Character Relationship Map: The Devil's Mistress

Characters

• Lída Baarová (played by Tatiana Pauhofová) — protagonist

  A successful Czech actress who moves to Germany for film work and becomes romantically involved with Joseph Goebbels while still attached to her Czech identity. Her relationship with him, separation f...

• Joseph Goebbels (played by Karl Markovics) — protagonist

  Nazi propaganda minister who becomes Lída Baarová’s lover and draws her into the political world around him. His affair creates a crisis in his marriage, and he wants his wife to remain the mother of...

• Gustav Fröhlich (played by Gedeon Burkhard) — supporting

  An actor who appears alongside Lída Baarová and is romantically involved with her while her career rises in Germany. Lída later separates from him as her relationship with Joseph Goebbels deepens, lea...

• Lída Baarová (80 Years Old) (played by Zdenka Procházková) — supporting

  The elderly Lída Baarová, now eighty, gives a hesitant interview in Salzburg and looks back on her life. Her recollections frame the story of her acting career, her relationship with Joseph Goebbels,...

• Ludmilla Babková - Mother (played by Simona Stašová) — supporting

  Lída Baarová’s mother hoped to fulfill through her daughter her own unrealized dream of becoming an actress. She is part of the family that supports Lída’s move into an acting career, while the family...

• Zorka Janů - Sister (played by Anna Fialová) — supporting

  Lída Baarová’s sister is among the family members who support Lída while worrying about the risks of her fame and involvement in foreign politics. After Lída returns to Czechoslovakia, her family welc...

• Karel Babka - Father (played by Martin Huba) — supporting

  Lída Baarová’s father is part of the family that supports her acting career and her opportunity to work in Germany. He and the other family members worry about the dangers associated with her growing...

• Adolf Hitler (played by Pavel Kříž) — supporting

  Adolf Hitler takes an interest in Lída Baarová after she becomes a successful actress in Germany. He invites her to tea and encourages her to become a German citizen; although flattered by the attenti...

• Magda Goebbels (played by Lenka Vlasáková) — supporting

  Joseph Goebbels’s wife, who confronts Lída Baarová about the affair. She explains that Joseph wants her to remain the mother of his children while keeping Lída as his mistress, and appeals to Lída to...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Zorka Janů - Sister → Lída Baarová (sibling)
• Magda Goebbels → Joseph Goebbels (spouse)
• Lída Baarová → Lída Baarová (80 Years Old) (Meta Recalled Past Self) — The older Lída frames the narrative by looking back on the choices, relationships, and consequences of her younger years.

  The story begins with Lída Baarová, now eighty years old, giving an interview in Salzburg and recalling her earlier life.

• Lída Baarová → Joseph Goebbels (Romantic Political Affair) — Their affair drives Lída into the political circles surrounding Joseph and creates personal and professional consequences that ultimately force her to flee Berlin.

  Joseph Goebbels becomes interested in Lída, and the plot states that she eventually admits she had fallen in love with him and became his mistress.

• Lída Baarová → Gustav Fröhlich (Former Romantic Partners) — Their relationship is disrupted as Lída becomes increasingly drawn to Joseph Goebbels, turning Gustav into a former partner before her return to Czechoslovakia.

  The plot states that Lída was involved with Gustav Fröhlich and later separated from him.

• Lída Baarová → Karel Babka - Father (Family Father And Daughter) — Karel belongs to the family that supports Lída's departure and later welcomes her back to Czechoslovakia while criticizing her choices.

  Karel Babka is identified as Lída's father, and the plot says that her family supported her while worrying about her career and foreign politics.

• Lída Baarová → Ludmilla Babková - Mother (Family Mother And Daughter) — Ludmilla encourages Lída's artistic path while also being connected to the family’s concern about the dangers of fame and foreign politics.

  The plot states that Ludmilla Babková hoped to fulfill her unrealized dream of becoming an actress through Lída.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Joseph Goebbels → Lída Baarová (related)
• Joseph Goebbels → Zorka Janů - Sister (related)
• Magda Goebbels → Gustav Fröhlich (related)
• Magda Goebbels → Adolf Hitler (related)
• Joseph Goebbels → Gustav Fröhlich (related)
• Joseph Goebbels → Adolf Hitler (related)
• Lída Baarová → Gustav Fröhlich (related)
• Lída Baarová → Adolf Hitler (related)

Story Analysis

A Czech actress rises through German cinema, becomes entangled with Joseph Goebbels, and faces exile and public condemnation after choosing love over safety.

Plot Progression

1. A Daughter's Departure — Lída is introduced through an elderly interview and family memories. Her mother’s ambitions and her family’s support help propel her from Czechoslovakia toward Germany.
2. Fame Under Foreign Lights — Lída becomes a leading actress in Germany and receives attention from powerful political figures. Her Czech identity remains important even as her public status grows.
3. The Affair's Shadow — Lída's relationship with Joseph deepens while she is still connected to Gustav. The affair expands from a private attraction into a crisis affecting Joseph's marriage and Lída's career choices.
4. No Safe Choice — Hollywood offers Lída an escape, but German pressure and Joseph's public position make departure increasingly difficult. Her connection with Joseph becomes impossible to hide.
5. Exile and Reckoning — Lída flees Berlin and returns to her family in Czechoslovakia. The banned film and her final confession reveal the lasting cost of her love and political association.