"MEPHISTO" : ART TURNS THE MIRROR ON ITSELF

We all love it when art turns its eyes in on itself, right? I mean, maybe not all of us, but a lot of us do. I think it’s a part of being enthralled by showbiz, enjoying it so much. Much like a child taking apart its favorite toy to see how it works, I LOVE everything “behind the scenes” from theories and ideologies of scripts to the smallest screws on the camera’s tripod. I think this is the case for a lot of cinema lovers to a greater or lesser degree. And the kind of film / book / whatever that shows the “dark” side of showbiz, how catty people can become and how “bloody” – metaphorically of course but sometimes physically – the struggle for the limelight can become. If not our curiosity, it’s our instinct to gossip… Such a film is Istvan Szabo’s film Mephisto, though of course it takes place in the ‘30s, so the actors are not those of the cinema but the theatre, but still, the principal is the same.
Meet Hendrick Höffgen. He is an actor in Hamburg in the late ‘20s, and a reasonably good one if not the best. His ambition, however, outstrips that of all of his colleagues. He dabbles with left-wing views, does his best to score the part, has a colorful love-life with his negro mistress Juliette, in short all seems well in his life. It is not enough however. Höffgen marries, enabling a move from Hamburg to Berlin and to a more prestigious theatre through his father in law’s contacts. He truly seems to be in his element when the world is turned on it head. 1933 comes, and the Nazis come to power. A lot of Höffgen’s colleagues sense there are bad things afoot and leave the country, Höffgen has ample opportunity to do the same, but then… Well he has a few contacts left in Berlin. What if he could use them to get friends in even higher places? What if this change of regime means not a halt but a faster rise to even higher places? Höffgen is willing to take the chance… But how high – and how far – is he prepared to go?
I loved this film for two reasons. First of all it is a WW2 film with a different perspective. We all know about the horrors committed in concentration camps, and we are all disgusted with everyone who stayed, supported the regime, carried on drinking and dancing as if nothing was happening. But we shouldn’t be so disgusted that we cannot even look at them. These people merit a close look, closer than some in fact, appearances can be deceiving.
And the picture Höffgen paints is particularly fascinating. If there is one word to describe him, it is naked ambition, if he sees a way that will take him forward; he will take on the role (on stage or off) and charge on ahead. If you ask him openly, his actions are almost always somehow justifiable. It is, I also feel, a very good metaphor for the “careerists” of today, in today’s capitalist system; you know the type, doing anything, making and breaking friends, using connections to get to the top, putting a different spin on the same words depending on who they’re talking to, you know the type… I am not saying that they are as bad as people collaborating with Nazis of course but watching Höffgen, you will see a lot of things that strike you as familiar, especially if you have worked in the private sector. In short, a fascinating film on human psychology, still strangely relevant at any time and with anyone who is principally led by ambition.