During World War II, an ordinary inhabitant of a ghetto fakes news about Allied offensives to inspire hope for other victims of the Nazi regime.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 2 wins & 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Robin Williams | ... |
Jakob
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| Hannah Taylor Gordon | ... |
Lina
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Éva Igó | ... |
Lina's Mother
(as Eva Igo)
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István Bálint | ... |
Lina's Father
(as Istvan Balint)
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| Justus von Dohnányi | ... |
Preuss
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| Kathleen Gati | ... |
Hooker
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| Bob Balaban | ... |
Kowalsky
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| Alan Arkin | ... |
Frankfurter
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| Michael Jeter | ... |
Avron
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| Mark Margolis | ... |
Fajngold
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János Gosztonyi | ... |
Samuel
(as Janos Gosztonyi)
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| Liev Schreiber | ... |
Mischa
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| Armin Mueller-Stahl | ... |
Kirschbaum
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Ádám Rajhona | ... |
The Whistler
(as Adam Rajhona)
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| Antal Leisen | ... |
Peg-Leg
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| Mathieu Kassovitz | ... |
Herschel
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Péter Rudolf | ... |
Roman
(as Peter Rudolf)
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Jan Becker | ... |
Young German
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János Kulka | ... |
Nathan
(as Janos Kulka)
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| Gregg Bello | ... |
Blumenthal
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| Nina Siemaszko | ... |
Rosa
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| Grazyna Barszczewska | ... |
Mrs. Frankfurter
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Judit Sagi | ... |
Mrs. Avron
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Ilona Psota | ... |
Grandmother
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| Ági Margitai | ... |
Miss Esther
(as Agi Margitai)
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| Iván Darvas | ... |
Hardtloff
(as Ivan Darvas)
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| László Borbély | ... |
Doctor
(as Laszlo Borbely)
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Zoltan Barabas | ... |
Meyer
(as Zoli Anders)
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| Miroslaw Zbrojewicz | ... |
SS Officer 1
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Józef Mika | ... |
Soldier
(as Jozef Mika)
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György Szkladányi | ... |
SS Officer 2
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| Zofia Saretok | ... |
Neighbor
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| Michael Mehlmann | ... |
Escaping Man
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Myrtill Micheller | ... |
Lady Singer
(as Micheller Myrtill)
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Orsolya Pflum | ... |
Lady Singer
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Beatrix Bisztricsan | ... |
Lady Singer
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Adolf Hitler | ... |
Self - 'Behind Us Comes Germany' Speech (uncredited) (archiveSound)
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Anna Nowak | ... |
Maria (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Peter Kassovitz | ||
Written by
| Jurek Becker | ... | (novel "Jakob der Lügner") |
| Peter Kassovitz | ... | (screenplay) & |
| Didier Decoin | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Nick Gillott | ... | co-producer |
| Steven Haft | ... | producer |
| Lew Rywin | ... | associate producer: Poland |
| Marsha Garces Williams | ... | producer |
| Robin Williams | ... | executive producer |
Music by
| Edward Shearmur | ||
Cinematography by
| Elemér Ragályi | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Claire Simpson | ||
Editorial Department
| Megan B. Agosto | ... | assistant film editor |
| Wayne Billheimer | ... | post-production assistant: Hungary |
| Adam Green | ... | assistant film editor |
| Robin Lee | ... | assistant film editor |
| Dana Mulligan | ... | associate film editor |
| David Orr | ... | color timer |
| Dale Jones | ... | avid technician (uncredited) |
| Eric Rigney | ... | avid technician (uncredited) |
Casting By
| Kerry Barden | ||
| Suzanne Crowley | ||
