Werner von Basil, a Austrian intellectual, was captured by the Nazis in 1938. They want to break him to confess smuggling. Without any mental sustenance, the only thing left to keep his mind busy is an old tactics book for chess.

Curd Jürgens
as Werner von Basil

Claire Bloom
as Irene Andreny

Hansjörg Felmy
as Hans Berger

Mario Adorf
as Mirko Centowic

Hans Söhnker
as Bishop Ambrosse

Rudolf Forster
as Hotelmanager

Jan Hendriks
as First Officer

Albert Lieven
as Hartmann

Dietmar Schönherr
as Rabbi

Wolfgang Wahl
as Mondgesicht
Aqueronte72
> Considerations to prefer a suicide or, I Stefan Zweigh, hereby underline the art of imagining myself as the main cartoon character (which I will not be) of the 300 copies in the posthumous novel (which not only me, but no one else in Germany will be able to read ). We must thank Gerd Oswald for su...
Aqueronte72
> Considerations to prefer a suicide or, I Stefan Zweig, hereby underline the art of imagining myself as the main cartoon character (which I will not be) of the 300 copies in the posthumous novel (which not only me, but no one else in Germany will be able to read ). We must thank Gerd Oswald for suc...