Selling Hitler: Difference between revisions

*Selling Hitler*
Selling Hitler
	DVD cover (2010)
Genre	Drama-documentary miniseries
Based on	Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries by Robert Harris
Written by	Howard Schuman
Directed by	Alastair Reid
Starring	Jonathan Pryce; Alexei Sayle; Tom Baker; Alan Bennett; Roger Lloyd-Pack; Richard Wilson
Composers	John E. Keane; Tim Souster
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	5
Production
Executive producers	Lavinia Warner; John Hambley
Producer	Andrew Brown
Production company	Euston Films for Thames Television in association with Warner Sisters Productions
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	11 June –; 9 July 1991

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Selling Hitler is a 1991 ITV television comedy-drama mini-series about the Hitler Diaries hoax and was based on Robert Harris's 1986 book Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries.

Plot

In 1981, Gerd Heidemann (Jonathan Pryce), a war correspondent and reporter with the German magazine Stern, makes what he believes is the literary and historical scoop of the century: the diary of Adolf Hitler.

Over the next two years, Heidemann and the senior management figures at Stern secretly pay DM 9.3 million to a mysterious "Dr Fischer" (Alexei Sayle) for the sixty volumes of Hitler's diaries, covering the period from 1932 to 1945, plus a special volume about the flight of Rudolf Hess to the United Kingdom. Some of the money is made as payment to "Dr Fischer", but the larger proportion goes into Heidemann's pocket to finance his extravagant lifestyle and collection of World War II memorabilia, including the yacht of Hermann Göring.

To the dismay of all, including eminent historians such as Hugh Trevor-Roper (Alan Bennett), who had verified the diaries as authentic, it is discovered after the publication of the first extract that the diaries are crude forgeries by Stuttgart criminal Konrad Kujau.

Cast

The five-part series was directed by Alastair Reid and starred:

Jonathan Pryce as Gerd Heidemann
Alexei Sayle as Konrad Kujau (aka "Dr Fischer")
Tom Baker as Manfred Fischer, CEO of Gruner + Jahr
Alan Bennett as Hugh Trevor-Roper (Lord Dacre of Glanton)
Roger Lloyd-Pack as David Irving
Richard Wilson as Henri Nannen
Alison Doody as Gina Heidemann
Julie T. Wallace as Edith Lieblang
Peter Capaldi as Thomas Walde
Elaine Collins as Maria Modritsch
John Shrapnel as Gerd Schulte-Hillen
Alison Steadman as Edda Göring
Philip Fox as Leo Pesch
John Boswall as August Priesack
John Paul as Karl Wolff
Barry Humphries as Rupert Murdoch
Devon Scott as Barbara Dickmann
Bob Goody as Nazi rally Chairman
Robert Longden as Dr. Louis Werner
Mary Ellen Ray as Lynn Nesbit
Elizabeth Spender as Marlene

The series, which The Guardian described as "a rollicking comedy with black edges", was released on Region 1 DVD in July 2010.^[1]

References

^ Selling Hitler at IMDb

External links

Selling Hitler at IMDb
Selling Hitler at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] Selling Hitler at IMDb

