Young Törless (1966)

At a boarding school in the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire, a pair of students torture one of their fellow classmates, Basini, who has been caught stealing money from one of the two. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff

Writers:

Robert Musil (novel), Herbert Asmodi (adaptation)

Stars:

Mathieu Carrière, Marian Seidowsky, Bernd Tischer

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mathieu Carrière	...	Thomas Törless
Marian Seidowsky	...	Anselm von Basini
Bernd Tischer	...	Beineberg
Fred Dietz	...	Reiting
Lotte Ledl	...	Gastwirtin
Jean Launay	...	Mathematiklehrer
Barbara Steele	...	Bozena

Storyline

At a boarding school in the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire, a pair of students torture one of their fellow classmates, Basini, who has been caught stealing money from one of the two. The two decide that rather than turn Basini in to the school authorities, they will punish him themselves and proceed to torture, degrade, and humiliate the boy, with ever-increasing sadistic delight. As each day passes, the two boys are able to justify harsher treatment than previously given. Torless is a passive member of the group but observes rather than participates and frustrates the tormentors by dryly analyzing their behavior.

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Plot Keywords:

torture | boarding school | coming of age | bullying | homosexuality | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Vater Törless: Beineberg, please keep an eye on my son.
Beineberg: You can count on me, sir.
Vater Törless: That's a relief. I trust you. Something solid and decisive about you won me over instantly. Cigar?
Beineberg: Thank you, sir.
Vater Törless: I wish my boy were more like you. He always seems so insecure, so unbalanced. I have no idea what he'll amount to. I'm glad to have met you all. And knowing our son is with you makes saying goodbye easier. Especially since he's found such good comrades. Gentlemen, please contact us immediately should ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Filmstunde: Filmstunde 1 (1991)

User Reviews

An expertly crafted and involving film

I selected this DVD off a library shelf at random. I had never heard of Young Torless. My idle curiosity was well rewarded. The film belongs in the same league with Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Zero for Conduct, Lord of the Flies, or other similar works. Perhaps there is allegory here, a foreshadowing of the murderous future of the Germanic peoples. Or maybe a nearer, smaller-scale atrocity: several scenes are as chilling as eavesdropping on a Leopold and Loeb strategy session.

This is expertly crafted film making. Everything – casting, shot composition, editing, plot structure – works. Barbara Steele landed one of the great roles of her career. The music is especially effective. Hans Werner Henze's use of modern tonalities played on ancient instruments functions perfectly, achieving the film score ideal that complements the picture and other sounds, a Greek chorus without words. Aided by Henze's score, some of the scenes in Young Torless brought back with painful clarity many a sad, bleak, cloudy-morning memory of sophomore year in high school.

Details

Country:

West Germany France

Language:

German

Release Date:

22 July 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Young Törless

Filming Locations:

Eggenberg Palace, Graz, Styria, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franz Seitz Filmproduktion, Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1