Schachmatt – Die Supermächte hinter der rumänischen Revolution

Arte, 60 Min. IMX, D: Susanne Brandstätter
Dokumentary about the revolution in Romania in 1889. 2nd unit

Checkmate – strategy of a revolution

How do you trigger off a revolution? ”Checkmate” reveals how and why the United States was involved in the Romanian Revolution. When Ceausescu refused to accept the reforms sweeping Eastern Europe in 1989, the ruthless Romanian dictator rushed headlong into his own destruction. As the last of the hard-liners in the Warsaw Pact, only Ceausescu stood in the way of Europe’s reunification…. Upon the backdrop of one of the most exciting episodes of history, an intricate web of international political strategies is unfolded. The Romanian revolution of 1989 seemed spontaneous. But, as this investigative documentary proves, history is not that simple. In actual fact, the Romanian revolution was a strictly managed operation, controlled from the outside. Hungary, Germany and especially the USA had big fingers in the pie. For the first time, the events in Romania are put in an international context, revealing surprising connections. It was an international chess game – a game of power with far-reaching results…both for Europe and the USA. In this highly convincing work, filmmaker Susanne Brandstatter clarifies the larger issues on the political world stage, but also proves that revolutions, no matter how well prepared, never take place without innocent victims. A painful conclusion.