Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb, on MHz Choice

Lenin infamously wrote: “the capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.” Alfred Herrhausen wanted to loan the Soviets the money to pay for the rope. How very German of him, as Angela Merkel would surely agree. For his efforts, he was assassinated by the Red Army Faction (RAF). The banker’s final two years leading up to the assassination are dramatized in the four-part secular passion play, Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb, which premieres Tuesday on MHz Choice.

Herrhausen loved to be the banker people hate bankers loved. He first alarmed American banks by calling for international forgiveness of third world debt. He then alarmed American and British intelligence services with his plan to float billions in loans to the Soviet Union.

The banker saw it as an opportunity to secure a stranglehold on the Soviet market, once Perestroika reforms were successfully enacted. He also saw it as an opportunity to propel Germany into a leadership position in the EU, building it into an economic and diplomatic force that would upset the bipolar world order, at America’s expense.

Apparently, according to series writer Thomas Wendrich, Helmut Kohl shared this vision. Of course, the CIA Officer caricatures (like David Hunt, played by the very British Harry Michell) were losing control of their bladder control functions. Yet, despite his “progressive” concern for the Third World, the RAF still marked him for death, because he was still a capitalist. Despite their grisly history, the RAF found themselves down on their luck in the late 1980s. However, their Palestinian hosts in Syria slowly help hatch a plan to get them back to committing violent atrocities again.

As Herrhausen helps Kohl navigate American and NATO resistance to their Soviet overtures, he battles his Deutsch Bank board to pass a plan giving him greater centralized command over branches. Evidently progressivism was fine everywhere but his boardroom.

Wendrich essentially presents Herrhausen as a prophet, but his record is rather spotty. For one thing, he never anticipated the fall of the USSR. He just assumed Perestroika would work and Gorbachev would be their guy. He also argued the 1989 Stock Market crash would lead to the de-dollarization of the world economy. Perhaps the one thing he got right was his skepticism of unified European currency, arguing the persistent economic dysfunction of countries like Italy would lead to monetary headaches for all member states. He had a point there. Remember Greece and the other PIIGS?

Given the subtitle, Wendrich does not allow series Pia Strietmann much room to build suspense, since we know right from the beginning how it will all end. However, it certainly offers proof of lead actor Olive Masucci’s versatility. In recent years he has convincingly portrayed both Herrhausen and hedonistic filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder in Enfant Terrible, two extremely dissimilar Germans.

Golda, Co-Starring Liev Schreiber as Kissinger

In many ways, the Yom Kippur War was a lot like the Tet Offensive. It was a surprise attack over a holiday that caught Israel by surprise. The media spun Tet into a Communist victory, even though the South and their American allies successfully beat back the Viet Cong. It is impossible to spin the Yom Kippur War as a victory for Egypt and Syria for several reasons, starting with the obvious fact Israel still exists. However, it was looking really grim during the initial days. Guy Nattiv takes viewers into the celebrated Israeli Prime Minister’s war-room in Golda, which releases Friday in theaters.

Some Israelis blamed Golda Meir for not being better prepared for the 1973 war, but clearly Nattiv and screenwriter Nicholas Martin do not. There were early warning signs, but they were interpreted very differently by legendary Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Mossad chief Zvi Zamir. Unfortunately, Zamir was more right than wrong. Being a natural politician, Meir basically split the difference between their recommendations. It also certainly did not help that Meir had promised Kissinger and Nixon to wait for her war-mongering neighbors to fire the first shot, before Israel would start to defend itself.

However, having stayed true to her word, Kissinger agrees to expedite more military aid and diplomatically pressure the Soviets to stay out of the fight. It is important to remember Israel and the U.S, did not enjoy as close a relationship then as we do now. In fact, Nattiv and Martin nicely illustrate the legacy of the Yom Kippur War, including the Camp David Accords and a much closer alliance between our two countries.

Frankly, it is kind of shocking Liev Schreiber agreed to play Kissinger, especially since the film portrays the former Secretary of State in at least a halfway sympathetic manner, if not better. Apparently, it is tough to turn down an opportunity to appear opposite Dame Helen Mirren. For viewers, it was worth Schreiber risking his career, because their terrific scenes together crackle with wit and intelligence.

Mirren is also pretty good is her scenes with everyone else, particularly Lior Ashkenazi as IDF Chief of Staff David Alazar, Rami Heuberger as Dayan, and Rotem Keinan as Zamir. Less successful are the private moments she shares with confidential secretary Lou Kaddar (played by Camille Cottin) exploring all her aches and physical failings. We can all empathize, but a little of this goes a long way—and there a lot of it. Nevertheless, what starts as a good feature-showcase for Mirren evolves into an effective ensemble film.