The magic mountain

Hans Castorp, orphaned at an early age, is the 24- year old son of a patrician family. After passing his examinations leading to qualification as an engineer, he goes to spend three weeks with his consumptive cousin Joachim Ziemßen in a chic sanatorium in Davos. Initially still alienated by the prevalent "we up here" atmosphere of illness and morbid eroticism, Hans Castorp becomes increasingly willing to acclimatise to the "Berghof".

Fascinated by the hermetic enchantment of the place, he himself falls ill. He falls in love with a woman with captivating charisma, the provocative Russian Clawdia Chauchat. At the end of an intoxicating carnival evening shortly before leaving, she allows Hans Castorp one night. He resolves to await her return. In the years of her absence, Hans Castorp's life becomes dominated by the Jesuit communist Naphta, and by the liberal humanist Settembrini. Both enter into a duel on his account, a duel with a fatal outcome. When Clawdia Chauchat returns to the "Berghof", she is unmistakably accompanied by a man of the world Mynheer Peeperkorn, who succeeds in gaining great influence over Hans in just a few days before the Dutchman commits suicide under mysterious circumstances.

Hans Castorp's stay of seven years on the "Magic Mountain" is terminated in macabre fashion as a result of being called up to fight in the Great War from 1914/18, "a global festival of death".

Mynheer Peeperkorn: Rod Steiger | Clawdia Chauchat: Marie-France Pisier | Ludovico Settembrini: Flavio Bucci | Hans Castorp: Christoph Eichhorn | Hofrat Behrens: Hans Christian Blech | Joachim Ziemßen: Alexander Radszun | Mrs.Stöhr: Margot Hielscher | Miss Marusja: Gudrun Gabriel | Miss Elly: Ann Zacharias | Miss Engelhart: Irm Hermann | Dr. Krokowski: Kurt Raab | Mr. Wehsal: Rolf Zacher | Teacher Popow: Tilo Prückner | Naphta: Charles Aznavour | Art teacher: Balduin Baas | Alin: Sven Eric Bechtolf | 1st witch: Stefania Bianca | Mr. Magnus: Wilfried Blasberg | Cheerful lady: Erika Dannhoff | Man with a limp: Uller Dubi | Sister Berta: Gerlinde Eger | Mr. Wiedemann: Buddy Elias | Mexican: Polo Espinoza | Mr. Wenzel: Hans Horst Jochmann | Olga: Johanna Karl-Lory | Mrs. Iltis: Felicitas Kirchgässner | Lady with two pince-nez: Carla Kirchner | Mrs. Levy: Micky Kley | Amy Nölting: Ann Kligge | Waitress: Angela Klingenberg | Mrs. Stravinski: Roswitha Koennecke | Waitress: Angelika Kraml | Mrs. Salomon: Evelyn Künneke | Dr. Ting Fu: Ah Yue Lou | 2nd witch: Maria Manni | Friend of Amy: Lisa Manus | Hermine Kleefeld: Lesley Malton | Dr. Blumenkohl: Peter Meloney | Mr. Ferge: Peter Mühlenhaupt | Russian wife: Renate Muhri | Russian husband: Eschi Rehm | Mr. Stravinski: Franz Rosenzweig | Hans Castorp (14): Alexander Ruppert | Mrs. Gänser: Frank Schendler | Lawyer paravant: Jürgen Schlunk | Waitress: Elfie Six | Oberin Mylendonk: Erika Skrotzki | Captain Miklosisch: Narziss Sokatscheff | Fat pupil: Dieter Streipert | Leila Gerngroß: Beate Tober | Tous les deux: Jenny Theelen | Karen Karstedt: Leonie Theelen | Dwarf Emerentia: Monika Ullemeyer | Miss Robinson: Hazel Usher | Concierge: Egon Vogel | Mr. Rasmussen: Gottfried Vollmer

Director: Hans W. Geißendörfer | Script: Hans W. Geißendörfer, an adaption of the novel by Thomas Mann | Camera: Michael Ballhaus | Costume director: Claudia Bobsin | Make-up: Gerlinde Kunz, Paul Schmidt | Music: Jürgen Knieper | Cutting and editing: Peter Przygodda, Helga Borsche | Decor: Heidi and Toni Lüdi | Senior production manager: Ferdinand Althoff | Production consultant: Jörn Schröder | Editor: Wolfgang Patzschke | Producer: Franz Seitz

Drama, Deutschland 1981, approx.. 110 Minuten | A joint german-french-italian production by Franz Seitz Film/Iduna-Film, Munich, Gaumont S.A., Paris/Opera-Film, Rom in collaboration with ZDF |
35 mm | colour | format 1:1.66.