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IMDb > Mephisto (1981)
Mephisto
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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   2,818 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
István Szabó
Writers:
Péter Dobai (writer)
Klaus Mann (novel)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Mephisto on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 March 1982 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | War more
Plot:
A German stage actor finds unexpected success and mixed blessings in the popularity of his performance... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 9 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
What is an actor but a hollow vessel? more

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
144 min | Spain:126 min
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
Berlin, Germany more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on the novel "Mephisto" by Klaus Mann, which obviously portrays his former brother-in-law Gustaf Gründgens. Therefore, it was banned in Germany until 2000. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Contrary to what is depicted in the film, Hitler was not named chancellor of Germany after the Nazis won a majority in the Reichstag. He was appointed chancellor in January 1933 without proper parliamentary confirmation, and the Nazi Party did not won an absolute majority of votes in the next election (March 1933). more
Quotes:
Hendrik Hoefgen: Am I not the most dreadful villain you have seen? more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (2005-11-23)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Mephisto-Improvisation more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 11 people found the following comment useful:-
What is an actor but a hollow vessel?, 21 March 2005
8/10
Author: wombat-56 (wombat@planet-save.com) from United States

I originally saw this film in theaters when it came out, and enjoyed it greatly. A few years later, I saw a dubbed version and was very disappointed. Hoefgen's voice had been dubbed by someone who injected an arch and sarcastic tone, whereas in the original German version, his voice sounded so simple and innocent. (And, of course, the Mephisto sequences lost a great deal in translation).

To be brief, the contrast between Hoefgen's ready protestations of innocence, and the evil that he is supporting are meant to make us ask how we can judge the quality of a man's actions. If we cannot rely on our impression of his honesty, then we must use the consequences of the actions as our yardstick.

It may not be coincidence that this study of an actor's facile slide into fascism came out early in the Reagan administration. Reagan professed his astonishment over Iran-Contra, protestations that were laughable, as he had all but announced what his government was doing. His act wore thin, but not before it reduced the American presidency to a joke; how else can one explain the reelection of Bush II, all hat and no brains, to a job for which he has proved himself incompetent on a daily basis?

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Mephisto (1981)
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The historical prime minister? ais_bn
Meaning of the last line Issus123
Question about Hendrik's wife (spoilers) brackenhe
Which language do they speak? ivanm1304
more great hungarian films perrote
Actor not just an Artist bejasus
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