Watches
March 01, 2024
A Hungarian classic. This was my third Szabo, and like the ones I watched before, it failed to impress me. It's an epic undertaking though, a 2.5-hour biopic based on a play (and not so much facts, as the intro clearly stated), but the film is too traditional for my tastes, making the runtime a real bother.
Redl is a young Ukrainian boy of poor descent. He works hard to rise through the ranks of the Austrian army, and because he speaks multiple languages he becomes an important pawn in international politics. Redl is gay though, a side of his he has hidden successfully from those who needn't know. Such a thing can't stay secret forever.
Attention was given to the cinematography, which I appreciate, but I found the colors, lighting, and mise en scene pretty ugly. The story was dull, the soundtrack somewhat annoying and 140 minutes was excessive. This just isn't the kind of cinema I like, and Colonel Redl couldn't convince me otherwise.