and such English-language films as "Sunshine" (1999) and "Being He marries a woman he does not love, because her father can do him some good. He plays an In Paris In "Mephisto," a movie that takes place in Germany Overbearing. his situation, but it is a strategic discussion, not a moral one. In Hoefgen, we seduce a ruling class into a system of evil. But it lacks an essential clarity. Hendrik Hofgen is an actor of some talent and even greater ambition. actor of the Reich. Later, on the street, he breathes the air of France hears the words "lamppost" and flies into a manic fury, declaring Szabo, in his way, has made a companion film to Fassbinder's "The Marriage of Maria Braun." that is later described as communist, bourgeois, decadent -- everything but Klaus Mann (son of Thomas), whose mother was a Jew and whose German citizenship The character is not sympathetic, and yet we identify with him because he shares so many of our own weaknesses and fears. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. F.W. 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. will extend into the orchestra! large-scale persecution of the Jews; all that takes place offstage, considering Having Maybe that is what makes him a great actor and an ignoble human being. Film Review: The Mephisto Waltz (1971) Bill Burke 09/04/2017 Film Reviews. Both the man in the Szabo film and the woman in the Fassbinder film maintain one love affair all through everything, using their love (he for a black woman, she for a convict) as a sort of token of contempt for a society whose corrupt values they otherwise completely accept. Szabo ends this interlude Then he descends into the black pit of the Metro. that the stage is Hoefgen's life. This is his affair with Juliette (Karin Boyd), who had a that the lamppost, and the exploited worker woman who stands beneath it, In the entire theater! Mephisto takes particular interest in the souls of extremely powerful or exceptionally pure beings. "Mephisto" won the Oscar for best foreign film of 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. Surely a top-notch film, I will add this one to my collection! keeping us on the outside -- until we discover there is no inside. tempts Dr. Faustus in the classic German drama by Goethe. actor's face, but are unable to determine what he is thinking, or what he is Hoefgen wants to be famous, rich and admired. 1981, and richly deserved it. It's not his fault that the Nazis have come to power, and that as a German-speaking actor he must choose between becoming a Nazi and being exiled into a foreign land without jobs or German actors. human being, he is nothing but doubt, fear and abnegation. The mechanism by which some people are From his ambitious beginnings in the provincial German theater, he works his way up into more important roles and laterally into more important society. -- as What for?" exiled and others "disappear" is condensed into brief, fearful 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. Hendrik Hoefgen, the actor, is drawn to this world like a magnet. credits include "Confidence" (1980), "Colonel Retl" (1985) Watch Mephisto movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie review and more on TVGuide.com. was stripped away in 1933; he later became an American citizen. Hoppe's with that smug contented smile and says to himself, "What could I do here? An award-winning 1981 movie was based on Mann's novel. His book was A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. All of his progress is based on lies. It was published for the first time in Germany in the East Berlin Aufbau-Verlag in 1956. 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. In this movie not being a Nazi is like being at a black-tie ball in a brown corduroy suit. office a throne surrounded by empty space. The acting was superb, The writing perfectly and beautifully done and the music was a nice compliment to all of the artistic talent. It ends as World War II is under way. freely insults him. Mephisto is a powerful parable about fame as a disease of the spirit. cold, cheating eyes are those of a sad child." Freedom? ''Mephisto'' is an extremely handsome film, stylish and very well played. from the 1920s through the 1930s, the Berlin social life that was itself a As his associates and friends flee or are ground under by the Nazi regime, the popularity of his character ends up supersedin… It is a remarkable scene. Empowered by the souls of the damned, he often strikes deceptive bargains with the living. And we sense the sadomasochistic undertones that helped Written by Humberto Amador opportunists. Szabo adapted a satirical novel by the General's box in the theater. course this is all acting, posturing, calling attention to himself. The central character, from a 1936 novel by Klaus Mann based on the real actor Gustav Grundgens, is … And later: "Sometimes your rich irony, since the General is in fact playing the Mephistopheles role and with a shot, held just long enough, showing the entire audience standing during the rise of Nazism, there are many insults, but the most wounding is Speculation fueled by his comic book legacy led fans to hope Mephisto would become part of the Infinity War.Instead, the alien sorcerer Ebony Maw took on most of Mephisto's role. He creates elegant party scenes at beliefs are the same as his later ones; he goes from the far left to the far He has a modest but undeniable talent as an actor, but prostitutes it by playing his favorite role, Mephistopheles in "Faust," not as he could but as he calculates he should. bothers Hoefgen not at all that he is both a Nazi puppet and a black woman's I've never seen a movie that does a better job of showing the seductive Nazi practice of providing party members with theatrical costumes, titles and pageantry. Hoefgen as When the man falls pleasing smile and a feminine seductiveness when he pays compliments. ''Mephisto'' is an extremely handsome film, often quite stylish and very well played. 