The Hamburg Syndrome

Lore & Background

The Hamburg Syndrome was conceived by Peter Fleischmann after a conversation with an English epidemiologist in Greece in the 1970s, who argued that humans advance through catastrophes. The film was a West German-French co-production involving Hallelujah-Film Munich, Bioskop-Film Munich, Terra-Filmkunst Berlin, S.N.D. Paris, and ZDF. A conversation with Luis Buñuel's screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière led to an earlier concept involving an artificial virus placed on the Acropolis to address overpopulation.

The plot follows a deadly epidemic in Hamburg where victims die in an embryonic posture. A doctor notes the rapid increase in bodies. Politicians and the military impose quarantine, develop a risky vaccine, and enforce face masks and travel restrictions. The search for patient zero occurs as Hamburg is cordoned off. A small group flees through Lüneburg and Fulda, and the plague ends in Southern Germany.

The film premiered in West German cinemas on 23 November 1979. Two months earlier, a rough version eight minutes longer was shown at the Hamburg Film Festival. It was not a commercial success in 1979.

Reader's Guide

The Hamburg Syndrome is significant as a prescient science fiction film that anticipated elements of real-world pandemic response, such as quarantine, face masks, and travel restrictions. It received renewed attention in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with director Peter Fleischmann noting that dreaming up the improbable can lead to reality. The film's reception in 1979 was mixed but noted for its chaotic, eccentric style. Hans C. Blumenberg in Die Zeit called it a chaotic film about chaotic conditions, more appealing and intelligent than reviews suggested. Hellmuth Karasek in Der Spiegel saw it as opposing the lacquered New German reality with a Buñuel-like world of the sick. The FBW jury awarded it the rating 'valuable' (Prädikat wertvoll). In 2019, Filmfest Hamburg described it as a cultish utopian end-times drama with a great cast and a soundtrack by Jean-Michel Jarre, restored for its 40th anniversary. The film's legacy lies in its early exploration of epidemic themes and its later relevance to global health crises.

Did You Know?

• The film was first conceived after director Peter Fleischmann spoke with an English epidemiologist in Greece in the 1970s.
• The soundtrack was composed by Peter Fleischmann and others, with music by the group 'The Hamburg Syndrome' or credited to different composers.
• The film was restored and shown at Filmfest Hamburg in 2019 for its 40th anniversary.