Though hardly known in the States, Moritz Bleibtreu earned international recognition for Run Lola Run and is a veritable German movie star, having won three German Film Awards – the country’s equivalent to the Oscar. This month, the Museum of Fine Arts is giving Bostonians a chance to become more familiar with him through a series “Starring Moritz Bleibtreu.”
The series between Jan. 30 and Feb. 11 is showcasing the actor’s many colorful performances in films such as Run Lola Run (1999), Das Experiment (2001), In July (2000) and Luna Papa (1999).
The son of two prominent Austrian actors, Bleibtreu, 32, has been acting since age 6, but he didn’t find his way to success until he nabbed the German Film Award for 1997’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Bleibtreu followed up his performance as a smuggling thug in Knockin’ with a role as another sort of thug – the lovable kind – in Tom Tykwer’s innovative Run Lola Run, but the similarity between his characters ends there.
From a brutalized undercover reporter in Das Experiment to a lovesick physics teacher in In July (showing Friday), Bleibtreu has mastered the art of disappearing into his characters.
Still to come at the MFA this week are three vastly different films. Taking Sides (2003), based on a true story, is a courtroom drama that questions the conduct of Berlin Philharmonic conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler (Harvey Keitel) during the Nazi era. Written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), the film is showing tonight and marks of one of Bleibtreu’s first attempts at English-language cinema.
In July, Germany’s answer to a romantic comedy roadtrip film, is Bleibtreu’s crowning comedic achievement. Bleibtreu and co-star Christiane Paul veer from one unlikely scenario to the next, but the film’s lighthearted tone and Bleibtreu’s innocent, doe-eyed performance make it a little-known gem of German cinema.
Playing Wednesday, Luna Papa features Bleibtreu’s most subtle and difficult performance to date; he remains mostly in the background, but is powerfully effective as a shell-shocked, mentally scarred war veteran in the provinces of Eastern Europe. Despite its serious subject, Luna Papa manages to be bizarre and ultimately heartwarming.
Many of the films featured in the festival have never been screened in the United States, and will probably not be shown stateside again soon. With the MFA’s delightful series, Bostonians can get to know a truly talented, though little-known German star.