A film review: Így jöttem [1965 Hungary]

In his third feature, noted Hungarian director Miklós Jancsó presents a war-themed drama in the film "Így jöttem" [Eng. Title: My Way Home]. Considered by many as a masterpiece, it is a detached observation made with great detail but very little commentary, and focuses, as the title suggests, on a young soldier's return home.










Set somewhere in Soviet Union during the final days of the Second World War, the film begins with an unarmed seventeen year old soldier, Hungarian Jóska (András Kozák), getting separated from his friends while fleeing a Cossack unit on horseback. Since Hungary had sided with Nazi Germany, he's duly taken prisoner. However, he is soon released over a technicality and allowed to continue on his journey.

But Jóska gets captured again, this time by a Russian regiment after he's caught sleeping covered in an abandoned Nazi jacket. Owing to the fact that he's still a schoolboy, they send him to help tend a dairy farm run by a Kolja (Sergey Nikonenko), a young Russian soldier. Kolja had been given this relatively lighter duty owing to an injury, with a bullet still lodged inside his body.

On one occasion, Kolja saves Jóska from being blown up by a landmine after he attempts to escape custody, and later Jóska too reciprocates by refusing an offer to join fleeing Hungarian prisoners, telling them that it would get Kolja 'into trouble'. Despite neither of them understanding the other's language, an unlikely friendship develops between the two. Away from the sounds of war and in the barren landscape, Jóska and Kolja bond and begin to behave as teenagers do during normal times.

We observe their everyday chores and pranks; milking cows, target-practising on frogs in a canal, loading cans of milk onto trucks, chasing after naked women bathing, and fooling around with statues in a ruined museum. Yet just when we'd momentarily forgotten that there was indeed a war happening, a fighter plane ominously passes by, sometimes low over the lads' heads who had stopped to watch. The reality of war will also separate the two, and Jóska sets out on his journey home once again...

One of the stars of the film has to be the breathtaking cinematography - orchestrated in what will become the director's signature style. The well-choreographed aerial and panned shots firmly pin characters to their immediate surroundings to remind us of a 'bigger picture' whilst deliberately disallowing us the ability to read thoughts and motives. In some scenes, characters are either followed from behind or silhouetted altogether; we observe their actions, but rarely their state of mind. Apart from the film's title, the only time Jancsó affords us any emotional contact with his characters is in the closing shot of the film, where he pans to a bruised and exasperated Jóska looking into the camera with an air of defiance, as if to raise a plea.

The idea of a 'natural' friendship between a Hungarian and a Russian, with the short but brutal 1956 revolution still fresh in many people's memory would've certainly caused a stir at the time of release. But to his credit, Janscó dilutes any potential propaganda value by succinctly focusing on the social dislocation and humanitarian implications of war. Consequently, we get to see a rather simple film without too many loaded metaphors, made with admirable skill and technical sophistication, and yet holding a charm that can relate to audiences even today. Highly Recommended viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]



The Nudity:
There's just a single scene that features nudity - when the boys chase down girls bathing in a canal. But it is also one of the most beautifully crafted sequences in the film, where we see the 'hunters' themselves being 'hunted' by a plane swooping threateningly low over their heads - as if to deliver some kind of poetic albeit harmless justice. The scene is amusing as it is dramatic, memorable, and calling for all to see and appreciate.

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A review: "Te rongyos élet" [1984 Hungary]

Péter Bacsó's comedy drama "Te rongyos élet" [Eng. Title: Oh, Bloody Life!] casts a critical eye on the exploitation-in-kind, of aristocrats and the rich elite in Stalinist Hungary during the early fifties - many of them were forcibly evicted from properties and sent off to work in farms and factories, as labourers.






Lucy (Dorottya Udvaros), recently divorced from her aristocrat-husband, makes a living in Budapest as a stage actress. Authorities come calling, to tell her that she had been ordered to live and work in a farming village henceforth as part of her 're-education' and re-induction into society. Despite professing her working class upbringing, and attempts to explain her marital status, they give her one hour to pack her essentials and arrive at the train station.

Upon reaching their destination, Lucy and other former aristocrats deported along with her, are assigned various roles by local police captain Matura (Zoltán Bezerédy). They'll live among peasants, and earn their wages through manual labour. Even though she misses the stage, and home comforts that she'd grown accustomed to, Lucy soldiers along with grace and humility.

Her inherent charm and winning ways will draw the attentions of József (László Szacsvay) - local teacher and party secretary, and Matura himself, which she'll deftly manage to help make her stay slightly more bearable. After noticing her talents, József begs her to participate in a local production aimed at bringing art to the proletariat, which she accepts. They get close and he even proposes marriage.