| Billy Hopkins | ||
Production Design by
| Luciana Arrighi | ||
Costume Design by
| Wieslawa Starska | ||
Makeup Department
| Elzbieta Bumbul | ... | hair assistant: Poland |
| Jadwiga Cichocka | ... | hair assistant: Poland |
| Maja Gawinska | ... | makeup assistant: Poland (as Maja Gawinska-Lyczkowska) |
| Katalin Jakots | ... | makeup supervisor: Hungary (as Kati Jakóts) |
| Tomasz Matraszek | ... | makeup assistant: Poland |
| Cheri Minns | ... | makeup artist: Mr. Williams, Hungary |
| Gabriella Németh | ... | hair stylist supervisor: Hungary |
| Erzsébet Rácz | ... | hair assistant: Hungary |
| Anna Tesner | ... | makeup assistant: Hungary |
Production Management
| Sándor Baló | ... | production manager: Hungary |
| Tamás Maros | ... | unit manager: Hungary |
| Dusty Symonds | ... | unit production manager |
| Michal Szczerbic | ... | production manager: Poland |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Marek Brodzki | ... | assistant director: Poland |
| Caspar Campbell | ... | assistant director: Hungary |
| Mark Egerton | ... | first assistant director |
| Balázs Kovács | ... | assistant director: Hungary (as Balácz Kovác) |
| Liz Legum | ... | second assistant director |
| Jerzy Mizak | ... | assistant director: Poland |
| Rita Nagy | ... | assistant director: Hungary |
| Péter Rácz | ... | assistant director: Hungary |
| András Surányi | ... | assistant director: Hungary |
| Magdalena Szwarcbart | ... | assistant director: Poland |
| Mike Mitchell | ... | second unit director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Anna Adamaszek | ... | assistant art director: Poland |
| Branimir Babic | ... | art director: Hungary |
| Ewa Braun | ... | assistant set decorator: Poland |
| Mark Fruin | ... | assistant props: Hungary |
| Zoltán Hardy | ... | assistant props: Hungary (as Zoltán Hardi) |
| Sára Iványi | ... | art department assistant: Hungary |
| Tibor Lázár | ... | art director: Hungary |
| László Makai | ... | assistant set decorator: Hungary |
| Éva Martin | ... | construction manager: Hungary |
| Ágnes Menyhárt | ... | set dresser: Hungary (as Ági Menyhért) |
| Zsuzsanna Orbán | ... | art department assistant: Hungary |
| Grzegorz Piatkowski | ... | art director: Poland |
| Bogdan Piotrowski | ... | prop man: Poland |
| Elwira Pluta | ... | assistant art director: Poland |
| Ewa Rojek | ... | assistant art director: Poland |
| Miklós Schmelcz | ... | assistant construction manager: Hungary (as Miklós Schmelz) |
| Tamás Tamási | ... | lead man: Hungary |
| Waldemar Weiss | ... | construction coordinator: Poland |
| Ian Whittaker | ... | set decorator: Hungary |
| Arthur Wicks | ... | property master: Hungary |
| Csaba Nemesházi | ... | swing gang (uncredited) |
| Lajos E. Szabó | ... | stand-by painter (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Jay Boekelheide | ... | sound effects editor |
| Abdul Cantor | ... | assistant sound effects editor |
| Kim B. Christensen | ... | sound designer (as Kim Christensen) |
| Matthew Desorgher | ... | boom operator: Hungary |
| Patrick Dodd | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Csaba Erös | ... | boom operator: second unit |
| Malcolm Fife | ... | foley artist |
| Steve Fontano | ... | foley mixer |
| Julie Lindner | ... | adr editor |
| Marnie Moore | ... | foley artist |
| Margie O'Malley | ... | foley artist |
| David Parker | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Richard Quinn | ... | dialogue editor |
| Frank Rinella | ... | foley recordist |
| Leslie Shatz | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Erich Stratmann | ... | assistant sound effects editor |
| Patti Tauscher | ... | assistant foley editor |
| Clive Winter | ... | sound recordist: Hungary |
| Mac Ruth | ... | cable person (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Miroslaw Bartosik | ... | special effects: Poland |
| Ferenc Ormos | ... | special effects: Hungary |
| Kazimierz Wróblewski | ... | pyrotechnician: Poland (as Kazimierz Wroblewski) |
| János Berki | ... | special effects: Hungary (uncredited) |
| Gábor Kiszelly | ... | special effects: Hungary (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Heather Davis Baker | ... | cg supervisor (uncredited) |
| Anthony Harris | ... | visual effects timing coordinator (uncredited) |
| Paul McGhee | ... | film scanning and recording (uncredited) |
| Bob Peitzman | ... | senior compositor (uncredited) |
| Declan Quinn | ... | CG set extensions (uncredited) |
| Kelley Ray | ... | visual effects supervisor: SPI (uncredited) |
| David Alexander Smith | ... | digital artist (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Mike Mitchell | ... | stunt double: Mr. Williams, Hungary |
