite his earlier claims of being apolitical, he predicts Adolf Hitler's rise to Chancellor, causing tension with Nowotny and Wally. When he foresees the Reichstag fire, the Nazis brand him a traitor, leading to his murder by the SA on March 24-25, 1933, likely influenced by his Jewish background.
Cast Klaus Maria Brandauer – Klaus Schneider / Erik Jan Hanussen Erland Josephson – Dr. Bettelheim Ildikó Bánsági – Sister Betty Walter Schmidinger – Propaganda chief Károly Eperjes – Captain Tibor Nowotny Grażyna Szapołowska – Valery de la Meer Colette Pilz-Warren – Dagma Adrianna Biedrzyńska – Wally György Cserhalmi – Count Trantow-Waldbach Michał Bajor - Becker Jiří Adamíra - Rattinger Róbert Rátonyi - Prof. Gábor Kalina Jędrusik – Baroness Stadler Gabriela Kownacka – Propaganda chief's wife Ewa Błaszczyk – Henni Stahl
Awards Year Award Event Recipient Category Result 1988 Golden Palm Cannes Film Festival István Szabó Nominated
See also List of submissions to the 61st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film List of Hungarian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
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