KAFKA 1991 STEVEN SODERBERGH JEREMY IRONS MYSTERIOUS UNDERGROUND SOCIETY DVD-R!

Kafka is a 1991 mystery thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh, from a screenplay by Lem Dobbs. Ostensibly a biopic based on the life of Franz Kafka, the film blurs the lines between fact and Kafka’s fiction (most notably The Castle and The Trial), creating a Kafkaesque atmosphere. It stars Jeremy Irons in the title role, with Theresa Russell, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbé, Joel Grey, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Alec Guinness. Simon McBurney appears in his film debut.

Released after Soderbergh’s critically acclaimed debut Sex, Lies, and Videotape it was the first of what would be a series of low-budget box-office disappointments. It has since become a cult film, being compared to Terry Gilliam‘s Brazil and David Cronenberg‘s Naked Lunch.

Lem Dobbs‘ original screenplay was more of a straightforward biopic of Franz Kafka, but Soderbergh rewrote it because he wanted to create a “mystery thriller, not a biography.” Dobbs was dissatisfied with Soderbergh’s changes, and the two would not work again until The Limey in 1999.

Isabelle Adjani and Anne Parillaud were both considered for the role of Gabriela. Parillaud was cast in the part, and even filmed with Soderbergh and Irons, but left after several days due to language barriers.

Filming took place on-location in Kafka’s hometown of Prague, and at Barrandov Studios. Soderbergh elected to shoot most of the film in black-and-white to evoke German expressionism. Two weeks of reshoots took place at Pinewood Studios in England.

black & white, color, stereo, widescreen. DVD-R comes packaged as shown in color DVD case, wrapped in plastic!