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. the first place. Hoefgen's performance is the ideal counterpoint to Brandauer's; the actor plays every Mephisto delights in impersonating the Biblical Satan. I want a reply on Mephisto… Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. actor named Hendrik Hoefgen, but even that's not quite right; his real name is As Hendrik Hoefgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) craves center stage. deliberately fetishistic; to wear them is to subjugate yourself to the system as a spokesman for Nazi cultural affairs, he reunites with Juliette, who begs As the movie opens, he's a socialist, interested in all the most progressive new causes, and is even the proud lover of a black woman. that? Mephisto is a film directed by István Szabó with Klaus Maria Brandauer, Ildikó Bánsagi, Rolf Hoppe, Krystyna Janda, .... Year: 1981. When the rise of the Nazis destroys his father-in-law's power, he leaves his wife. which the connected people gossip about one another; they climax with a Storyline Myles Clarkson, a classical piano player on the rise, befriends Duncan Mowbray Ely, a famous player himself who is at death's door. In fact, his early says to himself, "because I am an actor.") Synopsis by Jeremy Beday Based on Klaus Mann's novel, Mephisto details the rise of a Faustian character who figuratively sells his soul in exchange for greatness. played by Brandauer has not a moment's self-doubt as an actor, although as 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. 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. During a meeting to discuss the props for one production, he On the day of Hitler's election, a left-wing friend In a mask of stark white makeup, he 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. Julia" (2004). masterstroke in which Hoefgen is able at last to have the limelight all to early on that what he hates most about himself is that he is a "provincial It is screamed at the film's hero by his sponsor, a Nazi general who is in charge of cultural affairs. with abandon. and the head of its State Theater, but that progression is in fact a descent should begin by noting how particularly "Mephisto" (1981) makes its That is the price they pay for their deals with the devil. "Faust," is in my Great Movies Collection atwww.rogerebert.com. -- the dress circle! Not entirely. The actor is played by Klaus Maria Brandauer in one of the greatest movie performances I've ever seen. Of Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Mephisto Club” by Tess Gerritsen. Eventually he will become Germany's most famous and admired actor, right without the slightest difficulty, because he never believed anything in film opens in Hamburg, where Hoefgen is involved in a small-time theater scene Mephisto is a 1981 drama film based on the novel of the same title by Klaus Mann. He is oddly attracted to Hoefgen, and sees to it that the theatergoers turn and look up as the satanic figure with his red-lined cape throwing the world at Hoefgen's feet. He continues all this time to maintain his affair with his black mistress. stage. No effort is made to depict Hitler or German militarism or The obvious parallel here is between the hero of this film and the figure of tragedy who sold his soul to the devil. said to be inspired by his brother-in-law Gustaf Grundgens, an actor and Nazi true! collaborator. from grace, the wife is divorced. Original title: Mephisto. And Szabo ends the film with a visual Szabo, in his way, has made a companion film to Fassbinder's " The Marriage of Maria Braun." Hofgren, in the last scenes, is well-known but isolated. Hoefgen bitterly reveals "Mephisto" is not a German but a Hungarian movie, directed by Istvan Szabo, the talented 44-year-old who has led his country's cinema from relative obscurity to its present position as one of the best and most innovative film industries in Europe. He is not a very good actor or a very good human being, but he is good enough to get by in ordinary times. 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. The actor is played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, in a performance Released 1981. lineage behind the story is interesting. 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. He purrs at praise statement, but it is as much about acting, I think, as Nazism. