Kino Classics has announced that they will be bringing a trio of films from Hungarian director István Szabó to Blu-Ray on July 21, 2020. The label will release Confidence (1980), Mephisto (1981) and Colonel Redl (1984), all of which were nominated for or won Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.
Confidence (1980)
Synopsis: In the Academy Award®-nominated Confidence, set in Hungary during the waning days of WWII, two resistance members (Péter Andorai and Ildikó Bánsági) are forced to act as husband and wife in an effort to stay hidden in plain sight. Though they are both married to others, will they be able to maintain the illusion without giving in to their growing feelings for each other? The great Hungarian director István Szabó (Mephisto, Colonel Redl) won the Best Director prize at the Berlin Film Festival for this heart-stoppingly tense wartime drama.
Bonus Features: Booklet essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri (Blu-ray only) | The Central Europe of István Szabó | Remembrance of production designer József Romvári | Trailer
Mephisto (1981)
Synopsis: Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film of 1981, Mephisto is a malevolent masterwork from Hungarian director István Szabó (Colonel Redl, Confidence). It concerns a passionate but struggling actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer, Out of Africa) who remains in Germany during the Nazi regime and reaps the rewards of this Faustian pact by finally achieving the stardom he has long craved. Brilliantly adapted from Klaus Mann’s 1936 novel, it is presented in a stunning 4K restoration by the Hungarian National Film Archive.
Bonus Features: Audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan | Booklet essay by flm critic Bilge Ebiri (Blu-ray only) | The Central Europe of István Szabó | Remembrance of production designer József Romvári | Trailer
Colonel Redl (1984)
Synopsis: Set in the lead-up to WWI, István Szabó’s Academy Award® nominated Colonel Redl charts the meteoric rise of Alfred Redl (Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mephisto) from a family of railway workers to his post leading counter-intelligence in the Austro-Hungarian Army, rubbing elbows with the Crown Prince (Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eastern Promises) . His hidden homosexuality, however, is used against him by enemies of the state, putting both his professional standing and his country’s security in dire straits. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®, following a nomination for Confidence (1980) and a win for Mephisto (1981), the most extraordinary run in the history of Hungarian cinema.
Bonus Features: Booklet essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri (Blu-ray only) | The Central Europe of István Szabó | Remembrance of production designer József Romvári | Trailer
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
