Mephisto
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72% Critic Match

Mephisto

7.2 / 10 1981 2h 25mNR German
Drama

Storyline

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. As his associates and friends flee or are ground under by the Nazi terror, the popularity of his character supercedes his own existence until he finds that his best performance is keeping up appearances for his Nazi patrons.

Cast & Crew

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Hendrik Höfgen

Lead
Krystyna Janda

Krystyna Janda

Barbara Bruckner

Ildikó Bánsági

Ildikó Bánsági

Nicoletta von Niebuhr

Rolf Hoppe

Rolf Hoppe

Tábornagy

Karin Boyd

Karin Boyd

Juliette Martens

György Cserhalmi

György Cserhalmi

Hans Miklas

Péter Andorai

Péter Andorai

Otto Ulrichs

Christine Harbort

Christine Harbort

Lotte Lindenthal

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. István Szabó's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
4.0
Every frame feels alive. Mephisto is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker