Colonel Redl

Customer Reviews:

wiener blut, wiener blut.......2007-06-11

director istvan szabo and actor klaus maria brandauer had scored a huge hit a few years earlier with "mephisto", and this followup is almost as good. herein brandauer plays a corrupt military official in the waning days of the austro-hungarian empire who is eventually caught up in his own intrigues and hoist on his own petard. a sparkling film to look at, and a fine essay on the havoc personal and political corruption symbiotically work upon one another.

Power that Corrupts.......2006-11-01

If Szabo had achieved nothing else in his career, the trilogy of master works done in the mid 1980s would stand him in a unique place in late 20th century cinema. His partnership with Brandauer was particularly fruitful. The nearest USA equivalent that comes to mind was the spate of Scorceese/De Niro films that elevated both men into popular consciousness and were able to express a novel and pertinent psychological depth. All three films are gems, but this is my favourite, most likely because of the conviction the actor evinces from his dilemna; going against his instincts as an actor. As remarked often enough, the final scene is absolutely unforgettable, so much so that when I first saw it, I could not sleep afterwards. So much so, that in rewatching the film I found most of my images had been consumed by and condensed into the final unbearable minutes. Betrayal Bigtime. In this role of betryer the arch-duke, played by Mueller-Stahl, is equally brilliant. The 'true biography' of Redl may well have been distorted in the service of the director's own issues (in much the same way as Oliver Stone played with the Kennedy tale). The archival footage of the First World War erupting after the assassination of the archduke, rings true. Though Redl's actual importance in the jigsaw of the sequence is, perhaps open to question. Marvellous film, in all respects.

"I've got the impression you make enemies easily.".......2006-07-04

A great deal of mystery still surrounds the life of Colonel Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer), the head of counter-intelligence in the Austro-Hungarian Empire under the aging emperor. The historical drama "Colonel Redl" directed by Istvan Szabo is one possible version of the events surrounding the mystery. When the film begins, Alfred Redl is a small boy of Ukrainian peasant extraction, and his family is 'honoured' by the emperor's acceptance of little Redl into a strict military school. This ensures Redl's eventual career as a military officer in the Empire, and Redl's hellish life at school is eased by his close relationship to Kristof Kubinyi (Jan Niklas), a boy from a noble family.

The lower class Redl sticks out like a sore thumb at the school--but he has his uses, and he's manipulated into being an informer on several occasions. Interestingly enough, the officers at the school select him for this role because as a Ukrainian peasant, he's an outsider, but it's Redl's strict, twisted moral code that makes him comply. Redl has little time, interest or patience for his fellow officers' predilection for drunken debauchery. It's clear to the viewer--unfortunately not to Redl, however, that his strict disciplinarian approach is part of his thwarted sexuality.

Redl rises quickly in the ranks--due mainly to patronage from Colonel von Roden (Hans Christian Blech) who admires Redl's strict approach and unquestioning loyalty to the Empire. But whereas Redl would prefer to concentrate on his military strategy skills, von Roden steers Redl's career into bureaucratic roles. Redl is eventually promoted and placed in charge of a remote garrison near the Russian border. Unfortunately, his inflexible approach alienates him from the men and leads to a breach with Kubinyi--for whom Redl harbours a secret, repressed passion.

The Crown Prince (Armin Mueller-Stahl) recognizes Redl's meteoric career, and creates a web of intrigue and espionage that ostensibly will return honour and discipline to the decaying, predominately noble officer class of this corrupt militaristic society. The film's themes--class conflict and blind loyalty are subtly woven into Redl's story, and he remains an outsider, striving always to impress. The filmmaker stresses that this is a work of fiction, and certainly the cinematic details of Redl's life do not match the official history.

The two heavyweight actors--Armin Mueller-Stahl and Klaus Maria Brandauer deliver impeccable performances. The film's breathtaking cinematography--snow-covered landscapes, horses racing through the forests, and the ballrooms of the wealthy elite--captures the glories of the fading, decadent Habsburg Empire just before its inevitable collapse and destruction. DVD extras include interviews with the director and Klaus Maria Brandauer. In Hungarian with English subtitles--displacedhuman

The Secret Policeman's Fall.......2005-05-05

"Colonel Redl" is the middle film of Istvan Szabo's "trilogy of betrayal and political murder" that he made with the actor Klaus Maria Brandauer in the 1980's. All three films (including "Mephisto" and "Hanussen") are twisted classics, while Szabo's later 2000 film, "Sunshine" is a neglected epic masterpiece concerned with the same themes. Szabo, more than any other filmmaker I can think of, understands how ideology and the lust for power destroyed so many ordinary lives in the 20th century. As Brandauer says in an interview on the "Redl" DVD, even if you say "I hate politics and politicians" like Redl does, that is in itself a political act. If you live among other human beings you can't escape politics, so you had better learn to act responsibly.

Although the film is based on the true story of the infamous traitor Alfred Redl, Szabo has taken some liberties, so this might be better understood as historical fiction. Szabo's Redl grows up in an impoverished Ukranian family living in the Austro-Hungarian empire before World War I. He joins the army's officer corps, and rises through the ranks by being more Hungarian than the Hungarians (while concealing his own lower-class roots, ethnic identity, and homosexual inclinations.) Eventually he meets up with the de facto dictator of the empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (chillingly played by Armin Mueller-Stahl) who makes Redl chief of military intelligence and enmeshes him in a web of intrigue and lethal gamesmanship.