But after a freak accident, Lucy is taken to Matura's mansion, ostensibly for questioning, during which he attempts to rape her. It is thwarted when government agents barge into the room, only to arrest and take her away. Lucy's worst fears are finally allayed when she's asked to put on some make-up, and start exercising her vocal scales - after all, she's about to perform for the first time before a VIP-audience, even if that meant having to work with former colleagues who barely offered solidarity during her hour of need...

In many ways, this is typical 'mainstream' fare emanating from a 'liberal' corner of the Eastern Block - the leash that tied Hungary to Soviet ideals grew longer with every passing year following the 1956 crackdown, and this film was made only a few years before the iron curtain was finally torn open. It has a simple plot, carrying a social message that doesn't ruffle too many feathers. It has comedy, drama, song, and dance - and nothing nearly as subversive or dark as what the Czechs used to come up with. But it is also exceptionally well performed, particularly by the gorgeous main actress Dorottya Udvaros, who reminds you of 60's Hollywood siren Stella Stevens in her prime, or a redhead version of her if you like. Besides, Ms. Udvaros also sings in her own voice, even while in the nude. At least for her stunning presence, and the comedy, the film is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

DVD Order Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Dorottya Udvaros and Zoltán Bezerédy
Of the three scenes that feature nudity, the third is the longest and most memorable, when both the actors perform without any inhibition. It is also quite funny - after picking up Lucy from a police cell where she'd been locked up for overstaying in the city, Capt. Matura brings her to his mansion, and invites her to use his luxurious bath. He had once wanted to be an opera singer, and enthused after watching Lucy sing in the bath, opens up to his secret passion. But when he readies himself to jump in bed with her afterwards, she springs a surprise on him. The first nude scene happens when authorities come knocking on her door when Lucy is 'practising lines' with her director, the second is when Lucy catches Matura ogling her from the village's church tower.



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Miklós Jancsó's "Red Psalm" (1972 Hungary) - a film review

Miklós Jancsó was among the few gifted Eastern European directors to ever gain fame and recognition on the other side of the iron curtain. His best works unfortunately came about during the height of the Cold War, where his vast skills and cinematic innovations were lavished on films that were for all intents and purposes, little more than propaganda-pieces. He did present differing viewpoints however, but his own convictions always overshadowed the rest. Even when he did manage to make films outside Hungary, they retained their political tone, espousing a socialist message that sometimes also leaned towards anarchy and libertarianism.

I begin his filmography with the spectacular Cannes-awarded "Még kér a nép" [Eng. Title: Red Psalm] with an eye on events happening in neighbouring Ukraine at the time of writing. Jancsó had a different agenda - presenting socialism as an idea that's still relevant to a younger generation, post Prague 1968. What we see in the film is the cinematic equivalent of a lofty Diego Rivera mural, replete with fervent peasants joining hands to demand their fair share from landowners, and rifle-wielding soldiers deployed to forcefully put down their revolt.

Set in 1898 and performed like a stylised ballet, the film borrows passages from The Bible and gives it a 'red' twist. Eulogising women, local tradition, and folklore, it highlights the exploitation of masses by the elite and also depicts the Church as part of the problem. When peasants kill one of their oppressors, the army is called in, and despite some of them refusing to shoot unarmed peasants, they do get massacred.

More than its message, the reason this film is special is because of the way in which it was made. The revolt and the resulting reaction are shown poetically, rather than literally. The film is entirely made in the open, comprising of no more than twenty eight intricately executed shots. The director narrates events simultaneously happening on his grand outdoor canvas by zooming into one section of the landscape and following a piece of action there before panning to another - he conducts the cast and crew with astonishing and seamless precision.

An impressive accomplishment in itself, Jancsó will even better these choreographed action sequences in his next feature Szerelmem, Elektra (Electra, My Love). Some of his earlier films are masterpieces in their own right - and I'll be writing about them as well, but Red Psalm (alongside Electra) is unique in its assured adaptation of an archaic vocabulary that has had its origins in cave art, namely murals, and in the process it succeeds in expanding the scope of cinema itself. At least for this reason, the film is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Ilona Gurnik, Erzsi Cserhalmi, Éva Spányik etc.
In one lengthy scene, three young peasant girls are encouraged to strip naked in order to dissuade soldiers from slaughtering them. In another scene, dancing and cheering men help brides into a bath tub. There is also unintentional nudity from Andrea Drahota when she leans forward to support a fiddler who'd just been shot.



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A review: "Bezalom" [1980 Hungary]

István Szabó announced his filmmaking genius to a wider world with the emotionally intense and atmospheric wartime drama "Bezalom" [Eng. Title: Confidence]. The title in this instance refers to 'trust', as in confiding in someone. The film was the first of his five Academy Award nominations for the Best Foreign Language Film category - he will win it in his next film Mephisto, but more on that in a later post.

