Schtonk!

A brisk, witty satire that turns a real-life hoax into a farcical romp, poking fun at media gullibility and Germany's uneasy relationship with its past.

Directed by

Helmut Dietl

Genres

Comedy, History

Starring

Götz George, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Christiane Hörbiger

Tagline

One of the first funny german look at its past.

Overview

Schtonk! is a farce of the actual events of 1983, when Germany's Stern magazine published, with great fanfare, 60 volumes of the alleged diaries of Adolf Hitler – which two weeks later turned out to be entirely fake. Fritz Knobel (based on real-life forger Konrad Kujau) supports himself by faking and selling Nazi memorabilia. When Knobel writes and sells a volume of Hitler's (nonexistent) diaries, he thinks it's just another job. When sleazy journalist Hermann Willié learns of the diaries, however, he quickly realizes their potential value... and Knobel is quickly in over his head. As the pressure builds and Knobel is forced to deliver more and more volumes of the fake diaries, he finds himself acting increasingly like the man whose life he is rewriting. The film is a romping and hilarious satire, poking fun not only at the events and characters involved in the hoax (who are only thinly disguised in the film), but at the discomfort Germany has with its difficult past.

How it feels

Satirical, absurd, cynical and light. Brisk and needs your attention.

About

Deception, media, identity, obsession

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)