Mephisto is one of the greatest films I've seen this year so far. It's a true cultural experience; neither preachy nor pretentious, it simply tells us a story of corruption, courage, belief and, ultimately, sacrifice. Not bad for a foreign film over 25 years old! Set in 1930s Germany, we are shown the country both before and during the Nazi reign of World War II. Adapted from the book by Klaus Mann, this is seen through the eyes of Hendrik Hoefgen (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a brilliant actor looking to set up a socialist-like theatre company to perform plays for everyone.

Once the Nazis come to power this must be abandoned; Hoefgen sees many of his friends flee the country, yet he remains. "There will always be theatre," he proclaims. This is true, but he is forced to take on the roles he had played before and play them with a Nazi-tinged slant. This is a true fact - with the burning of most literature, Hitler (and Stalin in Russia) only allowed books and plays to exist that either promoted or reflected the society as they felt it should be seen. This is seen most evidently in Hoefgen's speech about the differences between other Hamlets and the one he will be playing according to the Nazi way of thinking. His Mephisto is also corrupted from the way he portrays it in the beginning. "Am I not the most dreadful villain you have seen?" he says, and this could be a veiled reference to the double layer of performance he must give, as he acts the role of a Nazi sympathiser acting the role of the character.

Brandauer is amazing in this film. Not since Citizen Kane have I been so totally captivated through an entire film by one man's performance. At points there are flashes of a young Richard Burton in how he acts. He was obviously a gifted theatre actor taking on this role, and his performance is mesmerising. Watching how he is bullied by the Nazis and forced to abandon his wife, his black mistress and to not support his friend who is later killed (which the Nazis report as a car crash) is a truly crushing experience. His monologues to camera are perfect, and a little unnerving. For those budding actors, you may see just how to emote with a few simple pieces of dialogue. In fact, he goes through such a range of emotions that you could use this film as a master class in acting.

He is later told by a Nazi General, "Mephisto is also a German national hero. It's just something we mustn't tell people." This is such an odd way to describe Nazi society, but when you consider the Faustian story, the idea of selling your soul to the devil is an apt analogy for what happened to the German people during this time. Whether they agreed 100% or not, they went along with the diabolical plans that Hitler set forth, in the hope of a new Germany. At one point Hoefgen has an opportunity to escape, first with his wife and then with his mistress. He refuses. When asked what Germany can give him, he replied "Success." It is this desire for success over freedom that sucks him into the doomed trap of being the face of the Party as a Nazi sympathiser in public - his greatest performance yet.

Despite the praise this film has received over the years, including winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, the DVD doesn't reflect this. No extras of any kind are given. The only available language is German and it only contains the subtitles on the film itself, which means that those who may require subtitles due to hearing difficulties will miss the few times when English is spoken and not printed. Including no extras is an odd thing to do and this film would have certainly benefited from a commentary or retrospective documentary by a few noted film critics and those involved. The fact that the American release includes a featurette with the Director Istvan Szabo and Brandauer is also slightly irritating. As it is, all we have is the film on offer. I am only glad that Mephisto is such a great film - even without any extras, it's worth purchasing, as it is truly a magical and mesmerising experience.

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).