"Oberst Redl" or "Colonel Redl" is an Oscar-nominated movie from 1985, so this one already had its 30th anniversary last year. It is a collaboration by four European countries and the language spoken in here is German. This is a bit surprising as Hungary (one of the four countries) submitted it to the Academy Awards were it got in, but lost to the Argentinian entry eventually, just like at the Golden Globes. A BAFTA win isn't too shabby either though. The reason why it got in for Hungary is probably writer and director István Szabó, one of the most-respected European filmmakers at this time. He also directed the Oscar-winning "Mephisto" 4 years earlier, another collaboration with actor Klaus Maria Brandauer. Brandauer, an Austrian-born actor, like Szabó was among the finest Europe had to offer back then and he was also a success at Hollywood.
But sadly, I cannot really share the praise all these awards bodies had for "Oberst Redl". This may, however, also have to do with the time in which this film plays, a historic era that I personally never had the biggest interest in. This film easily makes it past the 2-hour mark and if you don't manage to appreciate it quickly, it will drag on several occasions. I would not say that the actors are to blame here. Armin Mueller-Stahl and Landgrebe are still somewhat known in Germany today, but I am mostly referring to lead actor Brandauer with this statement. I am sure this movie would have been considerably worse without him as he is pretty convincing like always and this is definitely one of his career defining roles. I think you can say that now that he in his 70s. The ending especially was one brilliant moment of acting for Brandauer. I will not go into detail about the exact scene, but you will definitely know what I mean when I say it's difficult to find a better portrayal of involuntary closure. Certainly a contender for best film scene of the entire year and Brandauer brings his A-game there. But it is still not worth to set through everything else before that in this period piece. I wish Szabó would have kept it at least 35 minutes (preferrably more) shorter and would have included much more focus and better, more interesting character development aside from the title character. This way there is really no reason to see it other than Brandauer. I do not recommend the watch. Thumbs down.
But sadly, I cannot really share the praise all these awards bodies had for "Oberst Redl". This may, however, also have to do with the time in which this film plays, a historic era that I personally never had the biggest interest in. This film easily makes it past the 2-hour mark and if you don't manage to appreciate it quickly, it will drag on several occasions. I would not say that the actors are to blame here. Armin Mueller-Stahl and Landgrebe are still somewhat known in Germany today, but I am mostly referring to lead actor Brandauer with this statement. I am sure this movie would have been considerably worse without him as he is pretty convincing like always and this is definitely one of his career defining roles. I think you can say that now that he in his 70s. The ending especially was one brilliant moment of acting for Brandauer. I will not go into detail about the exact scene, but you will definitely know what I mean when I say it's difficult to find a better portrayal of involuntary closure. Certainly a contender for best film scene of the entire year and Brandauer brings his A-game there. But it is still not worth to set through everything else before that in this period piece. I wish Szabó would have kept it at least 35 minutes (preferrably more) shorter and would have included much more focus and better, more interesting character development aside from the title character. This way there is really no reason to see it other than Brandauer. I do not recommend the watch. Thumbs down.