Mephisto (1981)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 144 minuten
Country:
West Germany / Hungary / Austria
Directed by: István Szabó
Stars: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Krystyna Janda and Ildikó Bánsági
IMDb score:
7,7 (12.066)
Releasedate: 11 February 1981
Mephisto plot
A theater actor finds unexpected success with his role in a Faust play during the Nazi takeover of pre-World War II Germany. His friends and colleagues flee from the Nazi terror, while his own popularity continues to rise.
Actors and actresses
Hendrik Höfgen
Barbara Bruckner
Nicoletta von Niebuhr
Tábornagy
Juliette Martens
Hans Miklas
Otto Ulrichs
Lotte Lindenthal
Oskar Kroge, színigazgató
Dora Martin, primadonna
Reviews & comments
Dievegge
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- 3094 messages
- 8012 votes
Klaus Maria Brandauer can enjoy himself as Hendrik Hoefgen, an actor who puts on many masks, who is almost constantly acting, whether on or off the stage. It is someone who loses himself and only wants to be a collection of characters. The boundary between theater and reality is blurring.
The 1930s in Germany is a period often discussed, but rarely through the eyes of a German at the time. This is based on the roman à clef of the same name by Klaus Mann. This son of Thomas fled Germany for political reasons, like many artists at that time. Hendrik Hoefgen is actually Gustaf Gründgens, Klaus Mann's brother-in-law. The Prime Minister of Prussia, played by Rof Hoppe, was actually Hermann Göring.
Hoefgen belonged to the innovative movement in the Weimar Republic that was socially committed and wanted to close the gap with the public. After 1933, this movement was dismissed as cultural Bolshevism. Ironically, Hoefgen plays Mephisto on stage, but in real life he is the one who sells his soul: fame in exchange for his conscience. One by one he gives up his old principles and friends. A strange kind of friendship develops between Hoefgen and the prime minister. Actually it is a veiled enmity; he cherishes a viper in his breast. The conclusion is that an artist cannot be apolitical in a turbulent time.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico (moderator films)
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- 10009 messages
- 5398 votes
Based on the novel by Klaus Mann and a beautiful strong film adaptation. First and foremost, as has been mentioned here several times, by Brandauer's excellent acting performance. The talented, but also shrewd and opportunistic actor Hendrik Höfgen who stands at the crossroads of reconciling his own profit, his art vision and politics. Höfgen always has his own interpretation of reality: "I don't live in Berlin, but the theater house happens to be in Berlin." It's his way of looking the other way.
The question is whether you can blame him in such unstable political times. How would we act and what mask would we put on to close our eyes to what is really going on? Which does not mean that the majority of people would sell their souls to the devil, but look the other way for their own interests - whatever the motives (fear for example) - I don't want to feed them. Höfgen realizes too late that at a certain point there is no way back.
Szabo succeeds in eliciting emotions from the viewer through the close-ups and other camera techniques, but also through the good development of the characters such as the General (Rolf Hoppe). One that I want to watch again later to further understand the layers of the film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
wihu61
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- 907 messages
- 474 votes
What an actor and what a brilliant film...
but I refuse to remove 2001 from number one in my top ten
Translated from Dutch · View original
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