Jakob the Liar (1999)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Peter Kassovitz

Writers (WGA):

Jurek Becker (novel)
Peter Kassovitz (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Tagline:

When all hope was lost, he invented it.

Plot:

In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew...

Plot Keywords:

Ghetto | Radio | German | Hope | Nazi

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Jakob
Hannah Taylor-Gordon	...	Lina (as Hannah Taylor Gordon)
Éva Igó	...	Lina's Mother (as Eva Igo)
István Bálint	...	Lina's Father (as Istvan Balint)
Justus von Dohnanyi	...	Preuss
Kathleen Gati	...	Hooker
Bob Balaban	...	Kowalsky
Alan Arkin	...	Frankfurter
Michael Jeter	...	Avron
Mark Margolis	...	Fajngold
János Gosztonyi	...	Samuel (as Janos Gosztonyi)
Liev Schreiber	...	Mischa
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Kirschbaum
Ádám Rajhona	...	The Whistler (as Adam Rajhona)
Antal Leisen	...	Peg-Leg

Also Known As:

Jakob le menteur (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

France | USA | Hungary

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #36159) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Armin Mueller-Stahl, who plays Dr. Kirschbaum (the Professor) was also in Jakob, der Lügner (1975) (upon which the 1999 film is based) as Roman Stahm, the brother of the character who was shot.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Jakob is chasing after the newspaper, a wire pulling the newspaper is briefly visible.

Quotes:

Jakob Heym: I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in After School Special (2003)

Soundtrack:

Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)

One of the best movies I've ever seen

NO SPOILERS, read freely. I had long heard about this movie but I did not have a slight clue of how good it really was. Apart Michael Jeter, Alan Arkin, Robin Williams and Armin Mueller-Stahl I wasn't really familiar with many other faces on the screen but everyone stood up to their role brilliantly. This WWII drama narrates the story of accidental prophet Jakob whose lies bring hope to those living in his Ghetto in a time of hardship. It's a sad story but more than once you are forced to smile by the evvents. Missing out on this one would be a pity. Everything about JAKOB THE LIAR is perfect, it's a very realistic down to earth story, acting and script are also brilliant...not to mention Edward Shearmur's really heartwarming scoundtrack, what a pity it has not been released. (the CD) A must for the lovers of the genre.