Warm-Up Ceau, Cinema! István Szabó Retrospective

Warm-Up Ceau, Cinema!

István Szabó Retrospective

Bucharest, Eforie Cinematheque, June 23rd – 25th 2023

Timişoara, Cinema Victoria, June 30th – July 2^nd  2023

Before the anniversary edition, Ceau, Cinema! Festival invites the audience to a warm-up session, a retrospective with three classic movies, in 4k restored versions, of the great Hungarian director István Szabó. 

It is about the informal trilogy from the 80s with historical and political dramas which feature in the main role the famous Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer: „Mephisto” (1981), „Colonel Redl” (1985) and „Hanussen” (1988). 

Brandauer plays a series of roles based on historical characters who, as represented in the three films, have compromised their morality in order to climb the ladder of success in the context of an authoritarian political power.

Born in 1938, István Szabó is one of the most popular and appreciated Hungarian filmmakers, with a rich career of over six decades both in Hungary and abroad. His films rely on the tradition of European arthouse cinema and present numerous aspects of political and psychological conflicts from the Central European recent history, sometimes inspired from his biography.

The retrospective is organized by the Association Pelicula Culturală and Liszt Institute – the Hungarian Cultural Center from Bucharest, in collaboration with the Hungarian Film Archive, Eforie Cinematheque from Bucharest and Cinema Victoria from Timişoara.

COLONEL REDL

Directed by: István Szabó

With: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Hans Christian Blech, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Political drama – Hungary / Western Germany / Austria / Yugoslavia – 1985 – 2h24min

Language: Hungarian, German, English and French, subtitled in Romanian

SYNOPSIS: 
In the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the ambitious officer Alfred Redl struggles to accede to the highest military ranks. During the rise, his main concern is that people don’t find out that he is gay, but the increasing power will soon attract attention on him.

Festivals and awards: Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival in 1985, Academy Best International Feature Film nominee in 1986, BAFTA Best Film Award in 1986

Trailer: Redl ezredes – Előzetes – YouTube

Ticket for the screening in Bucharest, here.

Ticket for the screening in Timişoara, here.