Das Schloß

(The Castle)

An unusually faithful rendering of Franz Kafka's unfinished prose fragment Das Schloß (The Castle) follows the frustrated efforts of surveyor K (as memorably played by noted stage and screen actor Ulrich Mühe, who was seen at the Berlinale in Das Spinnennetz, and on general release in Europe in Schtonk!) to penetrate the seemingly haphazard but strangulating bureaucracy of the castle that has summoned him to work, but simultaneously seems not to recognise his existence.

The cast of contradictory villagers includes Andre Eisermann and the settings have both a period and coldly contemporary look, with some chillingly convincing snow scenes. Vienna-based director Michael Haneke is first-footing at the Berlinale, though his controversial domestic drama Benny's Video won the FIPRESCI Felix here in 1993, and his last feature 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls provoked much serious talk at Cannes the following year.

'The rights to Kafka are free, but I didn't want to make a conventionally absurdist adaptation.

Rather I wanted to underline the realistic elements of this grotesque parable. But I am very happy if some scenes do make you laugh!' Phillip Bergson

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