Hollywood Treatment Questionnaire

Introduction

Please fill out this brief questionnaire for our Hollywood Trailer Service. When you are finished
with the questionnaire, save the document on your computer, attach it to an email, and send it to
the email address from which this document was received.

Book Information

In the following field, please enter the title to your book.

The Jew with the Iron Cross, A Record of Survival in WWII Russia

In the following field, please provide your name as it appears on the book.

Phyllis Rauch, translator from the original German

In the following box, please provide a brief description of your book (Please note that this will be
shown to potential screenwriters to gauge their interest in possibly taking on this project).

Georg had an unusual adolescense. During the school year he worked

helping his mother feed and clothe the Jews who were hidden behind
false walls in their Viennese attic. It was his job to take the Jews'
valuables and sell them on the black market, then exchange the
money for food stamps. In the summers he rode his bicycle through
the Austrian alps, trying to find some place or some way to avoid
Hitler's draft. But it was impossible for a young and healthy male to
hide. He was drafted into the army in 1943 at age 18. In an early
chapter Georg seeks an appointment with his commanding officer
where he asks to be released from officer training. When the
astounded officer asks how dare he refuse his services to the Third
Reich, Georg tells him he has a Jewish grandmother. Soon thereafter
he is on a train headed east to the Russian trenches. Much of what
takes place in a horrific Russian winter is described in the 80 plus
letters written home to his mother. In great detail, with the
exhuberance of youth and his love of laughter, he tries to make light
of life at Front. Sometimes, though, the harsher realities of war slip in
between the lines. When the Romanians switch sides, Georg is
captured by the Russians. He can no longer write home and the book
becomes somewhat darker. Twice he escapes captivity and is
recaptured. On the long march to the POW camp he is saved at the
last minute by the kindness of a Russian soldier. By the time he
arrives at Kiev, his health has seriously deteriorated. He is given a
small job drawing plans of German and Austrian factories, and when
the officer in charge discovers Georg's jewish blood, he asks him to
become a spy for the Russians. The third part of the book, following
Georg's dramatic release from the camp, deals with his attempts to
arrive home. Given the terrible, post-war times, and his own physical
condition, sympathetic people come through for him, sometimes
almost miraculously. The last chapter is one that almost no one can

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read without being moved to tears.

The main theme is that of survival against all odds. The myriad of
details large and small bring the story to life, and keep the reader (or
movie goer) fascinated and curious to learn what comes next.

In the following field, please provide a one-sentence hook line that describes your book and is
designed to entice a reader's interest. For example, "A fast paced thriller in which a former spy relies on
his old skills to save his kidnapped daughter."

The riveting tale of how a young Austrian of mixed-Jewish blood,

drafted into Hitler's army, uses his wits and talents to survive the
trenches and a POW camp, while his mother is hiding Jews in their
Viennese attic.

Which of the following genres best describe your book? Choose all that apply.

Adventure Horror
Arts & Entertainment Humor
Biographical Medicine
Body, Mind, & Spirit Mystery
Business & Econ. Non-Fiction
Children/Juvenile Outdoors/Sports
Current Events/Politics Poetry
Education Religion (Christian)

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Family/Relationships Religion (General)
Fantasy Romance
Fiction SciFi
History Suspense/Thriller
Home

In the following box, please describe the main character(s) in your book.

Georg Rauch - The events in this book, the many clever tactics a
young man used to survive the Russian front, and near death in a
POW camp, will influence the remainder of his years, providing the
inspiration for the next 60 years in the life of a full-time artist.

Beatrix Rauch - Georg's mother is born to nobility. One of her

forefathers was the first Jew to be knighted in the Austrian monarchy.
Though she grew up surrounded by books, art and music, her true
character was to emerge in the period between the world wars.
Totally opposed to Hitler and his philosophy, she was the most
important person in Georg's life. The thought of her kept Georg from
giving up, continually renewing his determination to return home
alive.

Haas - The battle-hardened, cynical but good-hearted soldier Georg

meets on the train on the way to Russia. Hass immediately takes
Georg under his arm and starts to teach him the ropes of survival both
on the train and later, when they arrive at the front. At one point
when Georg has been given the terrible order to shoot a young
Russian, possibly a partisan, Haas steps in to do the job for him.

