Die Manns - Ein Jahrhundertroman

Summary

The Manns – Novel of a Century

Using staged scenes, documentary material and memories of contemporary witnesses, Heinrich Breloer's three-part television series paints a portrait of the colourful personalities of the Mann family, illuminating the individual fates of its members in their historical context.

Thomas Mann, already a successful and financially independent author, initially lives in Munich with his wife Katia and their six children. Heinrich Mann, whose novel "Professor Unrat" is filmed by Sternberg, has also achieved some popularity. But as the political influence of the Nazis grows, the Manns flee Germany in 1933 and eventually settle in the USA. Numerous tragedies befall the family: Thomas' son Klaus commits suicide, as does Heinrich's wife Nelly; Heinrich himself falls into poverty and dies in 1950. When Thomas Mann finally returns to Europe in 1952, he is already 80 years old. In 1955, he visits his hometown of Lübeck one last time before dying later that year.