The film takes place towards the fag-end of World War II, during the Nazi occupation of Hungary and the home-grown resistance movement. We follow Kata (Ildikó Bánsági), a young wife and mother, leaving a cinema. She's whisked away by a stranger who insists that she doesn't go home, informing that her husband is in danger too, due to his involvement in the resistance. To protect herself, she is asked to change her identity by pretending to be the wife of János (Péter Andorai), another resistance member - also married, and live with him in an old couple's house as refugees from a nearby region.

János cannot trust others fully even if they belong to the resistance, and he has his own reasons for that. But there is nevertheless an ever-present danger of being discovered, or being reported to authorities by snooping neighbours. Whilst living in the same room - almost as prisoners, Kata and János will inevitably draw close, and soon start seeking comfort in each others arms, both emotionally, and sexually. They also declare their love for each other during passionate embraces, only for János to return to his suspicious and withdrawn self the following morning. However, after they'd become lovers, the air of mistrust had taken on a different hue, arising over doubts of their mutual loyalty and faithfulness. They're conducting an affair knowing that they're already married, but the question whether they love their respective legitimate partners still, or perhaps even more so than each other, simply refuses to go away.

Their predicament is put to the test when Kata is sent a message to visit a secret location, to discover that her love-sick husband is waiting for her there. She stays with him for the night, and upon her return, hesitant about informing János of the rendezvous. When the Allies take the city, a decision has to be taken about their short but intense love affair. But as events transpire, that might not even be necessary...

The film admirably builds an atmosphere of coldness and mistrust through its stunning cinematography, aided also through exceptional performances from the two leads. The desolate streets of wartime Budapest shouldn't have been difficult to recreate for the film though, as it was also made during another repressive period - this time under communist rule. And since there was a message much closer to home, Szabó had to be careful in not giving the authorities more excuse to mutilate or even ban his work. Partly because of this, the film is circumspect in its depiction of nudity, covering the sex scenes mostly through a montage of stylised close-ups. But it also works very well here, in the way it illustrates the characters' intimacy under stressful conditions. The intense yet beautiful film deserves a wider audience than it'd had for most of its existence, and thanks to Second Run's excellent DVD release recently, is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Ildikó Bánsági
There is very little nudity in the film, but whatever there is very well done, and a beautiful Ildikó Bánsági dazzles against a predominantly grey canvass. There is also genuine chemistry between the lead actors that make their scenes enjoyable to watch.



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Sexual repression and defiance in post-revolution Hungary - Egymásra nézve [1982]

Among Eastern European directors, Hungarian Károly Makk has been a favourite in western film festivals over the years, for his elegantly subdued direction, and the haunting atmospheric images that he uses to reflect the politics and circumstances of his characters. His drama "Egymásra nézve" [Eng. Title: Another Way] is set against the backdrop of a recently crushed 1956 Revolution, and concerns a lesbian affair between colleagues at a Budapest-based news magazine.

Storyline:
The film starts with the discovery of the body of Eva (Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak) in the woods - she had been shot in the head. Meanwhile, at a hospital, Livia (Grazyna Szopolowska) is recuperating after a near-fatal injury - we're told that she'll never be able to walk again.

The film rewinds to a year earlier, and we see Eva, arriving for her new job as an investigative journalist at a news magazine. She will share her office with Livia, an attractive, married young woman, who also works for the publication. Eva had made no secret of the fact that she is lesbian, and has been attracted to Livia the moment she set eyes on her. Livia likes Eva too - she admires Eva's skill, intellect, and integrity, but is hesitant to reciprocate Eva's desires - understandable, considering that Livia has a lot to loose, and that's not only her marriage. But they do fall in love, and before long, Livia decides to end the marriage and tells husband Donci (Péter Andorai) about her affair. Unable to accept the separation, he shoots Livia in the bath.

The husband is taken into custody, and a bitter Livia will reject Eva too, who by now has already got herself fired from her job for refusing to alter some facts from an article she'd recently written. While travelling through the countryside during the night, she's hailed by border guards from a distance and asked to stop, but is shot when she fails to do so.

Based on a novel by Erzsébet Galgóczi, this was the first film in communist Eastern Europe to openly deal with homosexuality, so one can guess the controversy the film must have courted during its release. Makk makes a succinct, but nuanced comment on the after effects that the brutally put-down revolution has continued to cast on its people. I find the Palme d'Or nominated film - both in terms of artistry and technical merit, to be just as accomplished as the finest from the French New Wave. Needless to say, this slightly obscure little gem from a director of repute is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

 

The Nudity: Grazyna Szapolowska and Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak
There are three scenes of nudity from the beautiful and young Grazyna Szapolowska who plays Livia, and one of these is a lesbian scene with Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak (as Jadwiga Jankowska), who plays Eva.



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