In the bourgeois circles of Europe after the Great War, can anything save the modern man? Harry Haller, a solitary intellectual, has all his life feared his dual nature of being human and being a beast. He's decided to die on his 50th birthday, which is soon. He's rescued from his solipsism by the mysterious Hermine, who takes him dancing, introduces him to jazz and to the beautiful and whimsical Maria, and guides him into the hallucinations of the Magic Theater, which seem to take him into Hell. Can humour, sin, and derision lead to salvation?
Directed by Fred Haines
buddhism
mystic
spirituality
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.3 / 5
Cast
Max von Sydow
Harry Haller
Dominique Sanda
Hermine
Pierre Clémenti
Pablo
Carla Romanelli
Maria
Roy Bosier
Aztec
Alfred Baillou
Goethe
Helmut Förnbacher
Franz
Charles Regnier
Loering
Eduard Linkers
Mr. Hefte
Silvia Reize
Dora
Sunnyi Melles
Rosa
Crew
Irving Lerner
Editor
Hermann Hesse
Novel
Roy Bosier
Choreographer
Popular Reviews
6 reviews
polina
4.0★ · 02/22/26
my favorite book by my favorite author, on which I’m writing my scientific work. one of my favorite actors is playing Pablo, and he shines in this role. what might go wrong? one thing. Fred Haines had everything but talent. it doesn't capture the book's atmosphere at all. even the final act, which is the most cinematic and surreal, looks tasteless and silly here. I can't imagine how I'd understand what this film is about if I didn't know the original text. it's just a collection of images.
and what about accents? what is the reason for casting only European actors and forcing them to speak English, which they clearly do not know well? why couldn't we simply take the English people? Dominique Sanda is an excellent actress. I adored her in 'Il Conformista' and 'Une femme douce’. but her accent was so bad that I couldn't focus on anything Hermine was saying. not to mention that the director has no understanding of the Anima archetype or its intended function. It's quite direct adaptation, which is good for my primary goal of seeing it: to refresh some scenes from the novel in my head. however, rather than simply recounting the pages, I would like Fred Haines to be aware of Hesse's philosophical and social message.
my favorite book by my favorite author, on which I’m writing my scientific work. one of my favorite actors is playing Pablo, and he shines in this role. what might go wrong? one thing. Fred Haines had everything but talent. it doesn't capture the book's atmosphere at all. even the final act, which is the most cinematic and surreal, looks tasteless and silly here. I can't imagine how I'd understand what this film is about if I didn't know the original text. it's just a collection of images.
and what about accents? what is the reason for casting only European actors and forcing them to speak English, which they clearly do not know well? why couldn't we simply take the English people? Dominique Sanda is an excellent actress. I adored her in 'Il Conformista' and 'Une femme douce’. but her accent was so bad that I couldn't focus on anything Hermine was saying. not to mention that the director has no understanding of the Anima archetype or its intended function. It's quite direct adaptation, which is good for my primary goal of seeing it: to refresh some scenes from the novel in my head. however, rather than simply recounting the pages, I would like Fred Haines to be aware of Hesse's philosophical and social message.
