The Ogre is a 1996 French-German-British war drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff and starring John Malkovich, Gottfried John, Marianne Sägebrecht, Volker Spengler, Heino Ferch, Dieter Laser and Armin Mueller-Stahl. It was written by Jean-Claude Carrière and Schlöndorff, based on the novel The Erl-King by Michel Tournier. The story follows a simple man who recruits children to be Nazis in the belief that he is protecting them.
Theatrical release poster
Volker Schlöndorff is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Schlöndorff in November 2009
Schlöndorff (left) with Dustin Hoffman at the 1984 Venice Film Festival
Volker Schlöndorff and Nina Hoss at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival
Schlöndorff with his wife Angelika in 2017