IMDb > A tanú (1969)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   1,467 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Péter Bacsó (writer)
János Ujhelyi (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for A tanú on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 January 1983 (Finland) more
Genre:
Plot:
Banned for over a decade for its outspoken criticism of the post-WWII communist regime in Hungary, Péter... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Hungarian Director Bacso Dies
 (From WENN. 12 March 2009, 5:10 AM, PDT)

Hungarian Movie Mogul Bacso Dead
 (From WENN. 11 March 2009, 6:30 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Hungarian Orange. more (8 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Ferenc Kállai ... Pelikán József, gátõr
Lajos Öze ... Virág Árpád (as Õze Lajos)
Béla Both ... Bástya elvtárs
Zoltán Fábri ... Dániel Zoltán
Lili Monori ... Gizi
Károly Bicskey ... Gulyás Elemér
György Kézdi ... Virág detectívje
József Horváth ... Vasutas
Róbert Rátonyi ... Oprettszínész
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
György Bálint
Pál Bánó
Mária Dudás ... Gépírónõ
Tibor Fehér
György Györffy ... Börtönigazgató
József Iványi
Pál Jákó
Péter Korbuly
Georgette Mertzhradt
Lajos Mezey
Steve Nemeth (as István Németh)
István Novák ... Dr. Kotász, hóhér
György Pálfi
József Pecsenke ... Bástya testõre
Mária Rákosi ... A miniszter titkárnõje
Tibor Sipeki
Lajos Tándor ... Jegyszedõ
László Vámos ... Idegorvos
István Velenczei ... Minisztériumi alkalmazott
Ida Versényi ... Gogolák elvtársnõ
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Witness
more
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The character Comrade Virágh is the satire of the all powerful secret police general of the era Gábor Péter. This is very obvious when Virágh is speaking highly of Pelican's jacket as the civil job of Péter was a tailor. more
Quotes:
Pelikán József, gátõr: As of today, the ghost train shall be know as The Socialist Ghost Train. We'll get rid of the skeletons and other old junk. We'll replace them with portraits of our great leaders, especially Comrade Bástya. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Ereszd el a szakállamat! (1975) more
Soundtrack:
Jaj, cica more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
16 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
A Hungarian Orange., 25 April 2005
9/10
Author: MilesPieri from New York City, NY

That Bacso Peter's devastating satire was banned by the Hungarian authorities for almost a decade will come as no surprise to anyone lucky enough to see this film. You might be left wondering, however, why or how it was eventually granted clearance while communism still held sway in the country. Perhaps it was the pure, blatant cheekiness of the movie? Or perhaps the government of the time realised there was something to be said for the ability to laugh at oneself? Whatever the reasoning, The Witness stands up as more than a curiosity piece from another era. It's still remarkably fresh, and continues to have much to tell us on the subject of authoritarian bureaucracy. Parts of this film, such as the sequence with the 'Magyar Narancs' (Hungarian Orange) have passed into the countries mass consciousness, and with good reason. In fact, I suspect that as good as this film is you really have to be Hungarian to truly appreciate its subtleties and joys. For the rest of us, however, there are still hilarious moments such as the sausage factory in the basement or Pelikan accidentally being given papers with the pre-determined outcome of a court case. This is a unique, beautiful and powerful political satire and a true Hungarian cinematic treasure.

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