Many remember the 1999 Robin Williams film “Jakob the Liar”, but few remember the German version of the film Jakob, der Lügner which came out twenty-five years earlier. First Run Features remembers, and they are releasing the original film for the first time on DVD.

Trapped in a Polish ghetto with thousands of other Jews facing starvation or deportation to the death camps, Jakob is detained one evening at Gestapo headquarters. Eavesdropping, he overhears a radio report about a nearby Russian victory. At first he is silent, but circumstances compel him to pass on the good news of hope. In order to be believed, he feigns access to a hidden, strictly forbidden radio. Quickly he becomes a one-man bulwark against despair, a reluctant hero, but a tragic hero still a man ultimately powerless to see or change the fate of his people.

The film will be presented in fullscreen complete with the film’s original mono German language track and English subtitles.
The DVD will boast a full length, 1-hour documentary on director Frank Beyer, a theatrical trailer, production stills, cast/crew biographies, and the featurette, “The Best of East German Cinema”.

Coming on December 18th, the original “Jacob the Liar” will carry a suggested retail price of $29.95.