thiloguntzel-198-106688 Review of Schtonk

Schtonk (1992)

Schtonk takes its title from Chaplin's 1940 'The Great Dictator'

[7/10 · 10 August 2014]

In reply to another review regarding the nonsensical title of this clever comedy: 'Schtonk' is a made-up word Charlie Chaplin used in 'The Great Dictator'. His angry "German" rant had this "word" in it, repeatedly. The plot of Schtonk is largely true to the historical events surrounding the alleged Hitler diaries discovered in 1983. If you're unfamiliar with those, stop reading now. The protagonists' name have been changed. Some literary license is taken regarding the journalist who sold the diaries to a popular German magazine. While it's true he was pocketing some of the money exchanging hands, his dating Nazi Hermann Goering's niece at that time is fictional. Also, the art forger who produced the "diaries" ended up doing time in prison, in real life. In the movie he escapes prosecution, accompanied by both his wife and his lover. This 1992 production has the whole elite of German actors of the time pull together to create a delightful screwball comedy. Its irreverence is reminiscent of Lubitsch's 1942 "To Be Or Not To Be'.