The Magic Mountain (1982): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1982, The Magic Mountain is a drama film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer, running about 146 minutes.

What it’s about. Hans Castorp, fresh from university and about to become a civil engineer, comes to the Sanatorium Berghof in the Swiss Alps to visit his cousin Joachim, an army officer, who is recovering there from tuberculosis. Intending to remain at the Berghof for three weeks, Hans is gradually contaminated by the morbid atmosphere pervading the place. Wishing very much to be considered a patient like the others, he achieves his ends and stays in the sanatorium for ...seven years. During this time, he has enough time to take part in the furious philosophical debates pitting against each other Settembrini, a secular humanist, and Naphta, a totalitarian Jesuit. And to fall in love with the beautiful but enigmatic Clawdia Chauchat. When he is finally discharged in 1914 - along with all the other patients - it is only to plunge into the horrors of World War I.

Who’s in it. The Magic Mountain stars Marie-France Pisier as Clawdia Chauchat, Christoph Eichhorn as Hans Castorp, Flavio Bucci as Ludovico Settembrini and Charles Aznavour as Naphta, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, The Magic Mountain has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Magic Mountain page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Magic Mountain tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.