Set in Berlin in 1932, at the brink of Nazi Germany, Gripsholm depicts the life of controversial journalist Kurt Tucholsky who was branded a traitor for his crusading pacifism – Tucholsky once wrote, “all soldiers are murderers.” Based on his semi-autobiographical novel Schloss Gripsholm (or Gripsholm Castle), which was where he fled to evade mounting political and legal pressure, the film also mergers additional elements of the writer’s own life that did not appear in the novel. The real Tucholsky moved to Sweden in 1929 and committed suicide there in 1935, age 45. Two years earlier he had been stripped of German citizenship and had his books banned by the Nazis.

Gripsholm Castle was built in 1537 by Gustav Wasa and is home to a collection if important paintings – it is also a place of pilgrimage for tourists and Tucholsky enthusiasts. Considered a ‘national shrine’ in Sweden, it was impossible to reserve the castle for the duration of the shooting. Consequently, 2 other Swedish castles were used in the film (one for the interior, the other for the exterior).

Ulrich Noethen’s (Kurt Tucholsky) also stars in The Comedian Harmonists. His performance (as Harry Frommermann) won the German Film Award In Gold in 1998.