IMDb > The Witness (1969)

The Witness (1969) More at IMDbPro »A tanú (original title)

Overview

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7.8/10   1,979 votes »
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Director:
Péter Bacsó
Writers:
Péter Bacsó (writer)
János Ujhelyi (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Witness on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 January 1983 (Finland) See more »
Genre:
Drama | Comedy See more »
Plot:
Banned for over a decade for its outspoken criticism of the post-WWII communist regime in Hungary, Péter... See more » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
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 Reviews:
"Well, comrade Pelikan, life is not all beer and skittles.." (8/10) See more (9 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)
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 testõre
József Horváth ... Vasutas
Róbert Rátonyi ... Operettszínész
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
György Bálint
Pál Bánó ... Bíró
Mária Dudás ... Gépírónõ
Tibor Fehér ... Börtönõr
György Györffy ... Börtönigazgató
József Iványi ... Rendõr
Pál Jákó ... Orvos
Péter Korbuly ... Virág testõre
Georgette Mertzhradt
Lajos Mezey ... Író
Steve Nemeth (as István Németh)
István Novák ... Börtönigazgató
József Pecsenke ... Bástya testõre
György Pálfi
Mária Rákosi ... A miniszter titkárnõje
Tibor Sipeki
Lajos Tándor ... Jegyszedõ
István Velenczei ... Minisztériumi alkalmazott
Ida Versényi ... Gogolák elvtársnõ
László Vámos ... Idegorvos
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Directed by
Péter Bacsó 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Péter Bacsó  writer
János Ujhelyi  writer

Original Music by
Szabolcs Fényes 
György Vukán 
 
Cinematography by
János Zsombolyai 
 
Film Editing by
Sándor Boronkay 
 
Production Design by
Tamás Vayer 
 
Art Direction by
László Blahó 
 
Set Decoration by
Judit Vidéki 
 
Makeup Department
Judit Endrényiné .... assistant makeup artist
Ottilia Pásztory .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Ottó Föld .... production manager
Lajos Gulyás .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dezsõ Koza .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Károly Peller .... sound
 
Camera and Electrical Department
József Halom .... assistant camera
Márton Widuchowski .... chief lighting technician
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Katalin Ján .... wardrobe
 
Editorial Department
Aurélné Varga .... assistant editor
 
Other crew
Gyuláné Szép .... location manager
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"A tanú" - Hungary (original title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Hungary
Language:
Hungarian
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-8
Company:
MAFILM 1. JátékfilmstúdióSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Several quotes from the movie, especially the ones "the international situation is intensifying" and "life is not a whipped-cream cake" have become part of everyday speech in Hungary.See more »
Quotes:
Pelikán József, gátõr:Mercy, I'm a complete idiot.See more »
Movie Connections:
Followed by Megint tanú (1995)See more »
Soundtrack:
Jaj, cicaSee more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
17 out of 18 people found the following review useful.
"Well, comrade Pelikan, life is not all beer and skittles.." (8/10), 13 August 2003
Author: jinx_ from Hungary

As being a Hungarian myself, I might have a soft spot for this film, but I find it extremely funny anyway.

However, I feel I should add some background to those who never lived in a totalitarian personality cult. An era where the best was to keep your mouth shut even among your best friends, for you could not be sure who will report on you. In an era where a big black car might have stopped at your house in the middle of the night to take you and never let you go again. In an era where when deciding about executives, it was your loyalty that mattered not your skill or know-how. Where everyone stated the lemon to be an orange, if it was the dictum of the leaders. Where not clapping hard enough when "our leader" Rakosi addressed the crowd was enough for imprisonment.

All the events described in this film might seem absurd - but I have to say they easily could have and did happen during the '50s in the East of Europe.

Although the regime softened a bit, in 1969 making this film was still not the safest thing to. Not surprisingly it wasn't aired for almost a decade. But since then, it became a cult film by any means. Lines like "Well, comrade Pelikan, life is not all beer and skittles.." are known and quoted by everyone. Yes, laughing at them is mortal to any dictatures...

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