| Sandor Bertalan | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Sándor Boros | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Péter Katona | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Zbigniew Modej | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Boguslaw Dabrowski | ... | assistant camera: Poland (as Bogdan Dabrowski) |
| Balázs Dobóczi | ... | video operator: Hungary |
| Gellért Drávucz | ... | assistant camera: Hungary |
| Egon Endrényi | ... | still photographer: Hungary |
| Tomasz Gradowski | ... | assistant chief lighting technician: Poland |
| Ákos Gulyás | ... | assistant camera: Hungary |
| Miklós Hajdu | ... | gaffer: Hungary |
| Zbigniew Jakubowski | ... | assistant camera: Poland |
| Tamás Nyerges | ... | second camera operator: Hungary (as Tamás P. Nyerges) / steadicam operator: Hungary (as Tamás P. Nyerges) |
| Ferenc Németh | ... | assistant camera: Hungary |
| Tamás Oláh | ... | focus puller: Hungary / second assistant camera |
| György Simon | ... | best boy: Hungary |
| Imre Sisa | ... | dolly grip: Hungary |
| Adrienn Szabó | ... | still photographer: assistant |
| András Váradi | ... | focus puller: Hungary |
| Csaba Bankhardt | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Zsolt Csutak | ... | casting: Hungary |
| Risa Kes | ... | casting: Hungary |
| Simone Pereira Hind | ... | casting: Hungary (as Simone Ireland) |
| Vanessa Pereira | ... | casting: Hungary |
| Magdalena Szwarcbart | ... | casting: Hungary (as Magda Szwarcbart) |
| Deborah Maxwell Dion | ... | casting associate: Los Angeles (uncredited) |
| Tamás Kertész | ... | extras casting: Hungary (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Derek J. Baskerville | ... | costumer: Mr. Williams, Hungary |
| Ewa Helman-Szczerbic | ... | assistant costume designer: Poland (as Ewa Skorza) |
| Gabriella Hõgye | ... | wardrobe assistant: Hungary |
| Katalin Imrey | ... | assistant wardrobe mistress: Hungary (as Kati Imrey) |
| Anna Kiljanska | ... | wardrobe assistant: Poland |
| Adam Kocemba | ... | wardrobe assistant: Poland |
| Malgorzata Mazowienska | ... | wardrobe assistant: Poland |
| István Pataki | ... | wardrobe assistant: Hungary |
| Anna Rychlik | ... | wardrobe assistant: Poland |
| Malgorzata Stefaniak | ... | wardrobe mistress: Hungary |
| Andrzej Szenajch | ... | costumer: military, Hungary (as Andrej Szenajch) |
| Eva Wagner | ... | wardrobe assistant: Hungary |
Location Management
| Ferenc Béres | ... | assistant location manager: Hungary |
| Joanna Jedlecka-Skrodzka | ... | assistant location manager: Poland (as Joanna Jedlecka Skrodzka) |
| Grazyna Kozlowska | ... | location manager: Poland |
| Laszlo Rorarius | ... | location manager: Hungary (as László Roráriusz) |
Music Department
| John Bell | ... | additional orchestrator |
| Richard Bissill | ... | musician: French horn |
| Andy Brown | ... | music contractor |
| Vic Fraser | ... | music preparation |
| Stephen McLaughlin | ... | music mixer (as Stephen P. McLaughlin) / music recordist (as Stephen P. McLaughlin) |
| Craig Pettigrew | ... | music editor |
| Tom Boyd | ... | oboe soloist (uncredited) |
| London Symphony Orchestra | ... | orchestra (uncredited) |
| Steve Mair | ... | musician: double bass (uncredited) |
Transportation Department
| László Mészáros | ... | transportation manager: Hungary |
Additional Crew
| Bernadett Baló | ... | production assistant: Hungary |
| Réka Belsô | ... | bilingual secretary: Hungary (as Reká Belsó) |
| Barbara Berkery | ... | assistant dialogue coach: Hungary |
| Andrzej Besztak | ... | production coordinator: Poland |
| Éva Bognár | ... | assistant: Mr. Gillott, Hungary |
| Ilona Braciak | ... | production assistant: Poland |
| Ewa Brodzka | ... | assistant: Mr. Szczerbie, Poland |
| Adam Bryant | ... | stand-in: Mr. Williams, Hungary |
| Barbara Cieslak | ... | production secretary: Poland |
| Gabriella Csoma | ... | production coordinator: Hungary |
| Beata Cybula | ... | production assistant: Poland |
| Malgorzata Dedek | ... | assistant accountant: Poland |
| Agata Deka | ... | production assistant: Poland |
| Petra Doba Simkó | ... | production assistant: Hungary |
| Bori Fábián | ... | assistant: Mr. Haft, Hungary |
| Jennifer Garces | ... | assistant: Mrs. Williams, Hungary (as Jennifer Garces Cerchiai) |
| Karen Gordon | ... | production accountant: Hungary |
| Annette Grot | ... | assistant: Mr. Haft, Hungary |
| Elzbieta Heleniak | ... | assistant accountant: Poland |
| Girish Johar | ... | marketing & distribution |
| Géza Jánossy | ... | caterer: Hungary |
| Piotr Kolodziejczyk | ... | shipping |
| Lev Mailer | ... | adr voice |
| Kati Marusa | ... | bilingual secretary: Hungary (as Katalin Marusa) |
| Jennie McClean | ... | production coordinator: Hungary |
| Karin Mercurio | ... | assistant accountant: Hungary |
| Tamás Mink | ... | production assistant: Hungary |
| Tim Monich | ... | dialogue coach: Hungary |