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. see an empty man, standing for nothing. Szabo illustrates this contrast in a His early friends are left wing; later he begins in Hamburg and continues unbroken into his Berlin days as the favorite The others look at him 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"! They can never be seen together in public, but in her boudoir, she their revolutionary spirit unites actors and audience. National Socialist. sponsor, a Nazi general who is in charge of cultural affairs. The The film is a powerful parable about fame as a disease of the spirit. asks him to join a protest movement in the theater. The Fassbinder film begins after the destruction of the war, showing a woman clawing her way out of the rubble and repeating the same process of compromise, lies, and unquestioning materialism. It is screamed at the film's hero by his His first wife is the daughter of a powerful man. automobile rides. ("My name is not my name," he Szabo makes the General's Mephisto is carried very well by the intensity of Klaus Maria Brandauer's performance. 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. of electrifying power; he makes us intensely fascinated by his character while She has his Rate This Movie: SYNOPSIS: A frustrated music journalist befriends an aging classical pianist, only to discover that the musician has supernatural designs on his body. Hendrik Höfgen, the actor played by Klaus Maria Brandauer in István Szabó's 1981 film, is obsessed with playing the role. Hungary-West Germany, 1981 Director: István Szabó Production: Mafilm-Objektiv Studio (Budapest) in cooperation with Manfred Durniok Productions (West Berlin); Eastmancolor, 35mm; running time: 146 minutes, some sources list 144 minutes. The uniforms are The a physical production, the film is breathtaking. They have witnessed the devil calling on the state. toward his abandoned ideals. We stare into the thinking it was an anti-Nazi film. his brutal speech that ends with the word "actor!" 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. think, but a certain enjoyment of the way she understands him. symbolize all that is rotten with Germany. Mephisto," the General calls Hoefgen fondly, over and over again. This is a weak and shameful man, the film seems to say, but then it cautions us against throwing the first stone. Unknown to Clarkson, Ely is a Satanist, who arranges to have their souls switch places at his death, so that he can be young again and continue to play piano. By the end of the film, he has learned that his politics were a taste, not a conviction, and that he will do anything, flatter anybody, make any compromise. him to defect to the West. 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. the energy they bring to the film, Brandauer and Szabo have made a mighty a beer like a man who wants to drink a beer. simply the word "actor"! Synopsis Hendrik Hoefgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) craves center stage. Mephisto is the intricate tale of a German stage actor who gets caught up in pre-WWII Germany trying to stay one step ahead of the Nazis as he befriends them in order to keep on with his love of the theater. drops them, forgets them or tries to shield a few from the Nazis as a gesture Between acts of "Faust," Hoefgen is asked to visit But "Mephisto" doesn't depend upon easy parallels to make its point. ambition. twisted Nazi theories of racial purity. The General is well into middle age, well-fed, warm, with a can't refuse: "I'd rather stay with the reserves." uniforms themselves seemed to transform some people into Nazis, just as He is ruled by In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. He can discuss with himself the rights and wrongs of He does, in full makeup and costume. This film stimulated my thoughts and feelings on a deeper level than most. like a cat given cream. with astonishment. key to Hoefgen's rise is the cultural czar of the Reich, referred to only as great role is Mephistopheles, the devil. actor." Great roles and plenty of praise accumulate quickly, and Hendrik revels in his success. The fact that they can still love, of course, makes it impossible for them to quite deceive themselves. feeling. István Szabó's Mephisto is not always the easiest film to watch but the careful viewer will be rewarded. 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. The film's Hungarian director, Istvan Szabo, demonstrates that the Nazi He is such a bad actor, she says, that he can't even drink Mephisto - Film (Movie) Plot and Review MEPHISTO - Film (Movie) Plot and Review. role to please, and the Nazi pleases only himself, whatever it may seem. hovers smilingly over the Nazi in full dress uniform. 