Mephisto Movie Review 1981

Egomaniacal stage actor Hendrik Hofgren (compellingly played by Brandauer) sides with the Nazis to further his career, with disastrous results. An updated version of the Faust legend and the first of three brilliant films by Szabo and Brandauer exploring the price of power and personal sublimation in German history. Klaus Mann based his 1936 novel on the career of German stage actor Gustaf Grundgens who became the director and star of Berlin's Prussian State Theater during WWII. German with subtitles. Followed by "Colonel Redl" and "Hanussen."

Distribution

German Language Video Center, 7625 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis, IN 46226-5298, Phone: (317)547-1257, Fax: (317)547-1263, Email: glve@indy.net, URL: http://www.germanvideo.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 144 minutes.
Originally from Hungarian.

Cast and Crew

Genres

World War II, Price of Fame, Germany, Nazis & Other Paramilitary Slugs

Screenplay

Istvan Szabo, Peter Dobai

Cast

Klaus Maria Brandauer, Krystyna Janda, Ildiko Bansagi, Karin Boyd, Rolf Hoppe, Christine Harbort, Gyorgy Cserhalmi, Christiane Graskoff, Peter Andorai, Ildiko Kishonti

Cinematography

Lajos Koltai

Director

Istvan Szabo

Music

Zdenko Tamassy

Producer

Manfred Durnick

Awards

Oscars 1981: Foreign Film.