Csontváry (1980)

Director:

Zoltán Huszárik

Writers:

István Császár (screenplay), Péter Dobai,

Stars:

Itzhak Finzi, István Holl, Andrea Drahota

Cast

Credited cast:
Itzhak Finzi	...	Csontváry / Z the actor
István Holl	...	The wacky
Andrea Drahota	...	Anna
Margit Dajka	...	Mom
Ágnes Bánfalvy	...	Lilla
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Judit András
Samu Balázs	...	Emperor Franz Joseph
Gáspár Ferdinándy
István Fillár
Gyula Gerencsér
Zoi Karandatha
Zsuzsa Kocsák
Margit Lontay	...	Guest woman #2
Eleni Martinelli
László Márkus	...	A gentleman

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

painter

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Hungary

Language:

Hungarian German Italian Arabic

Release Date:

2 October 1980 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

Csontvary - Lebensbilder eines Malers

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunnia Filmstúdió

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Zoltán Latinovits was the original choice for the title role, but died before production began.

User Reviews

Stunning Biopic!

I walked into this movie as part of a Hungarian film series years ago and the only thing I knew about it was that the title must be a proper name since the rest of the titles were given in English. It unfolded as a singularly impressive presentation, immensely compelling even if not entirely comprehensible. Produced in the same year as its American cousin "All That Jazz" it presents two stories dealing with both artistic and personal issues of artists. As I eventually found out, Csontvary Kostka Tivadar was a Hungarian painter, and the actor Latinovitsj Zoltan, who was originally slated to play him in the film, committed suicide during the preliminary planning. The movie incorporates both the stories of both by way of a dazzling series of dazzling images incorporating Grecian, Roman, Jewish, Christian, and possibly more traditions of splendor along the way. It features one of the most pungent alienation sequences I've ever seen on film, and also lends an awesome splendor to the artistic calling which is reassuring in a world where this is often swamped and demeaned by commercialism. A great film, highly recommended.