| Feliks Pastusiak | ... | assistant: Mr. Rywin, Poland |
| Tadeusz Pilich | ... | catering: Poland |
| Nada Pinter | ... | script supervisor: Hungary |
| Luigi Riitano | ... | assistant accountant: Poland |
| Anikó Rupp | ... | assistant: Mr. Kassovitz, Hungary |
| Nina Saxon | ... | title designer: end titles / title designer: main title |
| Rebecca Erwin Spencer | ... | assistant: Mr. Williams, Hungary |
| Marcin Szczerbic | ... | production assistant: Poland |
| István Sótér | ... | production assistant: Hungary |
| Michael Umble | ... | unit publicist: Hungary |
| Nelly Valliot | ... | assistant: Mr. Kassovitz, Poland |
| Ray Zimmerman | ... | physical production executive |
| Bohnie Avanzino | ... | title designer: New Wave Entertainment (uncredited) |
| Tamás Pintér | ... | set production assistant (uncredited) |
| Luigi Riitano | ... | location accountant (uncredited) |
| Gábor Xantus | ... | set doctor (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Christina Becker | ... | special thanks |
| Nicholas Bucknall | ... | special thanks (as Nick Bucknall) |
| Eddie Hession | ... | special thanks (as Eddie Hessian) |
| Greg Knowles | ... | special thanks |
Production Companies
- Columbia Pictures (presents)
- Blue Wolf Productions
- Kasso Inc. Productions (with)
- Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Company Medien KG
Distributors
- Sony Pictures Releasing (2000) (World-wide)
- TriStar Pictures (1999) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia TriStar Films (1999) (France) (theatrical)
- Columbia TriStar Film (1999) (Germany) (theatrical)
- Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (1999) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Columbia TriStar Films (2000) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (France) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (United States) (VHS)
- LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
- LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (United States) (tv)
- Net5 (2002) (Netherlands) (tv)
- Sony Pictures Television (United States) (tv)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (United States) (DVD)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
- Mill Creek Entertainment (2015) (United States) (DVD)
- LA7d (2016) (Italy) (tv)
- LA7 (2016) (Italy) (tv)
- SET India (2007) (India) (tv) (Chennai)
Special Effects
- Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (visual effects)
Other Companies
- Cinema Research (opticals)
- Editions Bernard Grasset (translation "Jacob Le Menteur" used courtesy of)
- Mo Henry & Associates (negative cutting)
- New Wave Entertainment (title design)
- Saul Zaentz Film Center (sound services)
- The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) (special thanks)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out near curfew. While waiting for the German Kommondant, Jakob overhears a German radio broadcast about Russian troop movements. Returned to the ghetto, the shopkeeper shares his information with a friend and then rumors fly that there is a secret radio within the ghetto. Jakob uses the chance to spread hope throughout the ghetto by continuing to tell favorable tales of information from "his secret radio." Jakob, however, has a real secret in that he is hiding a young Jewish girl who escaped from a camp transport train. A rather uplifting and slightly humorous film about World War II Jewish Ghetto life.
Written by Anthony Hughes |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | When all hope was lost, he invented it. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $45,000,000 (estimated) |
| Opening Weekend United States | $2,056,647, 26 Sep 1999 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Although thematically the film is very similar in tone and subject with Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful (1997), it actually started production well before the release of the Italian film. See more » |
| Goofs | The movie is set in Poland (hence the Polish-languaged signs on buildings, eg Jakob's café), but 'Mischa' is a Russian name (a diminutive form of 'Mikhail'/'Mikal' ('Michael'). See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in American Beauty/Blue Streak/For Love of the Game (1999). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel) See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Special thanks to the city and peoples of Piotrków, Poland, the city and peoples of Lódz, Poland and the city and peoples of Budapest, Hungary. See more » |
| Quotes |
[first lines]
Jakob Heym: Hitler goes to a fortune-teller and asks, "When will I die?" And the fortune-teller replies, "On a Jewish holiday." Hitler then asks, "How do you know that?" And she replies, "Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday." See more » |