Review of Colonel Redl

Introduction

István Szabó`s follow-up to the Oscar-winning `Mephisto` reunites him with actor Klaus Maria Brandauer and writer Péter Dobai in this adaptation of John Osborne`s play `A Patriot for Me`, which was based on the true story of Alfred Redl.

As with `Mephisto`, the story is principally concerned with a flawed individual and their pursuit of success. Redl joins a military academy with his friend Kristof Kubinyi, an aristocrat whose family connections allow the peasant Redl to enter the same school. Redl excels at the academy and, following graduation, is drafted into the military intelligence unit of the Austro-Hungarian army. As he rises through the ranks, he becomes answerable only to Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Armin Mueller-Stahl).

However, heavy is the head that wears the crown, and rumours that Redl is not only a homosexual, but also Jewish, results in the spymaster being spied upon and ultimately he becomes a victim of his own success.

Video

Disappointingly, the non-anamorphic widescreen shows no signs of having been improved in the last 20 years and has significant grain and a `soft` transfer.

The film is well subtitled although they are white and are occasionally difficult to read against light backgrounds.

Audio

The mono soundtrack is unspectacular although perfectly adequate for a film of this nature. The dialogue is very clear, due in no small part to the dubbing of the film as Szabó employed a mixture of Hungarian and German actors.

Features

None.

Conclusion

Making a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Oscar-winning `Mephisto` was always going to be a hard act, but István Szabó rises to the challenge with another bravura performance from Klaus Maria Brandauer. `Colonel Redl` doesn`t have the depth of `Mephisto` but the political and military machinations make for a compelling film which takes you from the end of the 19th century to the outbreak of the First World War.

Aside from the masterful performances from Brandauer and Mueller-Stahl, the film is memorable for the terrific script by Szabó and Dobai which is full of intrigue, references to the fragile state of the empire and prophetic statements about how a momentous event like a war or assassination is necessary for the good of the empire.

This is a masterful epic that probably has only limited appeal which is a shame because it really deserves greater exposure than it will undoubtedly receive.