Through the cooperation of the Palace of Arts and the Hungarian National Digital Archive and Film Institute (MaNDA), this new series will present the finest works of legendary Hungarian film directors. The first half of the year sees digital screenings of a selection of ten films from the life’s oeuvre of Zoltán Fábri. Although the three-time Kossuth Prize-winner Zoltán Fábri occupied pride of place in the display case of Socialist cultural policy, his work as a film director (1952-1983) was de...fined by the banning of his screenplays, so that he conveyed his humanist message about the world, dictatorship and human relationships in a series of literary adaptations that reached an audience of millions. Although he was essentially not an innovator in terms of the language of film, few directors would have as many powerful sequences in a hypothetical reel of the great symbolic moments in modern Hungarian film – from the dramatic merry-go-round scene in Körhinta (1955) to the vacant building site in A Pál utcai fiúk (1968), and from the expressive stadium in Hannibál tanár úr (1956) to Zoltán Latinovits’s major absurdly packing boxes in Isten hozta, őrnagy úr (1969). Brought to maturity over ten years from the novel by Margit Kaffka, Anthill was described by Zoltán Fábri as “a parable on the Czech events of 1968, in the way that orthodox backwardness in this small community, under false pretences, cruelly triumphs over neological renewal.” Fábri’s original intention in 1970 was to film an adaptation of Ákos Kertész’s Makra, a novel with a theme more strikingly suited to 1968. Under the newly outlined Aczél cultural policy of the time, Fábri had been awarded another Kossuth Prize as a living legend of film, but was advised against filming Makra due to its “anti-schematic” portrayal of the situation of the working class and the defection of the protagonist’s lover in 1956. However, Fábri would travel back in time to the turn of the century in vain, as – despite his statement to the contrary – he was unable to invest the spirit of 1968 with any real value as a model that could be transplanted into the confines of a girl’s convent school. Into the struggle between the reformist Virginia and her pupils and the followers of the strait-laced Leona, he inserted a “human thread” which does not feature in the novel: namely the guilty love which Virgínia (Mari Törőcsik) harbours for Magdolna (Éva Vass), which horrifies them both. Psychological elements thus become stronger than the parabolic aspect of the film, and in a paradoxical way it is precisely Fábri’s humanism and empathy which leads to the failure of the theme of rebellion: the victory of conservatism comes about not due to oppression from outside but as a matter of conscience. Either in theme or form, this Fábri film does not belong at the cutting edge alongside internationally recognized Hungarian films of the early 1970s (such as Szerelem or Szerelmesfilm, both from 1970, or Szindbád from 1971). From today’s perspective, it is the look of the film, carefully composed by György Illés with a contrast between nature and the convent interiors in Majk, lighting, beautiful use of colour and framing of the action, together with the lively performances of the young girls (Jarka Schallerová and Györgyi Andai), which has proven most enduring. Presented by: Palace of Arts
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
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