Kaspar Hauser


2h 17m 1993

Brief Synopsis

Based on the renowned, 19th-century German legend. Who was Kaspar Hauser? Kept in a dungeon his entire childhood, Kaspar turned up in Nuremberg in 1828. He was sixteen, barely able to talk or walk, a virtual "wild child." The mystery unfolds as he quickly learns to talk, read and write, and therefor

Film Details

MPAA Rating
Genre
Drama
Period
Release Date
1993
Distribution Company
LEISURE

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 17m

Synopsis

Based on the renowned, 19th-century German legend. Who was Kaspar Hauser? Kept in a dungeon his entire childhood, Kaspar turned up in Nuremberg in 1828. He was sixteen, barely able to talk or walk, a virtual "wild child." The mystery unfolds as he quickly learns to talk, read and write, and therefore articulate his memories. As his past is uncovered, so too are theories surrounding his origins which hint that Kaspar may very well be the true heir to the Dukedom of Baden. The strange plot thickens when he's murdered just a few years later, in 1833. Why was Kaspar Hauser kept in a dungeon all those years and who murdered him? Was he truly German royalty as many believed?

Film Details

MPAA Rating
Genre
Drama
Period
Release Date
1993
Distribution Company
LEISURE

Technical Specs

Duration
2h 17m

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Winner of the 1994 Gold German Film Prizes for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Andre Eisermann).

Released in United States 1994

Released in United States 1995

Released in United States June 27, 1993

Released in United States March 10, 1996

Released in United States on Video December 18, 2007

Released in United States September 1993

Released in United States September 6, 1996

Released in United States Summer June 7, 1996

Shown at Munich Film Festival June 27, 1993.

Shown at Portland International Film Festival February 17 - March 5, 1995.

Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival April 28 - May 12, 1994.

Shown at Toronto Festival of Festivals (Contemporary World Cinema) September 9-18, 1993.

Although Germany's House of Baden still refuses to divulge its secrets, it appears that Kaspar Hauser, born in 1812, was the heir to the Grand Duke Carl of Baden, and (through his mother Stephanie) a step-grandson to Napoleon. The victim of a dynastic power struggle, the baby Kaspar was switched with a mortally ill infant. Officially proclaimed dead, Kaspar was hidden away in a dark cave for twelve years, growing up devoid of all human attributes, among them speech. When finally released in a further political gambit, his rare uncivilized state created a public sensation throughout Europe.

On the verge of becoming acclimatized to the "real world"--of becoming in his own words, "a human being"--webs of intrigue threatened to strangle him anew. Kaspar Hauser's life was short--he was stabbled to death at 21--but his story is so gripping that it continues to provoke constant re-examination.

Released in United States 1994 (Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival April 28 - May 12, 1994.)

Released in United States 1995 (Shown at Portland International Film Festival February 17 - March 5, 1995.)

Released in United States March 10, 1996 (Shown in New York City (French Institute) March 10, 1996.)

Released in United States Summer June 7, 1996

Released in United States June 27, 1993 (Shown at Munich Film Festival June 27, 1993.)

Released in United States September 1993 (Shown at Toronto Festival of Festivals (Contemporary World Cinema) September 9-18, 1993.)

Released in United States September 6, 1996 (Laemmle's Music Hall; Los Angeles)

Released in United States on Video December 18, 2007