Kurt Gerrons Karussell 24 years old

This documentary tells the story of an unusual victim of the Nazi holocaust -- Kurt Gerron, a German film actor and cabaret star. During World War II, Gerron went from being a leading light of the German entertainment community (he made over 70 films and sang "Mack the Knife" in the first performance of The Three-Penny Opera) to a prisoner directing a propaganda film for the Nazis about a makeshift club at Theresienstadt, which was described as a "concentration camp for celebrities." Gerron was eventually executed at Auschwitz. Director Ilona Ziok combines archival footage of Gerron with interviews of peers and survivors who describe how Gerron tragically believed his gifts as an entertainer would save his life -- and how he enthusiastically kept performing right up to his death.

Credits

Kurt Gerrons Karussell Cast

Name Character
Ben Becker He was 34, now 59 years old
Renée Saint-Cyr She was 94, 99 years old when she died
Ute Lemper She was 35, now 60 years old

Kurt Gerrons Karussell Crew

Name Department
Kurt Gerrons Karussell (24 years)

  • Release day: Thursday, May 13, 1999
  • Runtime: 64 minutes