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German Films Month: Wagner’s Mastersinger, Hitler’s Siegfried: The Life and Times of Max Lorenz Eurochannel is proud to present a documentary about the controversial figure of Max Lorenz, Hitler’s favorite singer, yet he was also married to a Jewish woman and was secretly homosexual. Considered as the best singer of Wagner and regarded as a sort of king at the Bayreuth Festival, Max Lorenz suddenly found himself in the middle of a scandal when his homosexuality was revealed. He received the help of Winifred Wagner, daughter in law of Wagner himself, who insisted that “Bayreuth is not possible without Lorenz.” Under this protection, Max Lorenz was able to carry on with his career and to help some Jewish friends. At the end of the war, he was accused of being a Nazi and he emigrated in Austria, where he continued singing until his retirement in 1963. This is the story of a man of great talent, a man who was torn between conflicting identities and bonds. Wagner’s Mastersinger, Hitler’s Siegfried: The Life and Times of Max Lorenz (Germany, 2008) Directors: Eric Schulz, Claus Wischmann Runtime: 52 min Synopsis: The outstanding singer Max Lorenz was Hitler’s favorite tenor. However, he was married to a Jewess and he was also homosexual. The biography of this outstanding Wagner singer is closely bound up with the story of Haus Wahnfried in Baryreuth. Tracing his career involves contemplating a highly volatile period in recent history from the perspective of an ambivalent artistic personality. |
