Mephisto (1981)

A German stage actor finds unexpected success and mixed blessings in the popularity of his performance in a Faustian play as the Nazis take power in pre-WWII Germany. As his associates and ... See full summary »

Director:

István Szabó

Writers:

Péter Dobai, Klaus Mann (novel),

Stars:

Klaus Maria Brandauer, Krystyna Janda, Ildikó Bánsági

Won 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klaus Maria Brandauer	...	Hendrik Hoefgen
Krystyna Janda	...	Barbara Bruckner
Ildikó Bánsági	...	Nicoletta von Niebuhr
Rolf Hoppe	...	Tábornagy
György Cserhalmi	...	Hans Miklas
Péter Andorai	...	Otto Ulrichs
Karin Boyd	...	Juliette Martens
Christine Harbort	...	Lotte Lindenthal
Tamás Major	...	Oskar Kroge, színigazgató
Ildikó Kishonti	...	Dora Martin, primadonna
Mária Bisztrai	...	Motzné, tragika
Sándor Lukács	...	Rolf Bonetti, bonviván
Ágnes Bánfalvy	...	(as Bánfalvi Ágnes)
Judit Hernádi	...	Rachel Mohrenwitz, drámai szende
Vilmos Kun	...	Ügyelõ

Storyline

A German stage actor finds unexpected success and mixed blessings in the popularity of his performance in a Faustian play as the Nazis take power in pre-WWII Germany. As his associates and friends flee or are ground under by the Nazi terror, the popularity of his character supercedes his own existence until he finds that his best performance is keeping up appearances for his Nazi patrons.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | power | faustian | actor | success | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

West Germany Hungary Austria

Language:

English Hungarian German

Release Date:

22 March 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mefisto

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 1,925,462 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), Mafilm, Manfred Durniok Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

István Szabó:  A guest wearing a tuxedo on the theater reception party near the end of the film, complaining about the unnecessary expenses of the luxurious party.

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Goofs

As Hoefgen leaves the Deux Magots café in Paris after meeting with his first wife, decals for contemporary credit cards - Visa, among them - can be seen on the window of the door.

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Quotes

[Hendrik stumbles upon some soldiers beating up a Jew]
Hendrik Hoefgen: They must be drunk.

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Connections

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Lumpenlied"
Music by Béla Reinitz (as Reinitz)
Lyrics by Erich Mühsam

User Reviews

Klaus Maria Brandauer is magnificent

Klaus Maria Brandauer, the celebrated German stage actor, is not really a big fan of cinema. Largely unknown to cinematic audiences, he made a big splash with his debut Mephisto.

Mephisto is the ancient legend of the man who sells his soul to the devil in return for worldly gains - as told by Faust. Klaus plays a Hamburg stage actor famous for his portrayal of Mephisto on stage. Flirting with socialism, he embraces the leadership of the Nazi party in order to move to Berlin and rise in the theatre hierarchy. He does rise and continues to ingratiate himself with the Nazi Generals and Prime Minister and rises to the very top where his full oratorical abilities can be displayed. He also shows a complete lack of self respect or conviction for anything but his personal worldly success and power - which he does use on occasion to save less favoured colleagues.

Klaus has given a remarkable performance in this film - all physicality. Throughout much of the movie he is poker faced and relies on his hands and his body to express himself fully. Its a very unique, one-of-a-kind performance that makes this film so watchable. The narrative itself is chopped and may sub-plots are introduced then cut short.