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.
Director: Frank Beyer. AKA Jacob the Liar Writers: Jurek Becker (novel & screenplay), Frank Beyer. Stars: Vlastimil Brodský, Erwin Geschonneck, Henry Hübchen, Blanche Kommerell, Manuela Simon, Dersö Garas, Zsuzsa Gordon, Friedrich Richter, Margit Bara, Armin Mueller-Stahl. Cinematographer: Günter Marczinkowsky. Composer: Joachim Werzlau.
1975 Berlin International Film Festival – Nominated for the Golden Bear. 1977 Academy Awards – Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
