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A tale based on the life of Wilhelm Furtwangler, the controversial conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic whose tenure coincided with the controversial Nazi era. One of the most spectacular and renowned conductors of the 30s, Furtwangler's reputation rivaled that of Toscanini's. After the war, he was investigated as part of the Allies' de-Nazification programme. In the bombed-out Berlin of the immediate post-war period, the Allies slowly bring law and order--and justice--to bear on an occupied Germany. An American major is given the Furtwangler file, and is told to find everything he can and to prosecute the man ruthlessly. Tough and hard-nosed, Major Steve Arnold sets out to investigate a world of which he knows nothing. Orchestra members vouch for Furtwangler's morality--he did what he could to protect Jewish players from his orchestra. To the Germans, deeply respectful of their musical heritage, Furtwangler was a demigod; to Major Arnold, he is just a lying, weak-willed Nazi.

Genres: Drama

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Moritz Bleibtreu

Released: January 1, 2001

Runtime: 108.0

Popularity Rating: 5.761

Austria, France, Germany, United Kingdom

Major Steve Arnold Harvey Keitel
Dr. Wilhelm Furtwangler Stellan Skarsgard
Lt. David Wills Moritz Bleibtreu
General Wallace R. Lee Ermey
Emmi Straube Birgit Minichmayr
Helmut Alfred Rode, 2nd violinist Ulrich Tukur
Colonel Dymshitz Oleg Tabakov
Rudolf Otto Werner, oboist Hanns Zischler
Schlee, timpanist Armin Rohde
Sergeant Adams Daniel White
Captain Ed Martin August Zirner

Directing — Director: Istvan Szabo
Writing — Screenplay: Ronald Harwood