Blum Affair, The

2722. THE BLUM AFFAIR (The Affair Blum) (1949-Germany). This thoroughly riveting based-on-fact expose recounts a notorious and politically loaded case which occurred in Germany in 1926. It begins innocently enough with a newspaper classified advertisement which reads “Wanted: cashier for country bank. $400 security deposit required.” The latter is not an unusual request given the fact that the successful applicant will be handling a large amount of money. Bespeckled and middle-aged Wilhelm Platzer answers the ad. A “representative” of the bank arrives at his house to offer him the job. However, he seems all-too-anxious for Platzer to hand over the $400. That is because there really is no bank job. Platzer is lured away, and murdered. His killer is a desperate man named Karl-Heinz Gabler, a petty thief who is heavily in debt. By coincidence, on the night of his murder Platzer was scheduled to meet with a tax representative. The deceased had formerly worked as an accountant for Dr. Jacob Blum, a Jewish industrialist. Platzer had suspected Blum of tax improprieties, but an audit had proved the industrialist’s innocence. Nonetheless, Dr. Blum’s connection to Platzer makes him a suspect in the murder. Gabler is only too happy to implicate him; as Blum is a Jew, the various authorities are only too happy to believe the real culprit. “This will show that a Jew can be a killer, and for money,” one of them casually observes. As the ‘”Blum” affair makes newspaper headlines across Germany, the scenario reflects upon the German political and social scene in the years prior to the rise of Adolph Hitler. It winds its way to a finale that is both ironic and chilling. In German with English subtitles. 110 minutes. Drama