Mephisto (1981 film)

Mephisto
Hungarian release poster
Directed byIstván Szabó
Screenplay byPéter Dobai
István Szabó
Story byPéter Dobai
Based onMephisto
by Klaus Mann
Produced byManfred Durniok
StarringKlaus Maria Brandauer
Krystyna Janda
Ildikó Bánsági
Rolf Hoppe
Martin Hellberg
CinematographyLajos Koltai
Edited byZsuzsa Csákány
Music byZdenko Tamássy
Production
company
Distributed byAnalysis Film Releasing Corporation (U.S.)
Release dates
  • 11 February 1981 (1981-02-11) (Budapest premiere)
  • 29 April 1981 (1981-04-29) (West Germany)
  • 8 October 1981 (1981-10-08) (Hungary)
Running time
144 minutes
CountriesHungary
Austria
West Germany
LanguageGerman

Mephisto is a 1981 German political drama film co-written and directed by István Szabó, and based on the novel of the same name by Klaus Mann. It stars Klaus Maria Brandauer as a German stage actor (modeled on Gustaf Gründgens) 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. As his associates and friends flee or are forced underground by the Nazi regime, the popularity of his character ends up superseding his own existence, until he finds that his best performance is keeping up appearances for his Nazi patrons.

The film was a co-production of Hungarian, Austrian, and West German studios; starring a mix of German and Hungarian-speaking actors. It premiered in Budapest on 11 February 1981, and received widespread acclaim from critics, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, the first Hungarian picture to do so.[1] Brandauer's performance earned him multiple accolades, including BAFTA and German Film Award nominations, and launched his film career.

  1. ^ Cunningham, John (2014). The Cinema of István Szabó: Visions of Europe. New York City: Columbia University Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-231-17199-1.