Directed by:
István SzabóCinematography:
Lajos KoltaiComposer:
Zdenkó TamássyCast:
Klaus Maria Brandauer, Gudrun Landgrebe, Hans Christian Blech, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Jan Niklas, László Mensáros, Tamás Major, Károly Eperjes, Péter Andorai (more)Plots(1)
The film, which has been produced by the free utilization of different literary sources, is a depiction of the cold art-nouveau world of a progressive Austro-Hungarian Monarchy at the beginning of the century. Alfred Redl, the offspring of an Ukrainian family of railway-men, advances to become a colonel and later the chief of the intelligence service of the Monarchy. The film portrays the psychological background of this breathtaking career, and the character of a "man without a face". Already as a young boy, Redl writes a poem of praise about the Emperor, and instead of attending his father's funeral, participates at the celebration organized for the honour of Franz Joseph's name-day by the Officer's Candidate School. All through his life, a special bond attaches him to his aristocratic school-mate, the Hungarian Kubinyi Kristóf, and his sister, Katalin. He models himself on them, trying to iron out his past and his family. Lacking on human emotions, ambition and the fervour of being a subject of the Emperor keeps the swing in his life. This double-sidedness of his mask explains his unparalleled enthusiasm at his last task: The successor to the throne asks him to organize his very own political trial, wishing to use him as a scape-goat in the death-dance of the agonizing state. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Klaus Maria Brandauer
German Empire
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Gudrun Landgrebe
West Germany
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Hans Christian Blech
German Empire
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Armin Mueller-Stahl
German Empire
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Jan Niklas
Germany
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László Mensáros
Kingdom of Hungary
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Tamás Major
Austria-Hungary
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Károly Eperjes
Hungary
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Péter Andorai
Hungary
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András Ambrus
Romania
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Éva Szabó
Kingdom of Hungary
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Mária Majláth
Austria-Hungary
Péter Rudolf
Hungary
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Gyula Benkő
Austria-Hungary
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Sándor Szakácsi
Hungary
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András Bálint
Kingdom of Hungary
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Gábor Ferenczi
Hungary
György Ordódy
Kingdom of Hungary
Károly Ujlaky
Kingdom of Hungary
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Anikó Sáfár
Hungary
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