THE CONFESSIONS OF WINIFRED WAGNER

ul. Jaskółcza 1, GDAŃSK - DOLNE MIASTO

18 October 2013, at 5 pm

1975 roku, 302 min. 

30 minutes intermission after 141st minute

Still a minor, Winifred showed up at the Wagner residence in 1914 and quickly married Siegfried, the son of famed composer, Richard, even though 28 years separated the spouses. Through the 1920s, Winnie cared for her husband and spent time with the composer’s beloved wife, Cosima. In 1930, her husband and mother-in-law suddenly passed away; Winifred took over the family residence and the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth. During this period, her close friend, Adolf Hitler, made regular visits to the house. Syberberg’s The Confessions of Winifred Wagner is a documentary film testimonial where an elderly woman breaks her silence concerning her relationship with the dictator. She is unable to understand why her innocent friendship with Hitler, who she simply called Wolf, is so controversial, when the only thing they shared, Winnie claims, was friendship and a fascination with the music of Richard Wagner.

Winifred Wagner was an English woman and wife of Siegfried Wagner, Richard Wagner’s son. She was the effective head of the Wagner family from 1930 to 1945, and a close friend of German chancellor Adolf Hitler. She was an emancipationist among men’s patriarchal community. She candidly took Hitler’s side and refused to have a critical look at him.

Documentary film. 1975

16 mm, colour, 302 min.

Director: Hans Jürgen Syberberg

Screenplay: Hans Jürgen Syberberg

Production: TMS Film GmbH, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Osterreichischer Rundfunk Fernsehen (ORF)

Producer: Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

Cinematography: Dietrich Lohmann.

Editing: Agape Dorstewitz.

Music: Richard Wagner

Sound: Gerhard von Halem

Cast: Winifred Wagner, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, Gottfried Wagner