[1]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
 {{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
-{{Italic title}}
 {{Infobox television
-| name                = Selling Hitler
+| image              = selling-hitler-dvd.jpg
-| image                    = selling-hitler-dvd.jpg
+| image_size         = 180
-| image_size               = 180px
+| image_alt          = DVD cover (2010)
-| image_alt                = ''Selling Hitler'' DVD cover (2010)
+| caption            = DVD cover (2010)
-| caption                  = ''Selling Hitler'' DVD cover (2010)
+| genre              = [[Drama-documentary]] [[miniseries]]
-| genre                    = [[Drama-documentary]] [[miniseries]]
+| director           = [[Alastair Reid (director)|Alastair Reid]]
-| director                 = [[Alastair Reid (director)|Alastair Reid]]
+| based_on           = ''Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries'' by [[Robert Harris (novelist)|Robert Harris]]
+| writer             = Howard Schuman
-| based_on            = ''Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries'' by [[Robert Harris (novelist)|Robert Harris]]
+| starring           = [[Jonathan Pryce]]<br />[[Alexei Sayle]]<br />[[Tom Baker]]<br />[[Alan Bennett]]<br />[[Roger Lloyd-Pack]]<br />[[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]]
-| writer                     = Howard Schuman
+| country            = United Kingdom
-| starring                 = [[Jonathan Pryce]]<br />[[Alexei Sayle]]<br />[[Tom Baker]]<br />[[Alan Bennett]]<br />[[Roger Lloyd-Pack]]<br />[[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]]
-| country                  = [[United Kingdom]]
+| language           = English
-| language                 = [[English language|English]]
+| composer           = [[John E. Keane]]<br />[[Tim Souster]]
-| composer               = [[John E. Keane]]<br />[[Tim Souster]]
+| producer           = Andrew Brown
+| executive_producer = [[Lavinia Warner]]<br />[[John Hambley (producer)|John Hambley]]
-| producer                = Andrew Brown
+| num_series         = 1
-| executive_producer     = [[Lavinia Warner]]<br />[[John Hambley (producer)|John Hambley]]
-| num_series              = 1
+| num_episodes       = 5
+| company            = [[Euston Films]] for [[Thames Television]] in association with Warner Sisters Productions
-| num_episodes             = 5
+| network            = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
-| company             = [[Euston Films]] for [[Thames Television]] in association with Warner Sisters Productions
+| first_aired        = {{start date|1991|6|11|df=yes}}
-| distributor              = [[FremantleMedia]]
-| network                  = [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]]
+| last_aired         = {{end date|1991|7|9|df=yes}}
-| audio_format        = [[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]]
-| picture_format      = [[4:3]]
-| first_aired              = {{start date|1991|6|11|df=yes}}
-| last_aired               = {{end date|1991|7|9|df=yes}}
 }}
 '''''Selling Hitler''''' is a 1991 [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] television comedy-drama mini-series about the [[Hitler Diaries]] hoax and was based on [[Robert Harris (novelist)|Robert Harris]]'s 1986 book ''Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries''.
 ==Plot==
+In 1981, [[Gerd Heidemann]] ([[Jonathan Pryce]]), a [[war correspondent]] and [[Journalism|reporter]] with the German magazine ''[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]]'', makes what he believes is the literary and historical scoop of the century: the diary of [[Adolf Hitler]].
-In 1981, [[Gerd Heidemann]] ([[Jonathan Pryce]]), a [[war correspondent]] and [[Journalism|reporter]] with the German magazine ''[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]]'', makes what he believes is the literary and historical scoop of the century: the diary of [[Adolf Hitler]]. Over the next two years, Heidemann and the senior management figures at ''Stern'' secretly pay  [[German mark|DM]] 9 million to a mysterious [[Konrad Kujau|"Dr Fischer"]] ([[Alexei Sayle]]) for the sixty volumes of 'Hitler's diaries', covering the period from 1932 to 1945, plus a ''special volume'' about the flight of [[Rudolf Hess]] to the United Kingdom. Some of the money is made as payment to "Dr Fischer" but the larger proportion goes into Heidemann's pocket, to finance his extravagant life and collection of [[World War II]] [[Souvenir|memorabilia]], including the yacht of [[Hermann Göring]]. To the dismay of all, including eminent [[historian]]s such as [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] ([[Alan Bennett]]), who verified the diaries as authentic, it is discovered after the publication of the first extract that the diaries are crude fabrications by [[Stuttgart]] criminal [[Konrad Kujau]].
