The Devil's Mistress (2016)

The Devil’s Mistress is the English title of a Czech historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) about the life and career of the famous Czech actress Lida Baarova, who had a two-year affair with Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda. Here is some basic information about this movie which premiered in 2016:

** Original title: Lida Baarova

** Director: Filip Renc

** Writer: Ivan Hubac

** Soundtrack: Czech

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 106 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Tatiana Pauhafova as Lida Baarova (1914-2000) – a Czech actress

** Simona Stasova as Mrs Babkova – Lida’ mother

** Martin Huba as Mr Babka – Lida’s father

** Anna Fialova as Zorka Baarova (1921-1946) – Lida’s younger sister

** Gedeon Burkhard as Gustav Fröhlich (1902-1987) - a German actor

** Karl Markovics as Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) – German Minister of Propaganda 1933-1945

** Lenka Vlasakova as Magda Goebbels (1901-1945) – Goebbels’ wife 1931-1945

** Pavel Kriz as Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

** Zdenka Prochazkova as Lida Baarova (age 80 in 1994)

** Hana Vagnerova as a young journalist who interviews Lida Baarova when she is 80 years old in 1994

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them in this review.

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown in this drama, but the basic story is true.

This drama about Lida Baarova, who lived to be more than 80 years old, does not cover her whole life. It covers only a short but significant part of her life, the time from 1934 to 1946.

The story begins in Prague in 1934. Lida is famous in Czechoslovakia. But she wants more: she wants to be famous in Germany. In 1934 she is invited to play a role in a German movie. And her dream comes true: she becomes a famous movie star in Germany. She gets to play opposite the famous German actor Gustav Fröhlich. They make several movies together. They also become a couple off-screen.

While she is in Germany, she meets Adolf Hitler and later Joseph Goebbels, his Minister of Propaganda. Hitler invites her to tea, but the meeting is brief. And Hitler does not invite her again. Goebbels on the other hand falls for her, head over heels, even though he is married and has several children with his wife Magda.

Lida and Goebbels have an affair which begins in 1936. After two years, Magda cannot take anymore: she meets with Hitler and asks him to help her. Hitler intervenes: the affair has to stop and it does.

Once the affair is over, Lida’s career as a movie star in Germany is also over. When she is banned from making more movies in Germany, she returns to Prague.

In this drama we follow Lida’s life and career from 1934, when she moves to Germany, until 1946, one year after the end of World War Two, when she is arrested as a Nazi collaborator. But Lida’s career did not end in 1946. She was released and made more movies. She also got married – two times – but this part of her life is not covered in the movie.

What do reviewers say about this drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 56 per cent, which corresponds to (almost) three stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this rating is too high. The story of Lida Baarova is interesting, but this movie about her life and career is not very impressive. What is wrong? It is flawed. Let me explain:

# 1. The language that is spoken in the movie. Almost all dialogue is in Czech. This is fine when we are in Czechoslovakia, but when Lida is in Germany, the conversation is still in Czech!

There are two brief exceptions: (a) when Lida has to improve her German accent, the conversation is in German; (b) when Lida gets an offer to come to Hollywood and work for MGM, the conversation is in English. But these exceptions are very brief. Otherwise, the dialogue is in Czech!

The German film crew speaking Czech to each other! Hitler and Goebbels speaking Czech! This is hardly realistic.

** The German character Gustav Fröhlich is played by a German actor: Gedeon Burkhard, but we do not hear him speak. His voice is dubbed by a Czech actor: Martin Stransky.

** The German character Joseph Goebbels is played by an Austrian actor: Karl Markovics, but we do not hear him speak. His voice is dubbed by a Czech actor: Victor Preiss.

I cannot believe the director Filip Renc could allow this to happen. I cannot believe Tatiana Pauhofova and the other leading actors agreed to take part in such a charade: Hitler and Goebbels speaking Czech! This is just ridiculous.

# 2. There is an important factual mistake in the movie. Lida is told that the Austrian actress Friedl Czepa is not allowed to play in the movie Die Fledermaus. She is banned, because she is Jewish. Lida is outraged. She goes to Goebbels and begs him to change his mind. Because he is so infatuated with her, he agrees. Friedl can stay, but only because Lida wants her.

This story is not true at all. Friedl was an active Nazi supporter. And she was not Jewish. She served as the director of the Vienna City Theatre 1940-1945. Would Nazi Germany have given her this position if she was Jewish? Obviously not. The story that is told in the movie is a product of the director’s vivid imagination.

# 3. One scene is highly embarrassing. When Lida and Goebbels make love in front of a fireplace, the camera turns to the flames in the fireplace. The face of Goebbels is mixed with the flames in order to show us his burning love for Lida. This scene is not a work of art; it is just ridiculous.

As you can see, there are some flaws in this movie. The flaws are fatal; they cannot be ignored; they cannot be swept under the carpet. I have to remove at least three stars because of these flaws. Therefore this drama cannot get more than two stars.

PS # 1. For more information, see the following books:

** Die süsse Bitterkeit meines Lebens by Lida Baarova (2000) – This is Lida’s autobiography which was published shortly after her death.

** Lida Baarova und Joseph Goebbels by Stanislav Motl (2009) – this book is based on several interviews with Lida which were conducted during the years 1990-1997.

PS 2. The following articles are available online:

** Allan Hall, “Joseph Goebbels: the Casanova of the Nazis,” The Telegraph, 8 January 2011

** Rosie Johnston, “The beautiful and damned actress Lida Baarova,” Radio Praha, 7 June 2011

PS # 3. The Goebbels Experiment is a documentary film about the life and career of Joseph Goebbels by Lutz Hachmeister & Michael Kloft (2005). There is an English version narrated by Kenneth Branagh. The film, which is available online, is based on Goebbels’ diaries. Run time: 104 minutes.

*****