Background of the docu-drama “Todesspiel” by writer and director Heinrich Breloer is the culmination of the terror attacks in Germany in 1977, later called the “German Autumn”. The two-parter tells the story of the RAF kidnapping of Hanns Martin Schleyer, President of the Employers’ Association, on 5 September and the abduction of the Lufthansa plane “Landshut” on 13 October 1977 by a Palestinian terrorist squad.

The idea and initiative for the film came from Ulrich Lenze, a producer who was able to raise some seven million marks. Breloer uses resources of the staged play, supported by original photographs and descriptions of people involved, whom he interviewed on camera. Among them are Schleyer’s kidnappers, crew and passengers of the “Landshut” as well as politicians such as Helmut Schmidt.

For 40 days, the world held its breath. Heinrich Breloer succeeds perfectly in making this real-life drama an exciting and emotional reconstruction and at the same time writing a piece of German TV history.

Written by Heinrich Breloer Head of production Ulrich Lenze Directed by Heinrich Breloer Cast Hans Brenner, Claudia Michelsen, Dirk Martens, Karoline Eichhorn, Robert-Victor Minich, Dieter Mann, Manfred Zapatka, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Matthes, Susanne Schäfer, Birol Uenel, Gerd Preusche u.a. Director of photography Hans-Günther Bücking Edited by Monika Bednarz-Rauschenbach Set design Wolf Seesselberg Composer Hans-Peter Ströer Production manager Richard Bolz Executive producer Andreas Knoblauch Editorial department Gebhard Henke (WDR), Horst Königstein (NDR) Format/duration 2 x 90 Minuten Air date 24.06. und 25.06. 1995 um 20:15 Uhr, ARD » back