Konrad - The intellectual officer with an ulcer who notices Georg's

talents in making delectable meals from scrounged ingredients. They
become friends, play chess and Konrad saves Georg's life at one point
by sending him away from the front to pick up non-existent radio
parts when he knew an attack was imminent. He didn't want to lose
his friend and cook.

What movie and/or television series are you hoping your treatment will be similar to in tone/style?
I'm a Spielberg fan, but he seems to prefer to paint on a large canvas.
Considering the fact that there are no heroes in this very strong,
personal story, the movies that first come to mind are Roman
Polanski's The Pianist, and Roberto Benigni's La Vita e Bella. The
former proved to me that the American public can enjoy and become

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involved in a war story that is totally lacking American soldiers. La Vita
e Bella touched my heart because Roberto also managed to find or
portray humorous moments in terrible times.

How would you want your audience to feel if they saw a movie based on your book? (Amused, scared,
entertained, etc)?

Intrigued and enlightened by the paradox of a war story different from

any they have previously known. Also, I would want them to laugh and
cry (as I still do every time I read the book) and to be totally wrapped up
in the story..what will happen next? Will he survive this time? I'd want
them to be glued to their seats, forgetting to eat their popcorn, and
caring desperately about what happens to this daring and charismatic
young man.

Regarding your main characters, who would be your perfect cast?

For Georg: maybe an unknown young Jewish actor? I love Johnny's

Depp's versatility, he's charismatic and sexy, but probably too old now.
Sean Penn could have looked the part when younger, and is also a
favorite of mine but too old. Hass should be played by a youngish
character actor. A big guy, not good looking but appealing in his crusty
approach to helping a neophyte at the front. Konrad as a contrast would
be slight, handsome, maybe somewhat approaching Hitler's perfect,
good-looking blond Aryan. If the treatment includes Beatrix (mom)
appearing more often in the film, a dark haired Meryl Streep would be
fabulous. More as in the movies where she has played strong and
unflinching roles. Helena Bonham Carter perhaps?

What are you hoping to accomplish with your Treatment?

While the book was still in ms. form, multiple readers were already
emphasizing that the book should be made into a movie. They said: "I
felt I was there," "I could see it all before me while I was reading the
book," "there's such a wealth of detail." Right now on my facebook page
readers are reacting to the movie possibility by writing: Richard Klinger: I
always thought this deserved more attention - a movie would be a
perfect avenue for this story, and I secretly think it is a slam-dunk,
actually. Kathy Seaboyer Wow!...what good news...I loved that little
book....going to reread it before the movie becomes reality..Robbie
Sheppard :This is exciting news! It's a dramatic, and tender story and will
make a very wonderful moving film. This is just a sampling of the
outpouring of support. What do I hope to accomplish? The movie!! The
reality! For my amazing husband to come to life again, projected on the
big (or little) screen.

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Please note that our screenwriters are hired to adapt your book so that it has the best chance of success
as a feature film or television series. In some cases seemingly large adjustments to character
and/or story may be needed in order for your project to play best in these other mediums. What
plot points or character traits do you feel are critical to the success of your story?

I have been shocked by what has happened to some of my favorite

books, when turned into movies. So I have no great illusions. But I would
least like for this to be turned into just another war film. I would hope to
preserve Georg's humour, his joie de vivre, his incredibly inventive mind,
his rebellious spirit, his going against the rules to achieve his goals.
There are so many plot elements that I love, such as his falling asleep in
the middle of a poppy field as a recruit, refusing to become an officer in
the German Army, his farewell to his mother at the foggy train station,
cooking his onions and raw horse meat while in the midst of a
bombardment, (a great forshadowing of the other culinary moments to
come) how he won the Iron Cross, the time he spent enjoying himself
behind the lines in Romania (for a total change of pace), his relationships
with Haas and Konrad, what they discovered in the officer's suitcases at
the air field, the final tank battle, his decision to run across the open field
one minute before the rest, his "death" in the POW camp, his dilemma
trying to figure out who might be Nazis among his roommates, his
discovery of the German/Polish plot before he is shipped home, and at
least a few of the more important stops along the way before he finally
makes it back. I am mailing a play that was based on the book, and
although it was even more difficult to include everything in a stage
version, the author basically remained very true to the story.

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