Mephisto

Hendrik Höfgen is an acclaimed actor with high ambitions. In the turbulent 1920s, he dreams of making his breakthrough on the outstanding stages of Berlin. Politically, he is unwavering in his opposition to the National Socialists, but when Hitler comes to power, unexpected opportunities arise for Höfgen. While his wife wants to flee into exile, he decides to stay. After all, he is only an actor. His rise to stardom under the Nazi regime marks the beginning of a dangerous game: Höfgen becomes a celebrated Faustian Mephisto, courted by the powerful and increasingly entangled in a system whose dark depths he would rather not see. Friendships shatter, former convictions fade, and the price of fame rises. How long can he convince himself that art is apolitical? In his Oscar-winning adaptation of Klaus Mann’s novel of the same name, István Szabó paints a gripping portrait of an artist who does not sell his soul in one fell swoop but step by step. Klaus Maria Brandauer shines as a charismatic opportunist. MEPHISTO is a timeless drama about seduction and moral self-deception and a powerful high point in Szabó’s filmography.