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THE DEATHMAKER
This is one of the nastiest, most unflinching depictions of madness and murder you’ll ever experience, despite the fact that THE DEATHMAKER doesn’t contain a single act of onscreen violence. For that matter, there’s little “action” of any sort, as the whole thing consists of a two character interrogation. But don’t be fooled: this is tough stuff made all the more disturbing by the fact that it’s based entirely on documented facts.
The Package
The subject of THE DEATHMAKER (DER TOTMACHER; 1995) is Fritz Haarmann, a
meek salesman who in 1924 confessed to murdering 24 young boys. Often described
as “the most infamous mass murderer of the 20th Century”, Haarmann was the
inspiration for the legendary Peter Lorre role in Fritz Lang’s classic M and the
lead character of Uli Lommell’s TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES. Like those films THE
DEATHMAKER was made in Germany, where Haarmann’s name is still a household word,
and is easily the most factual of the three, as director Romuald Karmakar (THE
HIMMLER PROJECT) based his account directly on Haarmann’s actual psychiatric
report from 1924.
Incidentally, the American filmmaker Monte Hellman (of THE SHOOTING and
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP) is prominently credited on the ‘03 Anchor Bay DVD release as
THE DEATHMAKER’S “Presenter”, but beyond that doesn’t appear to have had
anything to do with the production.
The Story
In Hanover, Germany of 1924, in a featureless room with bars on the
windows, the seemingly happy-go-lucky Fritz Haarmann is interrogated by
Professor Ernst Schultze, a dedicated psychiatrist whose task is to determine
whether Haarmann is sane enough to stand trial. The charge? Murdering and
dismembering 24 young boys, which initially seems the farthest thing from these
men’s minds as they discuss Haarmann’s upbringing, his relationships and his
sociopolitical attitudes, which don’t seem all that different from those of the
majority of his fellow citizens. Schultze tries to broach the subject of
Haarmann’s atrocities several times but the latter steadfastly brushes off the
subject.
But as the days stretch steadily onward Haarmann’s
defenses are worn down; he commences detailing his crimes, to Schultze’s
understandable horror. In the same cheerful, breezy tone with which he began
the interview, Haarmann describes how he cut open kids’ bodies, severed their
penises and then flushed them down toilets, and threw their discarded skins into
a local river. Around this time a young boy is brought in to identify Haarmann;
the kid was one of his victims who managed to escape. The boy readily
identifies Haarmann, who claims not to recognize his accuser.
The interrogation continues, with Haarmann either
evading Schultze’s queries or ignoring them outright. Eventually Schultze
reveals that in his estimation Haarmann is not insane, so he’s going to
recommend the death penalty. Haarmann takes this news with his customary
breeziness, although he does show some genuine emotion when the possibility is
broached that Schultze, with whom Haarmann has become quite close over the
course of the interrogation, might not be back to see him before he’s sent to
the gallows.
The Direction
A 115-minute two-person talkfest might not sound like riveting cinema, but
Romuald Karmakar is a canny enough filmmaker to pull it off. Far from simply
plopping down a camera and letting the characters speak lines from the actual
transcripts, he and cinematographer Fred Schuler utilize roving camerawork
subtle enough that it never distracts from the drama.
Obviously it’s the fact-based words spoken by the
characters that comprise the film’s action, and Karmaker pays them his utmost
respect. He also adds a number of nearly imperceptible touches that one may not
notice initially but which add immeasurably to the experience. Note the way he
presents the span of the interrogation, which lasted a reported six weeks but is
presented here without time demarcations. Nor are there any noisy music cues,
with the soundtrack kept admirably--and often unnervingly--restrained
throughout. Often Karmakar will choose to hold on a scene for several seconds,
as he does in a quiet bit with Schultze in his home pondering the case, but he’s
not averse to jump or shock cuts: the young witness to Haarmann’s crimes is
introduced via an unexpected cut from Haarmann at the window of the
interrogation room to the boy standing at attention several hours (if not days)
later. Such elements may not seem like much, but they succeed in imparting a
cinematic flow to what in lesser hands might have seemed stuffy and stage-bound.
It’s safe to say that Gotz George as Haarmann delivers what is easily one
of the ballsiest performances in movie history, fully immersing himself in the
mind and soul of one of the most profoundly evil men of all time. Viewing this
nutcase makes for a positively bone-chilling experience that, despite its
brilliance, only the most hardened viewers will want to attempt.
Vital Statistics
THE DEATHMAKER (DER
TOTMACHER)
Pantera Film GMBH
Director: Romuald Karmaker
Producers: Romuald Karmaker, Thomas Schuhly
Screenplay: Romuald Karmaker, Michael Farin
Cinematography: Fred Schuler
Editing: Peter Przygodda
Cast: Gotz George, Jurgen Hentsch, Pierre Franckh, Hans-Michael Rehberg,
Matthias Fuchs