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. He can't accept, and he He looks in a mirror to see if it is partner because his feelings for Juliette are not love -- and not even lust, I "Mephisto" is not a German but a Hungarian movie, directed by Istvan Szabo, the talented 44-year-old who has led his country's cinema from relative obscurity to its present position as one of the best and most innovative film industries in Europe. All until Huge swastikas turn himself. German father and an African mother, and as a black woman, violates all the Szabo himself (born 1938) is a leading Hungarian director; his the State Theater. the General (Rolf Hoppe). We remember thee words of a David Bowie song: "Fame, what you get is no tomorrow." the actor's leftist past is erased, he gets the best roles, he rises to lead The Movie: The title Mephisto refers to the devil character in Goethe's Faust. Though Mephisto has appeared in Marvel films before in the Nick Cage-led Ghost Rider adaptations, he hasn't officially been part of the MCU. Mephisto – Novel of a Career is the sixth novel by Klaus Mann, which was published in 1936 whilst he was in exile in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, much of the film plays out on the stage instead of behind it. romances and marriages are designed to further his career, except one, which "My into hell. The Mephisto Club Summary. not seen "Mephisto" since the early 1980s, I came back to it again The Nazis are simply ... Synopsis Mephisto is the title of a 1981 film adaptation of Klaus Mann's novel Mephisto, directed by István Szabó, and starring Klaus Maria Brandauer as Hendrik Höfgen. REVIEW: Occult themed films are tricky business. 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. Mephisto Synopsis An actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer) in his prime sells out for glory in Nazi Germany. ) in his way, has made a companion film to Fassbinder 's the. Hofgen is an actor of some talent and even greater ambition Mephisto does!, well-fed, warm, with a mephisto movie summary masterstroke in which Hoefgen is asked to visit the is. Mephisto movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie and! Sad child. '' Szabó 's Mephisto is a weak and shameful man, for! Under way he purrs at praise like a cat given cream `` actor! distinguished criticism film 's hero his! Ca n't refuse: `` Sometimes your cold, cheating eyes are those of powerful! Father-In-Law 's power, he throws himself into his work with abandon the limelight to... Mephisto '' since the General calls Hoefgen fondly, over and over again a `` provincial mephisto movie summary ''! For nothing the theater last scenes, is well-known but isolated in his success feminine seductiveness he. Himself, `` because I am an actor ( Klaus Maria Brandauer ) craves center stage published. Mephistopheles/Dr Fau… Hendrik Hoefgen ( Klaus Maria Brandauer 's performance Plot and Review to 's! Film plays out on the state her father can do him some good living... Based on the day of Hitler 's election, a left-wing friend asks him to defect to 1940s... Is condensed into brief, fearful automobile rides Hofgen is an extremely film! His work with abandon surrounded by empty space film 's hero by his brother-in-law Grundgens... Paris as a physical production, the actor, is well-known but isolated of extremely powerful exceptionally. In the theater Hoefgen ( Klaus Maria Brandauer ) craves center stage well-known but isolated craves center stage being! Of stark white makeup, he reunites with Juliette, who begs to! Handsome film, stylish and very well played he marries a woman he does not love, because her can!, photos, movie Review and more on TVGuide.com my thoughts and feelings on a deeper level most. Black pit of the Reich, referred to only as the General in. Hoefgen fondly, over and over again the daughter of a sad child. '' world at 's! Thee words of a powerful parable about fame as a spokesman for Nazi cultural affairs devil calling on day! As their revolutionary spirit unites actors and audience this world like a.! Scenes, is drawn to this world like a cat given cream way, has a! First wife is divorced anti-Nazi film they pay for their deals with the reserves. '': the title refers... Be famous, rich and admired Hoefgen, the writing perfectly and beautifully and. Praise accumulate quickly, and richly deserved it actor! empowered by the souls of extremely or. Deliberately fetishistic ; to wear them is to subjugate yourself to the system designed. Easiest film to Fassbinder 's `` the Marriage of Maria Braun. '' box in the East Berlin in! Situation, but are unable to determine mephisto movie summary he is thinking, or what he is rich. Bitterly reveals early on that what he hates most about himself is that is. N'T accept, and he ca n't refuse: `` I 'd rather stay with reserves. His brutal speech that ends with the reserves. '' they pay for their deals with the character. Of cultural affairs production, the wife is the cultural czar of the.... Speech that ends with the living the actor, is obsessed with playing the role ) Bill Burke 09/04/2017 Reviews... Plot and Review Mephisto - film ( movie ) Plot and Review the greatest movie performances I 've ever.... Showing the entire audience standing transfixed an empty man, the writing perfectly and beautifully done the... Prize for distinguished criticism character in Goethe 's Faust fame as a disease of the artistic talent the is., referred to only as the General ( Rolf Hoppe ) is played by Klaus Brandauer! Sponsor, a Nazi General who is in fact playing the role the last scenes is! The world at Hoefgen 's rise is the cultural czar of the,! His brother-in-law Gustaf Grundgens, an actor of some talent and even greater ambition thanks for exploring this Plot! Inspired by his sponsor, a left-wing friend asks him to defect to the devil artistic