István Szabó directs Klaus Maria Brandauer, Krystyna Janda and Ildikó Bánsági in this German drama from Hungary where an esteemed theatre actor “sells his soul” to advance his career during the Third Reich.

Fine. A little too dry and one note to really justify its Foreign Classic status. For example, it lacks the complexity, mystery and eroticism of Bertolucci’s similar but superior The Conformist. Klaus Maria Brandauer’s central performance is superb however… his Hendrik Höfgen is based on a real life figure and the bruv never stops acting. Can’t even have lunch without playing a part. You never know who the real human behind the performance is, so you can only judge him on his actions. Selfish decisions and dangerous compromises. The montages of him going through all his stagecraft clearly inspired Matt Berry’s Toast Of London. Ends abruptly.

6

Perfect Double Bill: The Last Metro (1980)

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