Jacob the Liar (Jakob der Lügner) is a 1974 war drama film directed by Frank Beyer, adapted by Beyer and Jurek Becker from the latter’s novel of the same title.
1944, trapped in a Polish Ghetto with thousands of other Jews facing starvation or deportation to the death camps, Jacob Heym is detained one evening at Gestapo headquarters. Jakob accidentally overhears a news broadcast announcing the advancement of the Red Army. The news could give new courage to those who have lost all hope in the ghetto. In order to spread the news, Jakob has to lie about the circumstances through which he came to hear the news, as people are unlikely to believe him. Jakob heard the news, which he was never meant to learn about, in the offices of the Gestapo. He claims to have a secret radio. From then on, he is forced to come up with more news reports; the victims in the ghetto are given fresh hope and the number of suicides decreases. However, Jakob’s inventiveness can’t prevent the deportation from taking place.
In his bittersweet comedy loaded with human quirks and nuance, Jacob invents news reports to bolster the spirits of the other Jews living in his Polish ghetto under Nazi occupation. Jakob der Lügner was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1977.
Watch the film before Thursday, April 23, then join the Zoom meeting at 7:00 PM and come prepared with your comments and questions. DGC Board Member Marsha McCoy will once again be our moderator, and other Board Members will participate in the discussion as well.
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We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, April 23 @7:00 PM via Zoom!