I didn't know that this was produced by Hungary's young Communist Party until I read about it on IMDb but it was obvious from the beginning that we were going to be treated to some pretty heavy propaganda. It took about 20 minutes for it to dawn on me that it was going to be some really well-made sincere propaganda. The film features a gang of war orphans and runaway teens and children in the last days of WWII who rampage through the countryside plundering what food and wine they can get their hands on, while being persecuted by nasty Nazi Hungarians. Since they were stealing from people almost as poor as they were, the gang didn't entirely get my sympathy. They are fortunate to make a raid on a ruined fortress occupied by a world-renowned conductor who, after being more or less tortured by the little hooligans, feeds them, teaches them "La Marseillaise", and turns them into comrades and freedom fighters. It all may sound, and be, trite but there is tremendous energy and heart in the film. Some of the group scenes with the children are masterful. Recommended (warning: animals (a pig and some chickens) were harmed and killed in making this film).
6 Reviews
Well it's about time somebody commented on this hidden treasure
marie_D7 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The worst captivity is Misery.
brogmiller10 June 2020
Bela Balazs returned to Hungary after the War to help rebuild its film industry. He scripted this film which has been classified by some as an example of 'socialist realism' because he was a committed Marxist. This is debatable as Balazs was dismissed amid hardening political attitudes and died alas, in 1949. If one has to attach a label then I think that of 'neorealism' is far more appropriate as I sense there is more than a passing nod here to Rossellini's 'Rome, Open City' of 1945. It also calls to mind de Sica's 'Shoeshine' of 1946 especially in its depiction of the children. Just a theory of course.
The children in this have been utterly dehumanised by the horrors of war. They are gradually made to feel worthwhile and given hope for the future by the philosophy and civilising influence of Artur Somlay as an elderly classical musician despite their initially wanting to hang him! The run down castle that they have made their home is attacked by fascists and to give themselves courage they whistle the 'Marseillaise' that he has taught them. A truly marvellous moment. The scene where Suszsa Banki as Eva shoots her abuser is a splendid piece of film making.
Director Geza Radvanyi and his cinematographer Barnabas Hegyi have given us some wonderful images here especially in the grouping of the children. The editing alas leaves a lot to be desired and the score is rather intrusive especially in the earlier sequences.
Radvanyi changed his style in the 1950's with varying results but he would never again match this in terms of immediacy, vitality and above all, 'heart'.
Good to know that the talent and vision of Bela Balazs were recognised in 1957 by the founding of a studio bearing his name.
Foreign Language Gem
Mint_Man5 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
English language reviewer here (aged 55) having just watched the movie with subtitles.
It held my attention throughout and was very beautifully shot with some heart wrenching scenes. There were some truly shocking scenes too, especially with the horse and pig slayings - with the former, I can see why people may have missed it (I had to add it in the parental review section under violence and gore) as the action in that scene led the eye elsewhere in the frame. But that is the art of good movie making - to sometimes overload the senses into missing the obvious - I stress this was a well-made movie with lots going on in most of the scenes.
The film was released barely two years after the end of WWII and needs to be watched with that in mind. It is almost a Lord of the Flies forerunner, but far more brutal and beautiful than Golding's 1954 novel or its subsequent film.
Yes, most of the actors on display are children. Perhaps I may have identified immature performances or inadequate acting had I understood Hungarian, but with only subtitles, foreign voices and powerful pictures to guide me, I found the standard of acting very believable and one of the best child-acting performances I have seen.
In amongst the easy-to-identify classical pieces included in the soundtrack, the original section of the music score was strong and distinctive written with a passing nod to the style of Miklós Rózsa.
Having watched thousands of foreign language movies over my lifetime I can easily see why this film was included in the New Budapest Twelve best Hungarian movies of all time in 2000.
You will remember that final look in the eyes of Wide Eyes for some time to come. One of the most realistic and moving death images I have ever seen on screen.
As I said, a real gem of a film that certainly would not be made today. Judge it by 1947, not 2023.
It held my attention throughout and was very beautifully shot with some heart wrenching scenes. There were some truly shocking scenes too, especially with the horse and pig slayings - with the former, I can see why people may have missed it (I had to add it in the parental review section under violence and gore) as the action in that scene led the eye elsewhere in the frame. But that is the art of good movie making - to sometimes overload the senses into missing the obvious - I stress this was a well-made movie with lots going on in most of the scenes.
The film was released barely two years after the end of WWII and needs to be watched with that in mind. It is almost a Lord of the Flies forerunner, but far more brutal and beautiful than Golding's 1954 novel or its subsequent film.
Yes, most of the actors on display are children. Perhaps I may have identified immature performances or inadequate acting had I understood Hungarian, but with only subtitles, foreign voices and powerful pictures to guide me, I found the standard of acting very believable and one of the best child-acting performances I have seen.
In amongst the easy-to-identify classical pieces included in the soundtrack, the original section of the music score was strong and distinctive written with a passing nod to the style of Miklós Rózsa.
Having watched thousands of foreign language movies over my lifetime I can easily see why this film was included in the New Budapest Twelve best Hungarian movies of all time in 2000.
You will remember that final look in the eyes of Wide Eyes for some time to come. One of the most realistic and moving death images I have ever seen on screen.
As I said, a real gem of a film that certainly would not be made today. Judge it by 1947, not 2023.
