NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (July 2020): Kino have transferred István Szabó's Mephisto to Blu-ray. Actually they are releasing three films by the Hungarian director, Mephisto, Colonel Redl and Confidence to Blu-ray on July 21st, 2020. All three are cited as being from "4K restorations by the Hungarian National Film Archive". The 1080P image is very appealing with some thick film textures. There are a number of close-ups that showcase some excellent detail but generally the HD presentation is heavy and film-like. The, almost 2.5 hour, film is on a dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate and looks very satisfying in-motion. 

NOTE: We have added 65 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino give the option of  DTS-HD Master dual-mono tracks (24-bit) in both the German or Hungarian languages. Both are imperfect but settling into the film the DUBs and dialogue aren't distracting. There is a score by Zdenkó Tamássy (who composed, mostly for television movies), plus the Mephisto-Walzer by Franz Liszt, a piece from Johann Strauss and two pieces by Béla Reinitz - all sounding consistent and clean with some depth. Kino offer optional English subtitles (not for the first on-stage musical number, Gräfin Dubarry sung by Magda Kalmár, but for the rest of the performed lyrics, and not for the brief English dialogue) on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Thankfully the Kino Blu-ray includes a new audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan. She's a big fan of the film and fills the 2+hours discussing author Klaus Mann and his sister Erika Mann, children of German writer Thomas Mann, how Mephisto is allegorical about a passive self-absorbed actor who, essentially, sells his soul - Hendrik Höfgen as seen as both sympathetic and pathetic at the same time. How the General character, Tábornagy, was inspired by Hermann Göring (not Hitler). She talks about the incredible writing - Faustian concepts - Klaus Maria Brandauer's great performance, how Höfgen's natural state is acting, about his sexuality and romantic relationships shaped his life - hints of being a repressed homosexual (a 'weak handshake' scene plus in an early sequence in the bar a point is made with two women - acting like lesbians - that Höfgen smells of Lavender - as in a 'lavender marriage' of convenience to conceal the socially stigmatized sexual orientation of one or both partners.) Samm is in fine form here covering extensive German history and significant behind-the-scenes references in Mephisto. She talks about 'normalcy-bias' about people who lived in 1930's Germany unable to perceive the direction of the radical changes that were taking place. There is also a brief montage of the director's films entitled "The Central Europe of István Szabó" and Remembrance of production designer József Romvári, directed by Sophy Romvari his granddaughter. József Romvári was a prolific production designer in Hungary. He created set designs for over 140 films in his career from the 1960s to the early 2000s. There is also a re-release trailer for the three films, Mephisto, Colonel Redl and Confidence, and the package has a 16-page booklet with introduction by István Szabó and essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri.

István Szabó's Mephisto is a masterpiece. There are so many layers to it - and I love that it is not judgmental - you can see many sides to the characters - both rebelling and collaborating - making it much easier to put yourself in the timeframe and their individual situation. It's brilliant and a film you can rewatch for the rest of your life. I'm so glad that the Kino Blu-ray has the Samm Deighan commentary and booklet plus a wonderful 4K restoration presentation of the film. I anxiously await the other two. This has our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze