From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brainwashed (film)
Brainwashed (film)
Brainwashed ously anxious passenger, who is on his way to the port
with Bishop Ambrosse, is expected.
During the trip, passengers ask grumpy Centowic to
play a chess game, which he reluctantly agrees to. Cen-
towic’s opponents are about to lose the match. However,
the mysterious passenger, who accidentally joins the
scene, intervenes and helps them to turn the match into
a draw. Centowic is amazed to not have ever seen the
stranger, who, as he says, has just had his first chess piece
in his hands, at any important tournament.
A flashback tells the stranger’s story: He is Werner
von Basil, an Austrian lawyer. Together with Bishop Am-
brosse, he hides art treasures abroad in order to protect
them from the national socialists who had just occupied
Austria. Von Basil doesn’t take the bishop’s warnings
about the threat for him too seriously. On a party given
by von Basil, the newly inaugurated Gestapo man, Hans
Berger engages ballet dancer Irene Andreny, who is his
girlfriend, to learn from von Basil where the art treasures
are. When she is unsuccessful, Berger has von Basil ar-
rested the same evening. In order to break von Basil’s
will, Berger puts him into solitary confinement. Von Basil
Directed by Gerd Oswald has all his personal belongings taken from him; the only
variety in his every-day routine is the guardian who pro-
Produced by Luggi Waldleitner
vides him with food.
Written by Harold Medford, Berger is pressured not only by Irene, who feels ne-
Gerd Oswald glected, but also by his superior Hartmann, as von Basil
Starring Curd Jürgens, keeps the hiding-place of the art treasures a secret even
Hansjörg Felmy after six weeks of isolation. As von Basil pretends to be
cooperative and is brought to a questioning, he succeeds
Music by Hans-Martin Majewski
in stealing a book from a coat pocket. In the questioning,
Cinematography Günther Senftleben von Basil drops Berger in it and feels the sympathy the
present Irene feels for him. Back again in his room, von
Editing by K. M. Eckstein
Basil is disappointed to learn that the book he has stolen
Release date(s) September 16, 1960 just deals with chess matches. Due to a lack of alterna-
Running time 102 minutes tives, von Basil reads it and uses pieces of bread as chess
pieces to re-enact the chess matches described in the
Country Germany book. Even as Berger discovers his secret and deprives
Language German him of the book, von Basil plays chess against himself in
his mind.
Brainwashed (original title Schachnovelle) is a German film. After asking bishop Ambrosse for help, Irene begs
The 1960 film is based on Stefan Zweig’s novella The Royal Berger to release von Basil but is insulted by Berger. As
Game. von Basil suffers from a nervous breakdown but still re-
fuses to reveal his secrets, Hartmann now tries on his
own to break von Basil’s will.
Plot As von Basil plays yet another match against Centow-
Chess world champion Centowic wants to travel by ship ic, he furiously attacks Centowic, as he wants to learn
to an important chess tournament. The ship, however, form Centowic how much information he gave away dur-
starts behind schedule, because a mysterious and obvi- ing his solitary confinement. Irene joins the scene and is
able to assure von Basil that he revealed none of his se-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brainwashed (film)
crets. Irene was spared harassment; Berger was no longer • Jan Hendriks — First Officer
of use for his superiors. Von Basil and Irene fall in love • Albert Lieven — Hartmann
with each other. • Harald Maresch — Ballet Master
• Dietmar Schönherr — Rabbi
Cast •
•
Karel Stepanek — Baranow
Wolfgang Wahl — von Basils’ Guardian, called
• Curd Jürgens — von Basil Moonface
• Hansjörg Felmy — Berger • Dorothea Wieck — Countess
• Mario Adorf — Karl Centowic • Rijk de Gooyer — Berger’s Secretary
• Claire Bloom — Irene Andreny • Susanne Körber-Harlan — Young Lady
• Hans Söhnker — Bishop Ambrosse
• Albert Bessler — Scientist
• Rudolf Forster — Hotel manager
External links
• Alan Gifford — Mac Iver • Brainwashed at the Internet Movie Database
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brainwashed_(film)&oldid=461205238"
Categories:
• German films
• German-language films
• 1960 films
• West German films
• Films based on novels
• Black-and-white films
• Films about chess
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