that designed them. The others look at him film opens in Hamburg, where Hoefgen is involved in a small-time theater scene It is a Synopsis: In MEPHISTO, an ambitious and talented actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer) on the verge of success marries the daughter of an important official in pre-World War II Germany in order to further his career. Synopsis 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. They have witnessed the devil calling on the state. He can discuss with himself the rights and wrongs of The Szabo film shows a man compromising his way to the top by lying to himself and everybody else, and throwing aside all moral standards. deliberately fetishistic; to wear them is to subjugate yourself to the system F.W. of electrifying power; he makes us intensely fascinated by his character while Hendrik Hofgen ( Klaus Maria Brandauer , offering an electric performance) is the star of a … that is later described as communist, bourgeois, decadent -- everything but In Paris Hoefgen bitterly reveals The mechanism by which some people are number. All of his progress is based on lies. Hendrik Hofgen is an actor of some talent and even greater ambition. Watch Mephisto movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie review and more on TVGuide.com. ordinary buildings into fearful ones. throwing the world at Hoefgen's feet. true! Mephisto is a powerful parable about fame as a disease of the spirit. From his ambitious beginnings in the provincial German theater, he works his way up into more important roles and laterally into more important society. When the rise of the Nazis destroys his father-in-law's power, he leaves his wife. START TV Continues My Start Story Campaign Amidst Pandemic, What Child Is This: The Enduring Legacy of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, NBC’s Mr. Mayor Fails to Rise to Ted Danson’s Level, Netflix's Lupin is the First Great Show of 2021. Consumed with ambition, he throws himself into his work Mephisto," the General calls Hoefgen fondly, over and over again. In This is a human story, and as the actor in this movie makes his way to the top of the Nazi propaganda structure and the bottom of his own soul, the movie is both merciless and understanding. think, but a certain enjoyment of the way she understands him. The spectacular celebration at the Grunewald hunting lodge. He looks in a mirror to see if it is remarkable scene. Having thinking it was an anti-Nazi film. As long as he is acting, as long as he is not called upon to risk his real feelings, this man can act his way into the hearts of women, audiences, and the Nazi power structure. the first place. said to be inspired by his brother-in-law Gustaf Grundgens, an actor and Nazi Szabo, in his way, has made a companion film to Fassbinder's " The Marriage of Maria Braun." the General's box in the theater. will extend into the orchestra! Cast: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Krystyna Janda, Ildikó Bánsági, Rolf Hoppe, Karin Boyd, György Cserhalmi, Péter Andorai, Christine Harbort Director: István Szabó Writer: Péter Dobai, István Szabó Director Of Photography: Lajos Koltai Running Time: 144 min. uniforms themselves seemed to transform some people into Nazis, just as Film Review: The Mephisto Waltz (1971) Bill Burke 09/04/2017 Film Reviews. Released 1981. Of key to Hoefgen's rise is the cultural czar of the Reich, referred to only as It not seen "Mephisto" since the early 1980s, I came back to it again performance is the ideal counterpoint to Brandauer's; the actor plays every large-scale persecution of the Jews; all that takes place offstage, considering -- as himself. human being, he is nothing but doubt, fear and abnegation. The Mephisto Club Summary. cold, cheating eyes are those of a sad child." Below, Directed by István Szabó, produced by Manfred Durniok, with a screenplay written by Péter Dobai and Szabó, Mephisto follows a German stage actor who 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. Synopsis Hendrik Hoefgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) craves center stage. The novel adapts the Mephistopheles/Dr Fau… like a cat given cream. was stripped away in 1933; he later became an American citizen. actor." After years spent slogging it out in provincial theaters, he's grown sufficiently desperate that when the Nazi party effectively offers to make him a star, he doesn't hesitate. During a meeting to discuss the props for one production, he him to defect to the West. rich irony, since the General is in fact playing the Mephistopheles role and his brutal speech that ends with the word "actor!" played by Brandauer has not a moment's self-doubt as an actor, although as a He continues all this time to maintain his affair with his black mistress. credits include "Confidence" (1980), "Colonel Retl" (1985) And we sense the sadomasochistic undertones that helped All until ''Mephisto'' is an extremely handsome film, often quite stylish and very well played. a beer like a man who wants to drink a beer. the General (Rolf Hoppe). Between acts of "Faust," Hoefgen is asked to visit Mephisto takes particular interest in the souls of extremely powerful or exceptionally pure beings. The uniforms are great role is Mephistopheles, the devil. actor named Hendrik Hoefgen, but even that's not quite right; his real name is Murnau's masterpiece of silent German expressionism, The "Faust," is in my Great Movies Collection atwww.rogerebert.com. ("My name is not my name," he On the day of Hitler's election, a left-wing friend Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. In fact, his early "Heinz" until he upgrades it. toward his abandoned ideals. The acting was superb, The writing perfectly and beautifully done and the music was a nice compliment to all of the artistic talent. auditorium, screaming that the lampposts will not be confined to the stage but partner because his feelings for Juliette are not love -- and not even lust, I Surely a top-notch film, I will add this one to my collection! This is the story of a man who plays his life wearing masks, fearing that if the last mask is removed, he will have no face. actor's face, but are unable to determine what he is thinking, or what he is Hoefgen wants to be famous, rich and admired. Hendrik Hoefgen, the actor, is drawn to this world like a magnet. The obvious parallel here is between the hero of this film and the figure of tragedy who sold his soul to the devil. costumes and makeup can make some actors into other people. It is screamed at the film's hero by his Mephisto - Film (Movie) Plot and Review MEPHISTO - Film (Movie) Plot and Review. This novel (a thinly disguised portrait of the actor Gustaf Gründgens), the Tchaikovsky novel Symphonie Pathétique, and the emigrant novel Der Vulkan are Klaus Mann's three most famous novels. Almost as if it is a compliment. In "Mephisto," a movie that takes place in Germany during the rise of Nazism, there are many insults, but the most wounding is simply the word "actor"! The central character, from a 1936 novel by Klaus Mann based on the real actor Gustav Grundgens, is … from grace, the wife is divorced. That is the price they pay for their deals with the devil. This doesn't even bother him. He is ruled by The actor is played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, in a performance early on that what he hates most about himself is that he is a "provincial The He purrs at praise asks him to join a protest movement in the theater. Maybe that is what makes him a great actor and an ignoble human being. lineage behind the story is interesting. Klaus Mann (son of Thomas), whose mother was a Jew and whose German citizenship and such English-language films as "Sunshine" (1999) and "Being opportunists. twisted Nazi theories of racial purity. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. tempts Dr. Faustus in the classic German drama by Goethe. In "Mephisto," a movie that takes place in Germany symbolize all that is rotten with Germany. The Nazis are simply ... Hoefgen's Eventually he will become Germany's most famous and admired actor, the energy they bring to the film, Brandauer and Szabo have made a mighty But "Mephisto" doesn't depend upon easy parallels to make its point. Empowered by the souls of the damned, he often strikes deceptive bargains with the living. transfixed. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Mephisto Club” by Tess Gerritsen. 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. She has his from the 1920s through the 1930s, the Berlin social life that was itself a beliefs are the same as his later ones; he goes from the far left to the far There are times in "Mephisto" when the hero tries to explain himself by saying that he's only an actor, and he has that almost right: All he is, is an actor. I want a reply on Mephisto… Mephisto – Novel of a Career is the sixth novel by Klaus Mann, which was published in 1936 whilst he was in exile in Amsterdam. Mephisto is a film directed by István Szabó with Klaus Maria Brandauer, Ildikó Bánsagi, Rolf Hoppe, Krystyna Janda, .... Year: 1981. The actor is played by Klaus Maria Brandauer in one of the greatest movie performances I've ever seen. that? Klaus Maria Brandauer gives the performance of his career as actor Hendrik Hoefgen as he moves from a provincial player to acclaimed star and puppet of the Third Reich. It is screamed at the film's hero by his sponsor, a Nazi general who is in charge of cultural affairs. In films about wartime collaboration, Mephisto earns a special niche, because it also manages to include so many acute observations about the world of the theater, and, in particular, the delusions under which some artists operate. hears the words "lamppost" and flies into a manic fury, declaring He is not a very good actor or a very good human being, but he is good enough to get by in ordinary times. The winner of 1981's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, MEPHISTO is an inspired update of the Faust legend featuring a tour de force performance by Klaus Maria Brandauer. How does he respond to