This film was made in Hungary in 1985 while it was still a Communist state, so if I'm not mistaken "Colonel Redl" is a veiled critique of the way the Communists used and abused their secret policemen in order to spy on citizens and crush dissenters. Certainly Redl tries with all his might to follow a political ideal of the monarchy that tragically has no basis in reality. And the saturnine, manipulative Mueller-Stahl, with his large mustache, seems very Joseph Stalin-like to me. Szabo suggests that the "Redl affair" unintentionally helped begin the conflagration of World War I and thus the whole murderous catastrophe of the European 20th century.

In order to play this ultimate conformist, Brandauer had to tamp down all his acting dynamism and just smolder with rage and desperation through most of the movie, except in a few crucial scenes where his fear and hysteria break through. The final scenes are stunning as Brandauer simultaneously breaks down and struggles for control. Redl's Jewish friend tells him a folk saying: "God, you didn't make me Moses and you didn't make me the Emperor. So all I can be responsible for is being me." A powerful lesson which Redl, and so many of us who seek radical solutions for the world's ills, learn too late. All of Szabo's films start slowly and gather tremendous force as they go along. Stick with this one and you'll be amply rewarded.

Szabo's Crown!.......2005-01-07

Hungarian director István Szabó put his country on the map with his masterpiece, 'Sunshine.' Yet, it would be pity if his earlier works failed to get the credit they so much deserve. 'Colonel Redl' is one of his very best, but hardly known west of the Danube.

While the setting of the film(turn-of-the-century Austro-Hungary)may seem distant to many, Colonel Alfred Redl remains a character many of us can identity with. Born into a mixed family, his mother of impoverished Hungarian nobility, his father, a Ruthenian station-master, Redl is the everyman of Central Europe. Denied the chance to identify with the simmering national movements that eventually tore the Hapsburg Empire apart, Redl finds his own identity in being a 'servant' of Empire and Emperor.

The film opens with Redl being sent off to military school to become an officer in the Imperial Army. Redl mother wants to restore her family's past glory through her son, and Redl soon wins favor everywhere for his talent, drive and loyalty to the Empire's ideal: tolerance for all and devotion to the Crown. Redl befriends Kubinyi, a Hungarian nobleman,and together the two slowly climb the ladder of career-officers. While Kubinyi slowly falls prey to the national aspirations of a Hapsburg-free Hungary, Redl remains faithful to his benefactor, to his raison d'etre. Redl feverishly defends his King and country by working to uncover the various nationalistic movements that threaten the Empire's solidarity.

His superiors find the perfect servant in Redl. His loyalty to the crown is steadfast, but the parvenus around the aging Emperor sense that Redl is their worst enemy. Nationalism is just one of the many diseases gnawing away at the Empire. The self-interest and greed of the nobles-in-waiting prove to be an even greater danger. As head of counter-intelligence, Redl soon sniffs out the bloody dagger; Austrian and Hungarian aristocrats are planning a coup d'etát with the help of Tsarist Russia.

Waiting to catch the guilty conspirators, Redl is caught instead. His hidden homosexuality becomes known to the court and he is put into a compromising position. Public disgrace with discharge from the service or take the 'more honorable' position of scapegoat that he, Colonel Redl, conspired with the Russians. Disloyalty to himself or disloyalty to the Emperor and Empire---to his new-found father and family? A cruel choice that Redl is forced to make.

'Colonel Redl' works like a Shakespearian tragedy. Caught between a vice-grip of loyalties, the individual must learn the bitter truth of 'to thine own self be true.' A lesson universally true, irregardless of time and place. Not only does this film put you before a painful human conflict, it also delights the eyes. Like in all Szabó films, colors, smiles, glances and even the smallest of details all mesh together to create that which is often missing from films nowadays: atmosphere. Szabó puts you into Redl's stark Galician home, rigid military school, into the arms of his lovers--both male and female--and lastly, into the velvet-padded room of his final torment. Szabó has assembled a brilliant cast from some of Hungary's finest actors---look for Károly Eperjes and Dorottya Udvaros, but Austrian Klaus Brandauer steals the show. One of the most expressive of actors, his every movement, every stare, every sigh convey more than hours of dialogue ever could.

For those interested in Central Europe, 'Colonel Redl' is a must-see. Moreover, those connoisseurs of sensitive and wrenching drama should search for this rare diamond on Istvan Szabó's jewel-studded crown. Highly recommended!

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Colonel Redl
Starring: Klaus Maria Brandauer , and Gudrun Landgrebe
Director: István Szabó
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Colonel Redl

ASIN: B000MFFA8U

Product Description

Set during the fading glory of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the film tells of the rise and fall of Alfred Redl (Brandauer), an ambitious young officer who proceeds up the ladder to become head of the Secret Police only to become ensnared in political deception

Coronel Redl (Colonel Redl) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

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Coronel Redl (Colonel Redl) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]
Director: István Szabó
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Colonel Redl (Oberst Redl) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

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Colonel Redl (Oberst Redl) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]
Director: Istvan Szabo
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000FSSU9A

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: German (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: Set during the fading glory of the Austro Hungarian Empire, the film tells the rise and fall of Alfred Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer), an ambitious young officer who rises become head of the secret police, only to become ensnarred in political deception. Colonel Redl is the second film in the Mephisto trilogy.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Featurette, Cast/Crew Interview(s),

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