Renowned German literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki will soon be able to cast judgment on himself thanks to the filming of his bestselling autobiography

Filming begins in July on a biopic depicting the Holocaust and post-war years of one of Germany's most extraordinary literary figures: an intense, finger-wagging critic whose judgement about new books has been akin to law for the past 35 years and who has become no less scathing with age.

Marcel Reich-Ranicki, 88, is in many ways an old-style European intellectual; part of a world that reveres sublime poetry and profound minds and sneers at money-making and public popularity.

TV pioneer

But he broke that mould when he became a television personality in 1988, the year that broadcaster ZDF launched a book-reviewing programme, Das Literarische Quartett, which aired for 13 years.

The imperious critic chaired a panel of four as they praised, or rubbished, new books.

During its 77 episode run, viewers were fascinated by the stocky, balding Reich-Ranicki, who seemed like a bulldog as he barked out his judgements with an energy astounding for a high-IQ retiree.

Wagging his finger and glaring at his fellow panelists when they politely disagreed, Reich-Ranicki became more recognizable in the German-speaking world than most of the authors he lauded or savaged.

A formidable reputation

From 1973 to 1988, Reich-Ranicki had developed his ego as head of the book-reviews section of the prestigious Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung  newspaper. It was a position that made him a scourge of all fatuous fiction in Germany.

A fellow critic, Joachim Kaiser, called him "Germany's most read, most feared, most watched and thus most hated literary critic."

The 90-minute, made-for-television biopic will concentrate on Reich-Ranicki's other extraordinary life, as a Jew who survived the Nazi period and his adventures in London thereafter. He related that story in his 1999 autobiography My Life which sold 1.2 million copies and appeared in 16 languages.

International roots

Reich-Ranicki's double-barrelled surname reflects his cross-border roots in Germany and Poland.

Though born in Poland, the young Marcel Reich was educated at Berlin schools till his expulsion to Poland as a Jew in 1938. As a Polish espionage officer in London, he adopted the cover name Marceli Ranicki in 1948-49.

After an absence of 20 years, he returned to Germany and his original language in 1958 to begin his critical career, which is where the film will stop.

Filming under pressure

Volcanic criticism is evidently in prospect if the film about himself upsets the great critic. An Israeli-born director, Dror Zahavi, has been entrusted with the delicate project.

Reich-Ranicki coyly said recently he would not interfere and Zahavi was free to take artistic liberties with his true story.

"I hope it turns out well. I'm worried something will go wrong. I think both are justified: hope and worry," mused Reich-Ranicki, who has voiced fury in the past over the delays in bringing My Life to the small screen.

Shooting begins Thursday for the project, which has been commissioned by public broadcaster ARD for screening next April.

Focus on early life

The film will depict Reich-Ranicki as a Berlin schoolboy, suffering discrimination after the Nazis' rise to power, being expelled to Poland and outwitting the Germans in the Warsaw Ghetto.

It is also expected to highlight his romance with his later wife Teofila, their daring escape from the Ghetto and his years as a Polish writer and intellectual in the 1950s.

The part is to be played by Matthias Schweighoefer, a handsome German actor who recently played aristocratic World War One flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron.

Schweighoefer said it would be "my biggest challenge ever," but insisted he could handle such utterly dissimilar roles. Released earlier this year, The Red Baron bombed, amid scathing reviews.

Backdrops in Wroclaw, Poland will represent Polish locations in the 5.3-million-euro (8.3-million-dollar) Reich-Ranicki film project.

A tall order for the director

Director Zahavi admits that depicting on screen the passion for writing of one of Europe's best read men is a tall order.

"I've been thinking about it the whole time. How do you make literature visual?" he said. That earned him a typical Reich-Ranicki brush-off. "Don't concentrate on the theme. Concentrate on the audience," scolded the critic.

If Reich-Ranicki is to be believed, he does not expect the film to slavishly follow his book, and will be satisfied if the audience grasps the feeling of a world in destruction which made My Life so compelling as a book.

"When the film is complete, I shall assess whether it is an interesting, quality film and worth seeing, not whether it perfectly reproduces each chapter of my book," said Reich-Ranicki. DPA