Colonel Redl = Oberst Redl [DVD]

Alfred Redl is one of the most infamous and ambitious figures of modern European history. The son of a poor railway worker, he “invented” the story of his life to gain acceptance to the ranks of the aristocracy and to climb to the pinnacle of the Austro-Hungarian military regime. As head of military intelligence during the last days of the corrupt Austro-Hungarian Empire, he committed suicide amid accusations of spying for the Russians, treason and homosexuality. More interested in the political and emotional texture of the story than in its historical verisimilitude, this film unmasks a strong, charismatic man made vulnerable by his hunger for success and barely masked insecurities that provides the film’s riveting subject matter. Klaus Maria Brandauer’s impersonation of Redl is chilling and disturbing. Nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film, winner of the Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival, this film is a dazzling drama of power and intrigue.