Mephisto (1981 film)
Encyclopedia
Mephisto is the title of a 1981
film adaptation of Klaus Mann
's novel of the same name
, directed by István Szabó
, and starring Klaus Maria Brandauer
as Hendrik Höfgen. The film was a co-production between companies in West Germany
, Hungary
and Austria
.
The film adapts the story of Mephistopheles
and Doctor Faustus
by having the main character Hendrik Höfgen abandon his conscience and continue to act and ingratiate himself with the Nazi Party
and so keep and improve his job and social position.
The plot's bitter irony is that the protagonist's most fond dream is to play Mephisto - but in order to achieve this dream he in effect sells his soul, and realises too late that in reality he is Faustus; it is the Nazi leader having a major role in the film (modeled on Goering) who is the true Mephisto.
Both the film and Mann's 1936 novel mirror the career of Mann's brother-in-law, Gustaf Gründgens
, who is considered by many to have supported the Nazi Party and abandoned his previous political views for personal gain rather than conscience. (Playing Mephisto was indeed the peak of Gründgens' career, though in reality this was long after the fall of the Nazis.) However, Mann's book is satirical, making Höfgen more a lampoon
than a character in his own right, while the film offers a more realistic exploration of a flawed but recognisably human character.
; the film was submitted to the Academy by Hungary. To date it is the only Hungarian film to win the Foreign Language Oscar.
At the 1981 Cannes Film Festival
, the film won the Best Screenplay Award
and the FIPRESCI Prize
.
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
film adaptation of Klaus Mann
Klaus Mann
- Life and work :Born in Munich, Klaus Mann was the son of German writer Thomas Mann and his wife, Katia Pringsheim. His father was baptized as a Lutheran, while his mother was from a family of secular Jews. He began writing short stories in 1924 and the following year became drama critic for a...
's novel of the same name
Mephisto (novel)
Mephisto – Novel of a Career is the sixth novel by Klaus Mann, which was published in 1936 whilst he was in exile in Amsterdam. It was published for the first time in Germany in the East Berlin Aufbau-Verlag in 1956...
, directed by István Szabó
István Szabó
István Szabó is a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, and opera director.Szabó is the most internationally famous Hungarian filmmaker since the late 1960s. Working in the tradition of European, auteurist art cinema, he has made films that represent many of the psychological and political...
, and starring Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer is an Austrian actor, film director, and professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna.-Personal life:...
as Hendrik Höfgen. The film was a co-production between companies in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
The film adapts the story of Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles is a demon featured in German folklore...
and Doctor Faustus
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
by having the main character Hendrik Höfgen abandon his conscience and continue to act and ingratiate himself with the Nazi Party
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and so keep and improve his job and social position.
The plot's bitter irony is that the protagonist's most fond dream is to play Mephisto - but in order to achieve this dream he in effect sells his soul, and realises too late that in reality he is Faustus; it is the Nazi leader having a major role in the film (modeled on Goering) who is the true Mephisto.
Both the film and Mann's 1936 novel mirror the career of Mann's brother-in-law, Gustaf Gründgens
Gustaf Gründgens
Gustaf Gründgens , born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, intendant and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg...
, who is considered by many to have supported the Nazi Party and abandoned his previous political views for personal gain rather than conscience. (Playing Mephisto was indeed the peak of Gründgens' career, though in reality this was long after the fall of the Nazis.) However, Mann's book is satirical, making Höfgen more a lampoon
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
than a character in his own right, while the film offers a more realistic exploration of a flawed but recognisably human character.
Cast
- Klaus Maria BrandauerKlaus Maria BrandauerKlaus Maria Brandauer is an Austrian actor, film director, and professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna.-Personal life:...
as Hendrik Hoefgen - Krystyna Janda as Barbara Bruckner
- Ildikó Bánsági as Nicoletta von Niebuhr
- Rolf Hoppe as Tábornagy
- György CserhalmiGyörgy CserhalmiGyörgy Cserhalmi was born on February 17, 1948 in Budapest, Hungary. He is a Hungarian actor. He graduated from the Actors Academy in 1971. He is also the founder of the Labdater Theatre in the Globe cultural centre.-Employment:...
as Hans Miklas - Péter AndoraiPéter AndoraiPéter Andorai is a Hungarian actor. He has appeared in over 90 films since 1975. He starred in the 1980 film Bizalom, which was entered into the 30th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for Best Director....
as Otto Ulrichs - Karin Boyd as Juliette Martens
- Christine Harbort as Lotte Lindenthal
- Tamás Major as Oskar Kroge, színigazgató
- Ildikó KishontiIldikó KishontiIldikó Kishonti was a Hungarian actress. She also appeared on television.-Selected filmography:* Az igazi Mikulás * Sorstalanság * Pá Drágám * Eszmélés * Lily in Love...
as Dora Martin, primadonna - Mária Bisztrai as Motzné, tragika
- Sándor Lukács as Rolf Bonetti, bonviván
- Ágnes Bánfalvy
- Judit Hernádi as Rachel Mohrenwitz, drámai szende
- Vilmos Kun as Ügyelõ
Awards
Mephisto was awarded the 1981 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
; the film was submitted to the Academy by Hungary. To date it is the only Hungarian film to win the Foreign Language Oscar.
At the 1981 Cannes Film Festival
1981 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Jacques Deray *Ellen Burstyn *Jean-Claude Carrière *Robert Chazal *Attilio D'Onofrio *Christian Defaye *Carlos Diegues *Antonio Gala...
, the film won the Best Screenplay Award
Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Screenplay Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival...
and the FIPRESCI Prize
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
.