Colonel Redl Reviews

Istvan Szabo's follow-up to MEPHISTO again stars Klaus Maria Brandauer, here as Colonel Alfred Redl, who became head of the Austro-Hungarian military intelligence bureau in the early 1900s, despite his impoverished origins. His Gatsby-like strivings for upper-class acceptance prove, however, to be his downfall when a czarist agent threatens to expose Redl's homosexual double life. Though not as richly textured or urgent as MEPHISTO, this is an expertly made historical drama that, while fictionalizing some events, truthfully examines the desire for power and the catalysts of war. The film boasts yet another tour de force performance by Brandauer, as well as an equally strong portrayal by Armin Mueller-Stahl as the ruthless, power-hungry archduke. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.