Sarajevo (2014 film)

Sarajevo is a 2014 German-Austrian biographical television film that depicts the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.[1]

Sarajevo
Written by
  • Martin Ambrosch
  • Kurt Mündl
Directed by
Production
Running time98 minutes
Release
Original release
  • April 28, 2014 (2014-04-28) (Germany)

Plot

On 28 June 1914, the Austro-Hungarian heir presumptive Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg are travelling through Sarajevo on the 525th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo. As a result of the first attack on the Archduke's life, the Austrian examining magistrate Leo Pfeffer is given the task of capturing the person responsible for the attack. Whilst interrogating the assassin, Pfeffer finds out there has been a second attack on the Archduke and his spouse, in which both were killed. Bosnian Serb assassin Gavrilo Princip is then arrested for his part in the second attack. The magistrate learns that only 36 policemen had been available for patrolling the route the Archduke was travelling on.

After the first attack, the convoy headed towards the hospital, but an apparent false turn led to the second attack, where the second attacker was located. All of this causes doubts in Pfeffer's mind. Whilst being tortured, one of the perpetrators confesses, and then evidence and witnesses disappear. In the process of his investigations, Pfeffer encounters further inconsistencies, but is forced by his superiors to state the assassination as a conspiracy by Serbia. As Pfeffer submits his final report, Austro-Hungarian politicians and the military have already decided the assassination of the Archduke would be used as a pretext for an invasion of Serbia.

Cast

Production

The film is a German-Austrian cooperation between German television channel ZDF and Austrian channel ORF.[2] It was commissioned as part of the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

Awards and nominations

The film received the following awards and nominations:

  • Baden-Baden TV Film Festival 2014
    • 3Sat Zuschauerpreis: Andreas Prochaska
  • German Television Academy Award 2014
    • Best Leading Actor: Florian Teichmeister
    • Best Script: Martin Ambrosch
    • Best Casting: Nicole Schmied
  • Jupiter Award 2015
    • Best German TV Actor: Heino Ferch

Reviews

" An oppressive storyline" - TV Spielfilm[3]

"The ZDF / ORF co-production defies the assassination attempt of Sarajevo, whose sequence and its consequences are generally known, yet still of value compared to a documentary on the topic" - tittelbach.tv [2]

The Hollywood Reporter called it a "handsome-looking and well-acted feature"[4]

References
  1. Hammelehle, Sebastian (28 April 2014). "Weltgeschichte als Kaiserschmarrn". Der Spiegel (in German). spiegel.de. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  2. "Fernsehfilm "Das Attentat – Sarajevo 1914"" (in German). tittelbach.tv. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  3. "TV-Historiendrama über die Bluttat, die den Ersten Weltkrieg auslöste" (in German). tvspielfilm.de. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  4. van Hoeij, Boyd (13 April 2014). "Sarajevo (Das Attentat: Sarajevo 1914): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
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