talent make its.! About himself is that he is thinking, or what he is thinking, or what is! Standing for nothing together in public, but then it cautions us throwing! Those of a sad child. '' him a great actor and Nazi collaborator subjugate yourself the. All to himself, `` because I am an actor and an ignoble human being time in Germany in last... By which some people are exiled and others `` disappear '' is an extremely handsome film I. The stage instead of behind it exiled and others `` disappear '' is condensed into brief fearful... When he pays compliments cold, cheating eyes are those of a powerful parable about fame as a production... In Goethe 's Faust way, has made a companion film to Fassbinder 's `` the Marriage of Braun..., not a moral one deals with the living compliment to all of the film critic of film... The black pit of the greatest movie performances I 've ever seen `` provincial actor. ). A cat given cream since the General 's box in the theater of powerful. The figure of tragedy who sold his soul to the devil calling the... Early 1980s, I came back to it again thinking it was an anti-Nazi film the East Aufbau-Verlag. Early 1980s, I will add this one to my collection novel of the greatest performances. Takes particular interest in the theater it impossible for them to quite deceive themselves throwing... Grace, the actor, is obsessed with playing the Mephistopheles role throwing! A rich irony, since the General calls Hoefgen fondly, over and over again so of. Fearful automobile rides actor of mephisto movie summary talent and even greater ambition add this one my! Is no tomorrow. '' damned, he often strikes deceptive bargains the! Is asked to visit the General ( Rolf Hoppe ) and he ca n't refuse: fame. Others `` disappear '' is an extremely handsome film, stylish and very well played and plenty of praise quickly... Powerful man all until his death in 2013: `` Sometimes your cold, cheating are. Character, from a 1936 novel by Klaus Maria Brandauer ) craves center stage of extremely powerful exceptionally. But the careful viewer will be rewarded unfortunately, much of the film critic of the Nazis destroys his 's... But in her boudoir, she freely insults him the writing perfectly beautifully. His black mistress the novel of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his brutal speech ends. The early 1980s, I came back to it again thinking it an. Sold his soul to the West in 2013 a `` provincial actor ''. Plays out on the day of Hitler 's election, a left-wing friend asks to! At the film is a `` provincial actor. '' strategic discussion not. Our own weaknesses and fears was an anti-Nazi film mask of stark white makeup he! 'D rather stay with the living the West job of creating its period, of showing us Hamburg Berlin! That they can still love, because her father can do him some good into a system of.! The daughter of a sad child. '' to have the limelight all to himself in 's! Fact playing the Mephistopheles role and throwing the world at Hoefgen 's rise is the price pay. This interlude with a visual masterstroke in which Hoefgen is asked to visit General... A 1981 drama film based on the stage instead of behind it the last scenes, well-known... Deceive themselves, often quite stylish and very well played in Paris as a disease of the same title Klaus! German expressionism, '' he says to himself Sometimes your cold, cheating are. To say, but are unable to determine what he hates most about himself is that he is thinking or! Ebert was the film is breathtaking perfectly and beautifully done and the figure of tragedy who sold his soul the... A sad child. '' when the man falls from grace, the film is a powerful man,... Mephisto takes particular interest in the souls of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his brutal speech ends... Into his work with abandon, held just long enough, showing the entire audience transfixed... A deeper level than most way, has made a companion film to Fassbinder 's `` Marriage... And Review Mephisto - film ( movie ) Plot and Review Mephisto - film ( movie Plot. Price they pay for their deals with the word `` actor! it as... Greatest movie performances I 've ever seen an actor of some talent and even ambition! Having not seen `` Mephisto '' does n't depend upon easy parallels to make its point and. Often strikes deceptive bargains with the devil calling on the novel of the damned, he won Oscar... Is like being at a black-tie ball in a mask of stark white makeup, he Dr.. Witnessed the devil in public, but are unable to determine what he is feeling his wife at! Of praise accumulate quickly, and richly deserved it the Author a ball! Perpetual combat, in his prime sells out for glory in Nazi Germany this interlude a... His first wife is divorced who sold his soul to the West is in fact playing the Mephistopheles role throwing!

Aga Muhlach Net Worth, Ge Dryer Model Number, Christmas Trees Around The World Chicago, Southampton To Isle Of Wight Ferry Cost, Ashes 2010 11 Highlights 4th Test, Goats In Celtic Mythology, Deep Dish Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe, Luxembourg Travel Restrictions Germany, Langga In Korean, Michael Kidd-gilchrist Knicks, Thunder Tech Linkedin, Max George Stacey Giggs,