Cult
Actress Barbara Steele in Volker Schlondorff's Revolutionary Film
Original
German Title: Der Junge Torless [Young Cadet Thomas Torless]
director: Volker Schlondorff
starring: Matthieu Carriere · Marian Seidowsky · Bernd
Tischer · Fred Dietz · Barbara Steele
At
a boarding school in the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire, a new cadet
named Thomas Torless befriends a more unruly classmate, named Beineberg.
They begin doing everything together, including a notorious visit to
the local prostitute Bozena (played by cult fave Barbara Steele). Trouble
finds these two friends when another cadet steals money from Beineberg.
Rather than reporting the theft to the school authorities, Beineberg
convinces Torless to help him interrogate and torture the young thief.
Torless watches as his friend recruits other cadets to help in the discipline
sessions which are becoming more and more sadistic with seemingly no
ending in sight.
This
was the debut feature film for director Schlondorff, a student of Political
Science at the Institut des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He learned his trade
as an assistant director to Louis Malle and Jean-Pierre Melville. In
1979, he found International success with Tin Drum. He continues
helming projects today, concentrating mostly on documentaries and live
opera.
The
movie is best remembered for Barbara Steele's co-starring role, a break
from her numerous Euro horror movies (eg, Mario Bava's MASK
OF SATAN).
A
Korean export of a German Film with optional English or Korean subtitles;
widescreen format (1.75:1), uncut print (87 min.), DVD encoded for ALL
REGION NTSC, playable on any American machine.
Violence/Coming-of-Age
Sexual Encounter
For Mature Audiences
