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.
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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