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Karl May

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Released in 1974 Karl May is the second installment in the Syderberg trilogy, which also includes Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King and Our Hitler. The film focuses on the final years of one of Germany's most popular and prolific authors Karl May. May wrote first person adventure novels set in Germany, China, South America, and most notably the American West that forged an idealized national mythology about exotic and rustic lifestyles. Near the end of his life May became so entrenched in his own fabricated mythologies that the line between fact and fiction was blurred and he toured Germany believing he was in fact the star of his novels. Despite his assumption of this persona, the public discovers that he never even stepped foot in the U.S. or other faraway places. He is attacked and put on trial for allegations of immorality. The film is the most realistic of Syderberg's trilogy, but still shows the director's imaginative powers and ability to push the bounds of filmmaking. He blends music, theatre, and cinema, and on target with the theme of May's own facts and fictions, the film explores the lines between the romantic and the real. Highly artistic and well-crafted this trilogy is unlike anything you have seen before.