+Over the next two years, Heidemann and the senior management figures at ''Stern'' secretly pay  [[German mark|DM]] 9.3 million to a mysterious [[Konrad Kujau|"Dr Fischer"]] ([[Alexei Sayle]]) for the sixty volumes of Hitler's diaries, covering the period from 1932 to 1945, plus a ''special volume'' about the flight of [[Rudolf Hess]] to the United Kingdom. Some of the money is made as payment to "Dr Fischer", but the larger proportion goes into Heidemann's pocket to finance his extravagant lifestyle and collection of [[World War II]] [[Souvenir|memorabilia]], including the yacht of [[Hermann Göring]].
+To the dismay of all, including eminent [[historian]]s such as [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] ([[Alan Bennett]]), who had verified the diaries as authentic, it is discovered after the publication of the first extract that the diaries are crude forgeries by [[Stuttgart]] criminal [[Konrad Kujau]].
 ==Cast==
@@ Line 39: / Line 37: @@
 *[[Jonathan Pryce]] as [[Gerd Heidemann]]
-*[[Alexei Sayle]] as [[Konrad Kujau]] alias "Dr Fischer"
+*[[Alexei Sayle]] as [[Konrad Kujau]] (aka "Dr Fischer")
-*[[Tom Baker]] as Manfred Fischer CEO of [[Gruner + Jahr]]
+*[[Tom Baker]] as Manfred Fischer, CEO of [[Gruner + Jahr]]
-*[[Alan Bennett]] as [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]]
+*[[Alan Bennett]] as [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] (Lord Dacre of Glanton)
 *[[Roger Lloyd-Pack]] as [[David Irving]]
 *[[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]] as [[Henri Nannen]]
@@ Line 47: / Line 45: @@
 *[[Julie T. Wallace]] as Edith Lieblang
 *[[Peter Capaldi]] as Thomas Walde
+*[[Elaine Collins]] as Maria Modritsch
 *[[John Shrapnel]] as Gerd Schulte-Hillen
 *[[Alison Steadman]] as [[Edda Göring]]
@@ Line 53: / Line 52: @@
 *[[John Paul (actor)|John Paul]] as [[Karl Wolff]]
 *[[Barry Humphries]] as [[Rupert Murdoch]]
-*[[Devon Scott]] as Barbara Dickmann.
+*[[Devon Scott]] as Barbara Dickmann
 *[[Bob Goody]] as Nazi rally Chairman
 *[[Robert Longden (actor)|Robert Longden]] as Dr. Louis Werner
 *[[Mary Ellen Ray]] as Lynn Nesbit
+*[[Elizabeth Spender]] as Marlene
 The series, which ''[[The Guardian]]'' described as "a rollicking comedy with black edges", was released on [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] DVD in July 2010.<ref>{{IMDb title|id=0124256|title=Selling Hitler}}</ref>
+==See also==
+* ''[[Schtonk!]]'', 1992 German comedy film about the same subject matter
 ==References==
@@ Line 74: / Line 77: @@
 [[Category:1991 British television series endings]]
 [[Category:1990s British drama television series]]
-[[Category:Television series about journalism]]
-[[Category:Television shows set in Germany]]
-[[Category:ITV television dramas]]
-[[Category:Documentary films about Adolf Hitler]]
 [[Category:1990s British television miniseries]]
-[[Category:English-language television shows]]
-[[Category:Television shows produced by Thames Television]]
-[[Category:Television series by Fremantle (company)]]
-[[Category:Television series by Euston Films]]
 [[Category:Cultural depictions of Rupert Murdoch]]
+[[Category:Documentary films about Adolf Hitler]]
+[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
+[[Category:Films directed by Alastair Reid]]
+[[Category:ITV television dramas]]
+[[Category:Television series about journalism]]
+[[Category:Television series by Euston Films]]
+[[Category:Television series by Fremantle (company)]]
 [[Category:Television series set in 1981]]
 [[Category:Television series set in 1982]]
 [[Category:Television series set in 1983]]
-[[Category:Films directed by Alastair Reid]]
+[[Category:Television shows produced by Thames Television]]
+[[Category:Television shows set in Germany]]

v t e Works by Robert Harris
Cicero Trilogy	Imperium (2006) Lustrum (2009) Dictator (2015)
Other fiction	Fatherland (1992) Enigma (1995) Archangel (1998) Pompeii (2003) The Ghost (2007) The Fear Index (2011) An Officer and a Spy (2013) Conclave (2016) Munich (2017) The Second Sleep (2019) V2 (2020) Act of Oblivion (2022) Precipice (2024)
Non-fiction	A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret Story of Gas and Germ Warfare (1982) Gotcha! The Government, the Media and the Falklands Crisis (1983) The Making of Neil Kinnock (1984) Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries (1986) Good and Faithful Servant: The Unauthorized Biography of Bernard Ingham (1990)
Screenplays	The Ghost Writer (2010) An Officer and a Spy (2019)
Other screen adaptations	Selling Hitler (1991) Fatherland (1994) Enigma (2001) Archangel (2005) Munich – The Edge of War (2021) The Fear Index (2022) Conclave (2024)