A highpoint of Hungarian cinema
kovesp131 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The script was co-written by Béla Balázs who also wrote the libretto of Bartók's opera Bluebeard's Castle. He was a renowned film theorist influencing among others Eisenstein, Pudovkin and Pabst. He also wrote the script for Leni Riefenstahl's Blue Light. Balázs's masterful cinematography is ever present in the film, but is perhaps best exemplified by the sequence with the girl and officer. Generations of Hungarians have seen and valued this movie.
It is of course no surprise that Tamas Polgar (who uses the moniker of Tomcat on IMDb and either is, or is not identical with the well known Hungarian neo-Nazi and anti-Semite with the same name and moniker) hates this movie. After all, Balázs was a Jew, and a Marxist Jew at that. While the film was produced by the movie company of the communist party, it was made before the party came to power. The movie was compulsory viewing for generations of Hungarian schoolchildren. Watching it again now ... this frankly surprises me: a masterpiece of socialist realism it is not. Dismissing it as communist propaganda is about as useful as saying the same thing about the Ballad of a Soldier.
It is of course no surprise that Tamas Polgar (who uses the moniker of Tomcat on IMDb and either is, or is not identical with the well known Hungarian neo-Nazi and anti-Semite with the same name and moniker) hates this movie. After all, Balázs was a Jew, and a Marxist Jew at that. While the film was produced by the movie company of the communist party, it was made before the party came to power. The movie was compulsory viewing for generations of Hungarian schoolchildren. Watching it again now ... this frankly surprises me: a masterpiece of socialist realism it is not. Dismissing it as communist propaganda is about as useful as saying the same thing about the Ballad of a Soldier.
A terrible piece of postwar communist propaganda
tomcat-350-275211 May 2013
Besides of doused with Communist propaganda - part of the foreplay which led to a terrible dictatorship in a few years, yet still playing nice and democratic - this is also a terribly bad movie. Those who think I might be wrong because it was voted among the best Hungarian movies, think again. Of course it was - in the Communist times. If you view it that way, then it's indeed a good movie, it fulfills all the requirements of Stalin's and Rakosi's approval. But anyway...
There is no established storyline in this piece of awfulness. The kids run away from an orphanage. For some reason the orphanage contains a theme park with a panopticum of Nazi leaders, in which Hitler is melting during a bombing raid. After a set of forced symbolics, our heroes are on the road - leading nowhere. They meet an old musician who teaches them about how great the French Revolution was, and we also see a former Nazi putting away his uniform and taking up a new role in a new society. And so, what else? The entire story leads nowhere, it's shallow and illogical.
Technically the movie is also a disaster. There are basic editing mistakes, eg. there is a scene which was inserted reversed (see the boat under the bridge actually going backwards), the camera sometimes goes out of focus, equipment gets visible, animals stare at the crew (ie. a dog in the foreground). It's a school example of how the Communists recruited all-thumbs amateurs to replace the great experts of Hungarian movie industry who all fled abroad or died during the war. In its time this movie was heralded as the "greatest movie of all times", its makers were celebrated countrywide, and this lie is kept alive even today, with all the hype around this crap. It's OK to watch if you wish to see something North Korea would produce these days, in a contemporary fashion. But as a movie - forget about it.
There is no established storyline in this piece of awfulness. The kids run away from an orphanage. For some reason the orphanage contains a theme park with a panopticum of Nazi leaders, in which Hitler is melting during a bombing raid. After a set of forced symbolics, our heroes are on the road - leading nowhere. They meet an old musician who teaches them about how great the French Revolution was, and we also see a former Nazi putting away his uniform and taking up a new role in a new society. And so, what else? The entire story leads nowhere, it's shallow and illogical.
Technically the movie is also a disaster. There are basic editing mistakes, eg. there is a scene which was inserted reversed (see the boat under the bridge actually going backwards), the camera sometimes goes out of focus, equipment gets visible, animals stare at the crew (ie. a dog in the foreground). It's a school example of how the Communists recruited all-thumbs amateurs to replace the great experts of Hungarian movie industry who all fled abroad or died during the war. In its time this movie was heralded as the "greatest movie of all times", its makers were celebrated countrywide, and this lie is kept alive even today, with all the hype around this crap. It's OK to watch if you wish to see something North Korea would produce these days, in a contemporary fashion. But as a movie - forget about it.
just awful
nihaoma-224 February 2014
Ugh, I hated this movie! It's a crappy communistic propaganda, nothing else.
The old wise man is teaching the kids humanism and French revolution, even though this movie was done after the Russians invaded Hungary (I'm sorry, "freed" us), and stayed here for almost 50 years. So you can imagine how much freedom we had here! The Russian army raped over 100 thousand women in the country in '44. They killed a lot of civilians too.
Besides, the movie is full of editing mistakes. There is barely any story here, just not obnoxious kids and grownups. Shitty music score as well. I can't understand how can they consider this as one of the best Hungarian movies?
Do not watch it if you don't want to be brainwashed.
The old wise man is teaching the kids humanism and French revolution, even though this movie was done after the Russians invaded Hungary (I'm sorry, "freed" us), and stayed here for almost 50 years. So you can imagine how much freedom we had here! The Russian army raped over 100 thousand women in the country in '44. They killed a lot of civilians too.
Besides, the movie is full of editing mistakes. There is barely any story here, just not obnoxious kids and grownups. Shitty music score as well. I can't understand how can they consider this as one of the best Hungarian movies?
Do not watch it if you don't want to be brainwashed.
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