The Maiden Danced to Death

When Steve, a dancer-turned-impresario, returns to his native Hungary after a 20-year absence, he finds many things different. The Communist regime that expelled him is gone, life has changed for the better and his former apparatchik father had retired in disgrace. But his brother, Gyula, whom he used to idolize, hasn't changed one bit. He still works in the same run-down studio with the same cash-strapped dance company they both started out in - and he is married to Steve's former sweetheart, Mari. The two men's rivalry is triggered instantly, but Mari challenges them to pool their considerable experience and talent to revive their last success together, a dance piece based on the ballad, "The Maiden Danced to Death." If Gyula can make it to Steve's exacting standards, Steve agrees to promote it for a world tour breathing new life into the sagging careers of both brothers. As the rehearsals progress, the brothers' opposing sets of standards and values clash right away, testing their willingness to adjust or fight. The situation is complicated by Gyula's affair with the company's young starlet and Mari 's reviving affection for Steve. And Steve has not let on the real reason for his return: to reveal and bring to justice the person who, as he perceives, had caused his expulsion and robbed him of his life and future two decades earlier - his own brother. The production turns into their personal duel and soon their entire life, past, present and future are transferred into the play. "The Maiden Danced to Death" —Casablanca Film Production