''The Devil's Mistress'' is a 2016 Czech–Slovak historical biography film directed by

Filip Renč Filip Renč (born 17 August 1965) is a Czech film director, screenwriter, and actor. Biograph Filip Renč was born in Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Repub ...

and produced by Jiří Jurtin. The film stars the Slovak actress Tatiana Pauhofová who plays

Lída Baarová Lída Baarová (born Ludmila Babková; 7 September 1914 – 27 October 2000) was a Czech actress who for two years was the mistress of the Nazi propaganda minister of Germany, Joseph Goebbels. Biography Life and career Born in Prague, Baarová ...

, the mistress of Nazi propaganda minister

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...

. Lída Baarová was a star actress in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, later moving to Germany to appear in the film ''Barcarole''. There, she would be roped into the life of Joseph Goebbels and into the political lives of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

elite.

Synopsis and summary

The film largely centers around the experiences of Lída Baarová and her feelings regarding the

moral dilemma In philosophy, an ethical dilemma, also called an ethical paradox or moral dilemma, is a situation in which two or more conflicting moral imperatives, none of which overrides the other, confront an agent. A closely related definition characterizes ...

of being romantically involved with a senior Nazi officer. Political and social turmoil within the early

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

are also shown, with the ending of the film featuring the events of

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

. Jewish persecution is also a feature of this film, but this is opposed by the colorful depictions of Nazi brass engaging in quaint social festivities. The film never shows crude depictions of the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, but instead shows the lighter side of the upper crust of Nazi Germany's officials. Inner politics of Nazi Germany is also shown, with interactions between Goebbels and

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

showing Goebbels facing repercussions by the

Führer ( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Hitler officially cal ...

for his failings, while Lída Baarová is

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

from Nazi film. The family of Goebbels and the families of other Nazi Party members feature in this film, again adding to the personal aspect of the movie.

Cast

* Tatiana Pauhofová as

Karl Markovics Karl Markovics (born 29 August 1963) is an Austrian actor and film director. He was born in Vienna, Austria. He starred in Stefan Ruzowitzky's 2007 film '' The Counterfeiters'', which was awarded the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Lan ...

Gedeon Burkhard Daniel Gedeon Burkhard (born 3 July 1969) is a German film and television actor. Although he has appeared in numerous films and TV series in both Europe and the US, he is probably best recognised for his role as Alexander Brandtner in the Austria ...

Gustav Fröhlich Gustav Friedrich Fröhlich (21 March 1902 – 22 December 1987) was a German actor and film director. He landed secondary roles in a number of films and plays before landing his breakthrough role of Freder Fredersen in Fritz Lang's 1927 in fil ...

Simona Stašová Simona Stašová (born 19 March 1955) is a Czech stage, film and television actress. Since making her theatre debut in 1976, she has acted on stage in theatres and appeared in numerous films and television productions. Stašová has won multiple ...

as Mrs. Babková, Lída's mother * Martin Huba as Mr. Babka, Lída's father * Pavel Kříž as Adolf Hitler * Anna Fialová as a young Zorka, Lída's younger sister *

Zdenka Procházková Zdenka Procházková (4 April 1926 – 25 August 2021) was a Czech actress. She was married to Karel Höger, who she starred with in the 1949 film '' A Dead Man Among the Living.'' They later divorced. Selected filmography *'' Lost in the Subu ...

as an older Lída Baarová *

Lenka Vlasáková Lenka Eden Kripac (born 19 March 1978) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress best known for her song " The Show", from her debut album, ''Lenka''. "The Show" has been used in numerous advertisements, most notably for Old Navy, as well ...

Magda Goebbels Johanna Maria Magdalena Goebbels (; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of Nazi Germany's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and political supporter of Adol ...

, the wife of Joseph Goebbels *

Jiří Mádl Jiří Mádl (born October 23, 1986) is a Czech film actor, director and screenwriter. Biography He was born in České Budějovice. Among his most prominent roles are a part in the 2008 film ''Night Owls (2008 film), Night Owls'', for which ...

Hans Fischer Hans Fischer (; 27 July 1881 – 31 March 1945) was a German organic chemist and the recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Chemistry "for his researches into the constitution of haemin and chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of hae ...

* Matej Dadák as Miloš Havel * Jan Révai as Diether von Wedel

Nominations and reception

The film, while doing quite well in the Czech Republic, did not do too well on the international market. The film received a 70% rating o
Novinky.cz

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's Mistress 2016 biographical drama films Films about Nazis Cultural depictions of Joseph Goebbels Films scored by Ondřej Soukup