ibajan Reviews

Men and Banners (1965)

Acceptable adaptation of the great novel

[6/10 · 30 May 2006]

The Italian commentator is right, since the film does not show the Russian army when they help the Habsburgs to defeat the Hungarians. Neither shows the film Zebulon Tallérossy, a very interesting character of the book, nor Ödön's meeting with Leonin in Hungary. And it doesn't turn out of the film, why the Plankenhorsts wanted to hinder Edit's and Richárd's marriage.

But all the battle scenes are excellent in the film. The film shows the Baradlays' fights very well. The actors and actresses were great.

So the film is very recommendable, but it does not compensate the original book.

Az aranyember (1962)

Weak adaptation

[4/10 · 12 May 2006]

I do not agree with Meitschi, since this is not a good adaptation of the novel. It is a very important thing in the novel that the readers see Mihály Tímár's doubts, and his fights with himself. He is a complicated, but good person.

After he has found Csorbadzsi's treasure, he thinks a lot, what he should do with it: If he gave it to Timea, her uncle, Brazovics would steal it. So he decides to keep it for himself to be able to rise the amount of the treasure by making good business with it. But he is still not sure that he has made the good choice: his conscience is not relaxed. And all these important things were omitted.

It was said in the film too, that Tímár helped many other people by his money . But it was not disclosed that he could help Teréza and Noémi only by his money, to be the island their property.

In Füred Krisztyán told Tímár a long story about his adventures, but in the film it was very short. I think it should have been longer.

But Dódi was really Mihály's and Noémi's child. We can understand it from the book, too.

The Odyssey (1997)

Good film, but...

[7/10 · 13 December 2005]

I think this is not a very good adaptation of the original story. Some important parts were omitted. You know, in Homer's novel the cause of the death of Odysseus's companions was that they had eaten Helius's cattles. So they deserved a bit the strict punishment. But in the film the Charybdys killed all the people except for Odysseus. The other mistake: According to the novel Odysseus was at Circe for one year, and at Calypso for eight years! But according to the film he spent five years at Circe. I wonder what the opinion of other Odyssey fans is about that. But all the tricks were great! The actors and actresses were excellent.

On the whole I have given 7/10.