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Escape to Life: The
Erika and Klaus Mann Story |
| 2000,
85 mins, 35mm
55 min version
available
Narrated by Corin Redgrave and Vanessa Redgrave
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.
Available in 35mm, Beta, VHS, DVD
VHS , DVD German version 55 mins & 85 mins
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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.
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
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