Hotel Lux (film)

Hotel Lux is a 2011 German period film directed by Leander Haumann. The tragicomedy begins in Nazi Germany and moves to the Soviet Union. Featuring the main character Hans Zeisig, an apolitical comedian, the picture involves him with numerous historical facts and figures of this era.

The situation continues to deteriorate in Germany. Audiences grow dour, and the theater management has to comply with the prevailing Gleichschaltung. Kristallnacht occurs. Zeisig refuses to perform the defamatory act of the stereotyped Jew. When he is told that it wont do anybody harm, Zeisig states, It will harm me He goes onstage clad as Hitler and satirizes him, knowing he will have to flee. Zeisig learns Meyer has been arrested and deported to Oranienburg concentration camp. Equipped with a forged passport, a fake beard and an assumed name, Zeisig leaves Germany and eventually enters the Soviet Union. His goal is still Hollywood. In Moscow, he arrives at the Hotel Lux this was a historic hotel in Moscow, where many exiled German Communists sought shelter during the Nazi era.Zeisig encounters Frida, who under a different name, has an important position in the exiled German Communist Party. He also encounters numerous historical figures, such as Walter Ulbricht, Herbert Wehner and others, who later became important political figures in East Germany. The apolitical Zeisig has landed in a hotbed of political intrigue all important conversations are held with the water running to shield them from the ubiquitous bugs. Zeisig wonders if he is in more danger at the Moscow hotel than he was in Nazi Germany. Taken for a ride to an unknown location, he learns his assumed identity is that of Hitlers astrological advisor, a person of great interest to Stalin. Zeisig is taken to Stalin in the only available safe place, the bathroom. Stalin motions for him to come forward, but remain silent. Stalin turns the water on and only then begins to speak. With Stalins Great Purge underway, Zeisig realizes that his life depends on his ability to placate the leader. Zeisig narrowly escapes one danger after another, revives his friendship with Meyer, and gains Fridas support. ........

Source: Wikipedia