INTERVIEW WITH STEFAN AUST

How did you come to write the book "The Baader Meinhof Complex"?
I was  sub-editor  of  the magazine  "konkret"  from  1966  to  1969,  so  I  knew  a  lot  of people  that  would  later  have  something  to  do  with  the  Red  Army  Faction,  either directly or indirectly, including Ulrike Meinhof. In 1970 I went to work for the German public broadcaster NDR, where I produced many reports on the subject of terrorism. And I had a great advantage over my fellow journalists in terms of information simply because  I knew many of  those  involved. So  for  years  this had been a subject  that had occupied me  and eventually  I  decided  that  I wanted  to deepen my  knowledge and give an as detailed account as possible of what had happened.
 
What was your reaction when Bernd Eichinger proposed to adapt your book for the cinema?
My  reaction  was:  "About  time  too!"  I  had  waited  20  years  for  Bernd  Eichinger  to approach me about making a film of "The Baader Meinhof Complex".

Does the movie do justice to your book in your opinion?
My aim in the book was not to comment on the events I'm describing but only to give an as detailed account of  them as possible. That's why  I did so much research and gathered all the available material. In other words, I tried to get as close as possible to both,  the actual events and  the people  involved.  I suppose  that's  the  reason why my book has neither dated nor lost its relevance. From the very beginning, I had the feeling  that  Bernd  Eichinger  and  Uli  Edel  pursued  the  same  goal  -  like me,  they wanted to tell the story in all its complexities and at the same time tried to get to the core of it all. And I think they did a great job. Bernd Eichinger managed to condense the events that took place during those 10 years extremely well in his script. As far as I  can  tell,  the  people  and  the  course  of  events  have  been  captured  very well.  I'm deeply impressed and very moved by the movie.

Are there any scenes or moments in the film that particularly moved you? 
I'm not  really  the  tearful  type, but  there are certain scenes  in  the  film  that  really do affect me. Watching Ulrike Meinhof throw herself into despondency and despair and seeing  how  she's  unable  to  untangle  herself  from  the  hellish  mess  she's  gotten herself  into, moved  me  the most.  Martina  Gedeck  really managed  to  capture  the essence of Ulrike Meinhof's character. The film carries a great authenticity, so much that  in  parts  it  feels  like  a  fly-on-the-wall  documentary.  Again  and  again  you  see images that, as a German, you've seen in newspapers or on television - images that are now ensconced  in  the collective consciousness of German society. At  the same time, the film shows scenes, which a documentary could never show and thus opens up a new dimension to the story. I find that extremely impressive.
   
What was it like seeing yourself as a character on the movie screen?
I think, at some point in my life I looked pretty much like that (laughs). Well, I do think I've  been  cast  very  well  visually.  There  is  one  scene,  in  which  my  character interviews Gudrun Ensslin's parents. In real life, this interview was carried out not by me but by another journalist. But since this doesn't affect the course of the story, this scene  is  absolutely  tenable  dramaturgically.  But  of  course  the  film  shows  events, which  I witnessed personally and which happened exactly as  they are portrayed  in the  film.  For  example,  the  demonstration  at  the  Axel  Springer  Group  Publishing House is incredibly close to what I experienced myself that night.

Some people still believe that Ulrike Meinhof, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and  Jan-Carl Raspe  did  not  commit  suicide but were  killed. What would  you say to this?
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was discovered that several ex-members of the RAF had  been  hiding  in East Germany, where  they  had  been  given  a  new  identity.  All these ex-RAF members made statements to the police, which meant that a lot of new information came  to  light. One of  the most  important pieces of new  information was the fact that following the killing of Hanns Martin Schleyer, a very frank conversation took place amongst RAF members, during which  it was made clear  to  them  that  the deaths of Meinhof, Baader, Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe had indeed been suicides. I researched  the  suicide-question  very  thoroughly. Cynically  speaking,  it would  have made a better story for my book if the RAF prisoners in Stammheim had been killed. But all  the  traces  that even hinted at  external  influence  on  the deaths of  the RAF-prisoners led to nowhere.

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