Chapter 4
An Empire of Borders: Central European Boundaries in István Szabó’s Colonel Redl (1985)
Raluca Cernahoschi
In his preface to The Cinema of Central Europe, Hungarian director István Szabó evokes an ideal image of Central Europe as a “world of diversity and tolerance, a world of living together where dissimilarity was honoured.” This elaborate vision of Central Europe as an open meeting place, where denominational, ethnic, linguistic, and political differences are suspended through mutual sociability is overshadowed by only one drawback: it was not meant to last. This best version of Central Europe, Szabó underlines, only existed before World War I ushered in the catastrophes of the 20th century. It is centered—geographically, temporally, and socially—in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is also the setting of Colonel Redl (Oberst Redl/Redl ezredes, 1985), Szabó’s film chosen by volume editor Peter Hames as one of “24 seminal films that, taken together, best represent the artistic, industrial and technological development of that territory’s cinema.
The film emphasizes the periphery of the Empire, as it is there that the identity of the protagonist is constructed and his and the monarchy’s fate set in motion. The periphery engenders a citizen who feels marginal and yearns for the protection and stability of the center, but who never truly arrives in the center nor feels at home in the periphery.
Films discussed in Chapter 4:
Hanussen. Directed by István Szabó. Hungary, West Germany, Austria, 1988.
Mephisto. Directed by István Szabó. Hungary, West Germany, Austria, 1981.
Colonel Redl. Directed by István Szabó. Hungary, West Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, 1985.
Sunshine. Directed by István Szabó. Germany, Austria, Canada, Hungary, 1999.
The film emphasizes the periphery of the Empire, as it is there that the identity of the protagonist is constructed and his and the monarchy’s fate set in motion. The periphery engenders a citizen who feels marginal and yearns for the protection and stability of the center, but who never truly arrives in the center nor feels at home in the periphery.
Films discussed in Chapter 4:
Hanussen. Directed by István Szabó. Hungary, West Germany, Austria, 1988.
Mephisto. Directed by István Szabó. Hungary, West Germany, Austria, 1981.
Colonel Redl. Directed by István Szabó. Hungary, West Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, 1985.
Sunshine. Directed by István Szabó. Germany, Austria, Canada, Hungary, 1999.
Trailer of the film Colonel Redl (Source: YouTube)
About the author:
Raluca Cernahoschi is Assistant Professor of German at Bates College. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, with an analysis of post-war German poetry from Romania. Her current research focuses on the representation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in literature and film and the interactions of cultures in the eastern borderlands of the monarchy. She has participated in several international projects and authored articles on different facets of East-Central European literature and film.
Raluca Cernahoschi's webpage
Raluca Cernahoschi is Assistant Professor of German at Bates College. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, with an analysis of post-war German poetry from Romania. Her current research focuses on the representation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in literature and film and the interactions of cultures in the eastern borderlands of the monarchy. She has participated in several international projects and authored articles on different facets of East-Central European literature and film.
Raluca Cernahoschi's webpage