Müpa Film Club
110 Years of Hungarian Animation
Reality is a fine thing, but sometimes it’s even better to switch it off with the push of a button. Or simply by purchasing a cinema ticket. This series introduces the most free-spirited artists in the history of Hungarian animated film, ones who have helped millions of viewers around the world get a little closer to the realm of dreams, where neither the stubborn laws of physics nor the rules of grey everyday life operate in the familiar fashion!
In our selection, we have collected the works of major figures who have, through their unique artistic gifts, fundamentally defined the evolution of the genre and how viewers relate to animated films. Before anyone begins to scoff, these are not ‘just’ fairytales. They include a Cold War propaganda film amidst the escalating international situation, a depiction of the generational sense of the tough reality of inner-city life in the 1970s, a film that sounds the alarm about climate change, a social tableau about Budapest’s eighth district at the turn of the century, and a blockbuster from the present day that ventures back to the era after the fall of Communism.
And even with the fairytales, that’s not ‘all’ they are. There are works of total art, a culture trip that combines dance and the music of Kodály with psychedelic visions of an ancient Hungarian folk tale, a core public happiness-boosting film featuring geese, the worker dwarves of the eastern European Snow White, a history of art thriller with a noir bent, and a sci-fi movie containing a dried-out Lake Balaton.
In this Müpa Budapest series, you can encounter the films of the legendary greats of the animation genre and the unmissable artists of the present day, though the individual evenings promise even more besides. Our experts will hold an open discussion prior and after the screening so that you can learn plenty of new facts and behind-the-scenes secrets about these well-known works.
Music Till Death Do Us Part
“What am I without music?” sang Péter Máté, a sentiment we find it hard to argue with. At the heart of the new season of Müpa Film Club is the music that inspired countless films, each of which defined their own eras. One of the world’s most influential bands, The Beatles are represented straight off by two films: Help!, which aims to capture that Monty Python feeling, and Yellow Submarine, a movie that draws on the poster art of its time. Both continue to serve up surprises even on repeat viewings.
And then there is the rock opera Lisztomania, which conjures up a brazen and scandalous picture of Franz Liszt, the world’s first pop star. Of all the films with a Hungarian connection, we couldn’t possibly leave out Péter Timár’s bitter-sweet and endlessly loveable Csinibaba (Dollybirds), which has more than its fair share of classic quotes interspersed among the timeless hits.
In any road movie, the songs used to provide a backdrop are often at least as important as the images flickering on the screen. Good examples of this phenomenon are Easy Rider, which opened a new chapter in film history, and its close cousin Zabriskie Point. In George Lucas’s second film, the five times Oscar-nominated American Graffiti, the car radio is playing in every vehicle, conjuring up the authentic atmosphere of the 60’s at every turn.
Prior to and after the screenings, the film aesthete András Réz will hold open discussions that will reveal a tonne of fascinating facts and behind-the-scenes secrets that are sure provide an even deeper insight into the film in question.
Come and join us!
