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» » Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story (1986)

Short summary

Farrah Fawcett plays real-life Beate Klarsfeld, a German Protestant housewife who, with the help of her Jewish law-student husband, Serge, began an unrelenting campaign after World War II to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, most of which is centered on Klaus Barbie. The story follows her pursuit while she survives jail, torture, numerous assassination attempts, and arrests in South America and in Germany.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Ranterl
    Jewish law student in Paris, France 1960 begins dating a pretty German lass who, he quickly learns, falls into the "national amnesia" affecting everyone regarding the Nazi atrocities of WWII. After marrying and having a child, a newly-educated Beate (pronounced Bee-ah-tay) Klarsfeld makes it her foremost ambition to bring down the Nazi war-criminals still living freely throughout Europe...as well as Klaus Barbie, the monstrous SS Army Captain who successfully sought asylum in Bolivia under an assumed name. Handsomely-produced TV-movie starring Farrah Fawcett doesn't have the documentary style one might initially hope for, but it has something else: a tender-yet-gritty touch, as well as a big heart, which makes our headstrong heroine a three-dimensional character. Beate was a woman not hesitant to go out on the proverbial limb, and not just to cause a stir but to start a firestorm. She was sometimes labeled an attention seeker, she continually put herself in harm's way, and yet it was difficult for the press to criticize her when all she wanted to do was remove the shame from her German heritage. Fawcett is working seriously here and, though her German accent is a bit uneven, she does sterling work; even better are Tom Conti as her husband and Geraldine Page as an elderly woman whose loved ones were all slaughtered by Barbie. An absorbing, enlightening piece of history--not too glossy or sentimental--though one which has been forgotten (sadly) since its initial airing in 1986.
  • comment
    • Author: Ricep
    Directed by Lindsay-Hog many users know as the man who directed the ill-fated (but absorbing)"let it be" starring the Beatles.

    Based on Beate Klarsfeld's true story,an admirable woman who discovered the horrors of the holocaust.A lawyer,but a non-Jew,abetted by her (Jewish) husband,she would dedicate her efforts to find the war criminals ,which would lead to the arrest of Klaus Barbie.

    Some people complained because they cast Farah Fawcett ,a sex symbol and an ex-Charlie's angel as the lead.But the actress displays determination and resilience.Her best scene is when she's alone on the streets in Brazil and tries to urge the people to help her catch a man "who killed women and children during WW2".

    An above average made-for-TV work.Its current rating of 7,3 is well deserved.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Farrah Fawcett Farrah Fawcett - Beate Klarsfeld
    Tom Conti Tom Conti - Serge Klarsfeld
    Geraldine Page Geraldine Page - Itta Halaunbrenner
    Hélène Vallier Hélène Vallier - Raissa Klarsfeld
    Catherine Allégret Catherine Allégret - Simone Lagrange
    Féodor Atkine Féodor Atkine - Luc Pleyel
    Vincent Gauthier Vincent Gauthier - Klaus Barbie in 1944
    Claude Vernier Claude Vernier - Klaus Barbie / Altmann
    Jacques Vincey Jacques Vincey - David
    Florence Haziot Florence Haziot - Chantal
    Eric Prat Eric Prat - Marco
    Pierre-Olivier Scotto Pierre-Olivier Scotto - Eli
    Gilles Ségal Gilles Ségal - Herbert John
    László Szabó László Szabó - Arno Klarsfeld in 1943 (as Lazlo Szabo)
    Pascale de Boysson Pascale de Boysson - Mrs. Kunzel
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