Hotel Lux (2011)

Summary: This satire follows the remarkable events experienced by a comedian, impersonator and cabaret actor, Hans Zeisig (Michael Herbig), and his encounters with communism. The film opens in 1938 with Zeisig stranded on the roof of the Hotel Lux in Moscow, and then flashes back to how he got to be there. The parody of Hitler and Stalin that he and Siggi Meyer (Jürgen Vogel) present in a cabaret in 1933 is hilarious but also prescient. Their act is looked upon as seditious by the emerging Nazi regime. Zeisig’s flight to Russia and his impersonation of Hitler’s astrologer for a bemused group of Russians leads to an incredible series of events. Can he survive this outlandish situation?

Year: 2011

Australian Cinema Release Date: 18th April, 2012

Australian DVD Release Date: TBA

Country: Germany

Director: Leander Haubmann

Screenwriter: Leander Haubmann, Uwe Timm, Volker Einrauch

Cast: Uwe Dag Berlin (Hubert Kessel), Sebastian Blomberg (Karl-Heinz Muller), Greata Bohacek (Marlene), Matthias Brenner (Wilhelm Pieck), Jaymes Butler (Joe), Sibylle Canonica (Frau Platten), Robert Dolle (Johannes R. Bacher), Valeriy Grishko (Josef Stalin), Michael Bully Herbig (Hans Zeisig), Steffi Kuhnert (Lotte Kuhn), Juraj Kukura (Wassili Urlich), Jurgel Mikol (Fritz Petter), Johann Adam Oest (Valetti), Josef Ostendorf (Mama), Friedrich Karl Praetorius (Jan Hansen), Thekla Reuten (Frida von Oorten), Alexander Sendorvich (Jeschow), Thomas Thieme (Georgi Dimitroff), Gennadi Vengerov (Upit), Jurgen Vogel (Siegfried Meyer), Axel Wandtke (Walter Ulbricht), Daniel Wiemer (Herbert Wehner)

Runtime: 110 mins

Classification:CTC

SUBCULTURE MEDIA/THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY FILM SHOW REVIEWS/RATINGS OF ‘HOTEL LUX’:

David Griffiths: 

Dave’s Review:

If you like your comedy on the absurd side then you’ll certainly enjoy Hotel Lux, a film that somehow manages to combine Nazis as well as Stalin with laughter.

Set in the 1930s Hotel Lux introduces us to Hans Zeisig (Michael Herbig – Zettl, Vicky The Viking) who is known to most of Berlin for his hilarious cabaret show depicting Hitler and Starlin, along with his close Jewish friend, Siegfried Meyer (Jurgen Vogel – Mercy, The Coming Days).

However, with the political landscape changing Meyer joins the Resisstance which leads to Hans meeting (and being very attracted to) Frida (Thekla Reuten – The American, Day One).

Hans decides to flee the strife in his homeland and head to Hollywood where he will make his name as an actor but instead he soon finds himself staying at the Hotel Lux in Russia where only his acting abilities can prevent him from being murdered by the real Stalin (Valeriy Grishko – Belyrr Tigr, TV’S Raskol.

Some will label Hotel Lux just too far-fetched and outlandish, but who says a film has to always remain in the realms of sensibility? Yes Hotel Lux does become a little outlandish but with the comedy working a treat the audience is hardly going to complain.

Actually, director/screenwriter, Leander Haubmann (Dinosaurier, NVA) does a fantastic job making sure that while the film is largely a comedy it does not make light of what the German or Russian people went through… that in itself shows what a good writer Haubmann is.

The other standouts in Hotel Lux are Michael Herbig and Thekla Reuten. Herbig puts U.S. comedic stars like Adam Sandler and Jack Black to complete shame with a performance that can only be described as hilarious. He is well supported by Reuten who is a star on the rise.

Laugh-out-loud funny Hotel Lux is one of the funniest comedies that you will see this year.

Average Subculture Rating (out 0f 5): 

IMDB Rating: 

Other Subculture Media Reviews of ‘Hotel Lux′: Nil.

 

Trailer: