Mann at the Movies
Mephisto (1981) is a film co-written and directed by István Szabó, and based on the novel of the same title by Klaus Mann, son of Thomas Mann, written in 1936.
Hendrik Hoefgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) wants to be in the lime light. 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. Great roles and plenty of praise accumulate quickly, and Hendrik revels in his success. He dreams of ultimately playing Mephisto, and to that end ruthlessly overlooks the profound moral compromises of his situation.
MANN AT THE MOVIES:
This film series is supported by the German Department at Northwestern University; the Goethe-Institut Chicago; Northwestern University's Departments of English, French and Italian; Slavic Languages and Literatures; and the Program of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Northwestern University.
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