I Am Sebastian Ott
1939

I Am Sebastian Ott

Ich Bin Sebastian Ott (Original Title)

After the murder of a shady collector of paintings, the art expert Dr. Sebastian Ott discovers some art forgery going on. And it turns out that the man responsible for these forgeries is his own twin brother, Ludwig, who's been doing this with the help of a painter. Ludwig lures his brother into a trap and holds him prisoner at home. Then, with stolen papers, Ludwig passes himself off as Dr. Ott.

1h 41min
August 11, 1939
Admin comments

Truly excellent and perhaps the most 'intellectual' film by Forst, a film that's almost a meditation on the relationship between reality and representation. That goes for many films by Forst, but seldom more explicitly than here. Can we regard the 'bad' Willi as just a 'copy' of the 'good' Willi (which we most likely do when we watch the film)? Can the copy take the place of the original if no one can tell them apart? Especially as the 'bad' Willi is far closer to Forst's famous 'Bel Ami' persona than his slightly 'anemic' art-historian brother.

In any case, Frost's performance in both roles is magnificent and equally convincing for both parts. And while the sets are certainly more small-scale than in other Frost films, the same care and attention has gone into them, and the scenes in which both Willis appear together are done flawlessly.

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