Escape to Life
Narrated by Corin Redgrave and Vanessa Redgrave
Escape to Life, the result of a remarkable pairing between fiction and non-fiction filmmakers, depicts an even more remarkable relationship. Erika and Klaus Mann, the brilliant eldest children of German author Thomas Mann, claimed to be identical twins, despite being born more than a year apart and of different genders. Living under the shadow of Hitler’s rise, Erika and Klaus were intellectuals, homosexuals, and pacifists who lived as exiles. Erika was an actress whose satirical revues were censored throughout Europe. Klaus was a self-doubting writer whose banned novel, Mephisto, didn’t become a bestseller until long after his suicide. Filled with contradictions, their fascinating lives stand as a testament to the power of the individual — and art — against the forces of history. Weiss and Speck weave a seamless blend of dramatic scenes, compelling interviews (including Mann’s youngest daughter), and amazing archival footage.
Buy the Award-Winning Book! In the Shadow of the Magic Mountain: The Erika and Klaus Mann Story by Andrea Weiss (Univ. of Chicago Press: 2008), winner of the Publishing Triangle’s 2009 Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award.
Broadcast and Screenings:
- Arte (German/French television)
- YLE TV2 (Finnish television)
- April 2002 South Carolina Arts Commissions Southern Circuit
- March 2002 Laemmle Theatres Documentary Days, California
- February 2002 Zeitgeist Theater Experiment, New Orleans
- January 2002 Quad Cinema, New York
- November 2001 Coolidge Corner, Boston
- November 2001 Museum of Modern Art, New York City
- November 2001 Atlantic Film Festival
- Cinema Jury Award, Best Documentary Feature, Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (October 2001)
- October 2001 Valladolid International Film Festival Spain
- October 2001 Warsaw International Film Festival Poland
- October 2001 Bergen International Film Festival Norway
- July 2001 Jerusalem International Film Festival
- July 2001 Outfest Directors Guild of America Los Angeles
- June 2001 Seattle International Film Festival
- June 2001 San Francisco International Gay and lesbian Film Festival
- May 2001 Double Take Documentary Film Festival Duke University Durham NC
- May 2001 Inside Out Film and Video Festival Toronto
- March 2001 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival London
- Feb 2001 Berlin International Film Festival
- Jan 2001 Rotterdam International Film Festival
- Nov 2000 Hof Film Days, Germany
Written, directed by Andrea Weiss and Wieland Speck. Produced by Greta Schiller. A Jezebel Films UK production. Co-producer, zero film GmbH, Germany, in association with the Arts Council of England, Filmförderung Hamburg, the MEDIA Programme, YLE TV2, and ZDF/Arte.