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It is said that the devil will always have his due, a fact
that Hendrik Hoefgen learns to his cost. Hendrik has spent
his whole life as an actor; in fact he has played other people
to the extent that little of him remains. This empty shell
of a man at first appears to have a moral stance, some substance,
until he is confronted by the Nazis. With the choice of fleeing
the country, Hendrik discovers that he will do almost anything
for the roar of applause, nothing else fills the void where
his soul should have been...
Mephisto
(1981) was directed by Istvan Szabo, from the original novel
by Klaus Mann, and formed the first chapter in Szabo's trilogy
of films which included Colonel Redl (1984) and Hanussen
(1988). Szabo is one of the most successful and acclaimed
directors to emerge from the sixties Hungarian New Cinema.
Mephisto won a slew of awards on its release, including
the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film. In eighty-five
Colonel Redl was nominated for an Oscar as well as winning
a BAFTA, and three other awards. Once again Haussen was nominated
for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film. His best work, so far has
been produced from his collaboration with the actor Klaus
Maria Brandauer, who stared in all three films and cinematographer
Lajos Koltai.
Mephisto
is an extraordinary film; Brandauer gives, what must be, the
performance of his life. Although, the character of Hendrik
has little, if any, redeeming qualities. He is vain and looks
down on people whom he considers inferior and yet Brandauer
draws the audience into Hendrik's world and Hendrik's head.
It's not that we end up sympathising with him, his acts alone
condemn him, but we do finally understand the choices he makes
as he tries to balance between his art and the need to stay
a step ahead of the Nazi's. His eventual Faustian deal with
the Nazi's for the success, as an actor which he so craves,
is not such a great leap as Hendrik has little of his soul
left to give away.
Cinematography
by Lajos Kolai is some of the best your likely to see. The
period is reproduced in great detail. That's not to say that
the DVD hasn't more than a few problems. I'm not sure of the
quality of the original print but the one that turns up on
the DVD isn't so great, which makes the film look a lot older
that it actually is. Sound is stereo and there are no extras
at all on the disc.
This
is not an easy film to watch and I certainly wouldn't recommend
it as a Saturday night movie, but if you persevere then it's
a rewarding experience. True, the moral behind the film -
that totalitarian governments are a bad idea - is a bit trite,
but then you can't have everything.
Charles
Packer
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