Jakob the Liar
Dateline: 09/20/99 (Updated: 10/13/99)
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Both "Jakob" films are based on the book written by Polish-born Jurek Becker (1937-1997) when he was living in former East Germany. The book is based on Becker's experiences as a young boy during the Holocaust and was actually first written as a screenplay. Only after he had given up on getting his screenplay produced as a movie, did Becker turn it into a novel. Ironically, it was the international attention given the novel that finally led to a film production by the Potsdam based DEFA studios in 1974. In mid-October the 1974 German film "Jakob der Lügner" will be released as "Jacob the Liar" (with a "c") in an English-subtitled version in the US and Canada. Icestorm International and the University of Massachusetts, which houses the DEFA Film Library's collection of East German films, have joined to offer "Jacob the Liar" and other DEFA productions from the communist era. (See the sidebar to the right.) While Icestorm's previous release, priced at $150, is intended for libraries and educational institutions (public performance rights included), the Oct. 19 home video release is priced at $39.95 for the VHS version and $24.99 for DVD.
Special Screenings The new "Jakob the Liar"–with Robin Williams as Jakob Heym–was filmed in Warsaw and Budapest by the Hungarian-born director Peter Kassovitz. ("Jakob" is the first English-language film for Kassovitz, who usually lives in Paris.) Interestingly, German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl ("Shine," "X-Files Movie," "The Game," "The Peacemaker") appears in both the original and the new versions of "Jakob the Liar." REVIEWS of Jakob the Liar (1999) The Holocaust at About.com Filming with Robin Williams began in October 1997. Williams plays the role of Jakob Heym, an inhabitant of a WWII Polish ghetto who pretends to have an illegal radio in order to lift the spirits of his fellow prisoners. In a studio press release, Willams says, "The script had a certain power to it. It went back and forth between being very funny and very tragic and very brutal within moments. Most of the scenes were about everyday life–this interaction in the face of something quite horrific."
A couple of final observations. Despite the "k" spelling of the movie's title, in the film "Jakob" is pronounced like the English "Jacob" rather than the German yah-cob. In Hollywood's Jewish ghetto, everyone speaks English, even the East German-born Mueller-Stahl. "Jakob the Liar" is rated PG-13 (violence and disturbing images) in the US.
You're invited to post your own comments about this article and/or the movie in our German Forum. See what others think about either "Jakob der Lügner" or "Jakob the Liar"!
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