Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Messer im Kopf" or "Knife in the Head" (there's actually much more than a knife in the head here) is a West German 105-minute film from 1978, so two more years and this one will have its 40th anniversary. The director and one of the writers is Reinhard Hauff and it is one of his most known works. The cast includes a handful somewhat famous names, such as lead actor Bruno Ganz. His character's wife is played by Angela Winkler who probably was a lot more known back then than she is today. Same can be said about Udo Samel and Hans Christian Blech. And this was a breakthrough film for the young Heinz Hoenig, who scored a German Film Award nomination for his work here, just like Blech. I am not sure I would agree with these nominations though. In my opinion, the heart and soul of the film is Ganz' performance and he elevates the material here by a lot. Strangely enough, he was not nominated, but the film itself was awarded as one of the best German Films of the year. The grand prize went to the Oscar-winning "Tin Drum" though, another very overrated film that is actually similar to this one telling individual fates and stories in the context of politics playing a major role. But back to this one here. I did enjoy the first half and it was tense and nicely done in terms of suspense. But the way, things unfolded after the 50-minute mark was not to my liking at all and I cannot say I was satisfied by the solution and how it all turns out towards the end'. That's why the writing, which is the most important aspect of a film, did not satisfy me here. I have to give it a thumbs-down. Quite a shame after it started so well. Not recommended.

brownieboy According to reports at the time, the Federal Republic of Germany (or "West Germany," as it was known then,) became somewhat of a police state in the mid-70's.The embarrassing, massive blunder of the Munich '72 Olympics segued into the Baader-Meinhoff, and at some point the German government started using police tactics that had more to do with Orwellian practices than civil rights. This movie reflects that, and it does so while showing the arduous process experienced by its protagonist (admirably played by Bruno Ganz,) who must literally rewire his brain after the forces of the State almost kill him by mistake and then try to blame him in order to cover things up.There must have been a measure of freedom left in W. Germany for this movie to have come out somehow. Is Ganz's recovery (from vegetable back to human being after having had his memory wiped out) an allegory of Germany itself (from Nazism to freedom and back to a police state again)? Go figure. All I know is that is movie left an indelible impression in my mind, which is saying a lot in an era when German cinematography was coming up with a gem every other month.Seek it out.

oyen I found this to be a very powerful film when I first saw it almost 25 years ago. My opinion of it remains the same to-day as it was then. I regret that more people have not had the opportunity to see this remarkable film.

Agnes Tomorrow Bruno Ganz is astonishing as a man recovering from traumatic brain injury. His performance is more realistic than most cinematic depictions of brain injury (aside from the idea that brain surgery could have been performed without shaving his head!), which is in itself remarkable; the many ways in which there is a knife in his head, literally and figuratively and symbolically, add layers to an already brilliant performance.Angela Winkler also shines in her complex and troubled relationship to the injured man.It's been years since I saw this film, and yet it stays with me. I really want to see it again. I have to say I think it's a real shame that it was not more widely seen initially, and that it never seems to make it back to the revival houses...