Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis
Volker Heise
An uncompromising look at the moment news became merchandise and crime became spectacle
Gladbeck, Germany, August 1988: Two gangsters rob a bank, take two hostages and embark on an odyssey across West Germany. They hijack a bus carrying almost thirty passengers. The police lose control of the situation while reporters get whiff of a sensation and inject themselves into a crime that blossoms into a media event. For three days, the eyes and ears of the entire country are glued to live television, live radio and newspapers – and before it’s all over, two innocent people are dead.
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The documentary tells the abysmal story exclusively using archive materials, including news footage, live reports, telephone audio and amateur recordings made over the three days of the hostage rampage. The film is an unsparing look at the moment when news became merchandise and crime became spectacle – it was the beginning of an era that continues to this day.
"As raw and rough as could be."
"Three people lost their lives, two of them shot by the hostage-takers Rösner and Degowski. The police didn't exactly shine, but the media ended up looking even worse: TV and print journalists filmed and interviewed the perpetrators like it was a company outing, and even offered to be mediators. It was the first time millions of viewers could watch a violent crime unfold live."
"It’s like watching a mockumentary, a fictional film pretending to be a docudrama."
"In Gladbeck – The Hostage Drama, events unfold with a rare, shattering intensity. Those seeking spectacle will leave wanting more, while rubberneckers will see their own thrill-hungry reflection."
Director VOLKER HEISE
Producer YAN SCHOENEFELD
Editor JANINE DAUTERICH
Archive Producer JANNE GÄRTNER, MONIKA PREISCHL, MONA EL-BIRA
Music LOTHAR MANTEUFFEL, MILAN MEYER-KAYA
Executive Producer STEFAN KAUERTZ, FLORIAN SCHEWE, CHRISTOPH PETZENHAUSER
Executive Producer Time Based Arts MICHAEL SKRGATIC, JAMES ALLEN