Colonel Redl

Oberst Redl

K14

Genre

Drama

Director

István Szabó

Run time

2h 24min

Cast

Klaus Maria Brandauer, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Hans Christian Blech, Gudrun Landgrebe, Jan Niklas

The second film in István Szabó’s trilogy about the recent past, "Colonel Redl" was inspired by a play by Englishman John Osborne, "A Patriot for Me" (1965).

The titular lead character Alfred Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer) is an ambitious young officer who climbs swiftly up the career ladder in the pre-World War I Austro-Hungarian Empire. He ends up at the helm of the secret service, where he sells the country’s military plans to Russia, thus consigning thousands of his compatriots to a certain death. In interviews, Szabó has said he doesn’t condemn Redl as a spy and traitor. He was above all interested in the psychology of this character – what made him act the way he did? Redl was a product of conflicting conditions – he was a Catholic with Jewish roots and was also gay. As he navigated the highest levels and interacted with the high class, he had to keep it all a secret. On one hand, the film surveys the rise and fall of a brilliant and charismatic officer, but on the other hand it reflects the invisible death throes of the Habsburg empire, where behind the outward glitz, military pageantry and grand balls, irreversible decline can be discerned.

Hungary / Germany / Austria 1985

Genre

Drama

Director

István Szabó

Run time

2h 24min

Cast

Klaus Maria Brandauer, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Hans Christian Blech, Gudrun Landgrebe, Jan Niklas

The second film in István Szabó’s trilogy about the recent past, "Colonel Redl" was inspired by a play by Englishman John Osborne, "A Patriot for Me" (1965).

The titular lead character Alfred Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer) is an ambitious young officer who climbs swiftly up the career ladder in the pre-World War I Austro-Hungarian Empire. He ends up at the helm of the secret service, where he sells the country’s military plans to Russia, thus consigning thousands of his compatriots to a certain death. In interviews, Szabó has said he doesn’t condemn Redl as a spy and traitor. He was above all interested in the psychology of this character – what made him act the way he did? Redl was a product of conflicting conditions – he was a Catholic with Jewish roots and was also gay. As he navigated the highest levels and interacted with the high class, he had to keep it all a secret. On one hand, the film surveys the rise and fall of a brilliant and charismatic officer, but on the other hand it reflects the invisible death throes of the Habsburg empire, where behind the outward glitz, military pageantry and grand balls, irreversible decline can be discerned.

Hungary / Germany / Austria 1985

Info

Rating

Under 14 Not Allowed

Production year

1985

Global distributor

-

Local distributor

Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ

In cinema

12/1/2013