Brainwashed

Overlong but fascinating psychological drama starring Jurgens as an Austrian aristocrat thrown into solitary confinement by the Nazis upon their takeover. While they mentally torture him to obtain vital secrets, he attempts to retain his sanity by stashing a book on chess in his cell and concentrating on the complexities of the chessboard to keep his mind clear. Eventually he cracks and becomes useless to the Nazis. Most of the film is told in flashback after we see Jurgens holding his own in a chess match with a worried champion. Complex and well-done visuals coupled with a strong performance by Jurgens keep this rather slow and deliberate film interesting.