A closeted spy in corseted Europe—scandal, sex, and state secrets collide in velvet-draped Vienna.
Oberst Alfred Redl heads the military intelligence department of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Frequent letters from the Russian Empire, however, make him suspect of sharing his knowledge with unauthorized authorities.
Acting
Ewald Balser's trembling restraint—every glance a confession.
Production
Imperial Vienna recreated with obsessive, bankrupt grandeur.
Director
Franz Antel
Ewald Balser
Oberst Redl
Barbara Rütting
Nadeschda
Gerhard Riedmann
Hauptmann Angelis
Oskar Werner
Leutnant Zeno von Baumgarten
Marte Harell
Gräfin Lichtenfels
Hannelore Bollmann
Pauline von Heymeneck
Rudolf Forster
Chef des Generalstabes, von Heymeneck
Attila Hörbiger
Dr. Hartmuth
Erik Frey
Oberst Rabansky
Heinz Moog
Baron Letten
Harry Hardt
General Maximoff
Kurt Jaggberg
Sabrenin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on the real Colonel Redl affair of 1913, which actually triggered spy scares across Europe. The 1955 release deliberately echoed Cold War paranoia about closeted officials being blackmailed.
Oskar Werner plays the beautiful young officer here—three years later he'd be Jules in 'Jules and Jim,' cementing his persona as cinema's most heartbreaking bisexual chaos agent.
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