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Circle of Deceit

Play trailer Poster for Circle of Deceit R 1981 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Georg (Bruno Ganz), a German journalist, flees his unhappy marriage by throwing himself into another war zone. Arriving in bombed-out Beirut at the break of the Lebanese Civil War, Georg and photographer Hoffman (Jerzy Skolimowski) interview locals, dodge explosions and debate the war with other members of the foreign press. When Georg starts an affair with the compassionate Ariane (Hanna Schygulla), she questions his personal ethics: Is Georg a noble humanitarian or a sucker for suffering?

Critics Reviews

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Kathy Horak Associated Press 10/23/2018
As war movies go, Circle of Deceit is a bloody success. Go to Full Review Bruce McCabe Boston Globe 04/27/2018
A strong, compelling film, a devastating commentary on war and politics and a sensitive illumination of the personality and sensibility of the war correspondent who fancies himself as a spectator. Go to Full Review Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine 07/30/2003
3.5/4
The humanist Circle of Deceit charts the many moral quandaries encountered by a journalist when he's sent to Beirut to catalog the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war. Go to Full Review Rick Chatenever Santa Cruz Sentinel 11/20/2019
It is a rough film to sit through, but sitting through it is definitely a worthwhile and illuminating experience. Go to Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) 08/22/2019
The dramatically reconstructed battles are an example of good cinema, that is, of informative seriousness and creative imagination. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review David Sterritt Christian Science Monitor 07/31/2003
3/4
This politically charged 1981 drama isn't one of Schlndorff's greatest films, but its strong moral concerns and superb cast make it well worth viewing. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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10/19/2013 A remarkable critique of the war. The Lebanon's conflict seems completely absurd and it feels like the journalists enjoy this complexity to make more money on photographies of torture scenes. When the journalist Bruno Ganz wanders in Beyrouth streets under the blitzkrieg it feels like Germany Year 0: a ruined city with lost characters. Beutiful photography. See more 03/08/2010 Trading the slow death of his marriage for the war-torn Beirut, German journalist Georg is on a news assignment with his shutterbug photographing confidant, Hoffman, and join an international coterie of competitive fellow journalists. Outside, they take their lives in their own hands, dodging both Christian and Palestinian bullets and conducting interviews that are just a shot away from execution. When he meets a beautiful German ex-pat widow, the personal crashes with the political. <i>Circle Of Deceit</i> is a compelling drama that shows what it is like for one person to survive in a war zone and seeing the evil behind it, with the acclaimed Volker Schlondorff directing the feature. I try not to fall asleep and keep on my viewing focus on the sequences of war, shootings, explosions, etc. I had no idea that filming in the war-torn Lebanon is allowed there even without security reasons for not just the filmmakers but also the photojournalists. And yes, they all looked <b>REAL</b> to me. Remembering that this was the same actor who did Hitler in <i>Downfall</i> I wanted to see a great acting performance of Bruno Ganz in another film. I can tell you that he was so impressive here. See more Read all reviews
Circle of Deceit

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Volker Schlöndorff

Director

Bruno Ganz

Georg Laschen

Hanna Schygulla

Ariane Nassar

Jean Carmet

Rudnik

Jerzy Skolimowski

Hoffmann

Gila von Weitershausen

Greta Laschen
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Circle of Deceit

Circle of Deceit (1981) Circle of Deceit (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Georg (Bruno Ganz), a German journalist, flees his unhappy marriage by throwing himself into another war zone. Arriving in bombed-out Beirut at the break of the Lebanese Civil War, Georg and photographer Hoffman (Jerzy Skolimowski) interview locals, dodge explosions and debate the war with other members of the foreign press. When Georg starts an affair with the compassionate Ariane (Hanna Schygulla), she questions his personal ethics: Is Georg a noble humanitarian or a sucker for suffering?
Director
Volker Schlöndorff
Production Co
Artémis Productions, Argos Films, Hessischer Rundfunk, Bioskop Film
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 14, 2017
Runtime
1h 50m