Klari Tolnay Movies
- 1986
This minor yet wholly amusing comedy spoofs the popular "Kojak" character made famous on American television by Telly Savalas. Savalas' lookalike Laszlo Inke plays Kojak, who we are informed is not Greek at all, but of Hungarian extraction. As he comically notes for the home audiences, "most famous people are of Hungarian origin." In this satire, Kojak got his start in the Budapest police force before heading to the streets of New York. After he comes back to Hungary on the invitation of the "Hungarian Women's Association" and a youth group, he finds himself pursued by a gorgeous blonde, menaced by a shady looking character, and perplexed by the possible murder of an important scientist. As these plot angles work themselves out, the ills of society are lampooned: mailmen drop letters off anywhere just so they can get home on time, cabbies refuse to pick up certain fares, and overpaid bosses do anything but work. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laszlo Inke, Cecilia Esztergalyos, (more)
- 1984
Logically divided into two separate parts, this intriguing -- although definitely intellectualized -- docudrama on the life and times of Count Mihaly Karoly (Ferenc Bacs) and his wife Katinka (Juli Basti) makes for an interesting, informative account of their personal history and the political background against which their lives have added meaning. In the first segment of the film, young Katinka falls in love with the much-older Count Karolyi after a love affair in her life has ended against her wishes. Her desire for the Count seems even more unreasonable, given the fact that he and his mistress have been together for a long time. But in their social circles of fancy dress balls and idle aristocrats, even a passionate desire can be realized, and Katinka and the Count are eventually married. In the second part of the film, the radical politics of the couple is taking its toll -- during World War I the couple sided with the common people against the aristocrats, and after the communists took over Hungary in 1919 the couple further alienated others in their class by supporting the new government -- even to the point of giving away their estates. Their lives would have continued as always, except the rival old guard comes back into power, and the two Karolyis are forced into exile. Newsreel footage adds verisimilitude to the story, and Katinka herself -- now an elderly woman living in the south of France, provides an introduction to the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Juli Basti, Ferenc Bacs, (more)
- 1984
In this charming story about the older set and their interests and shortcomings, three women living in a senior citizens' apartment complex are grieving because Peter (Tamas Major) has died. Two of the women are Peter's ex-wives (Dana Medricka and Vlasta Fabianova), and one was his mistress (Klari Tolnay). When Peter's friend Gyorgy (Vlastimil Brodsky) arrives from Canada and starts to take an interest in one of the women, everyone can see that attraction knows no age limits. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Klari Tolnay
- 1978
A young man seeks to keep the bonds between his family together even after he emigrates from Hungary to Canada. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- 1978
Flashbacks stimulated during one day and night are experienced by a man and his new wife who live as boarders in the home of a war widow and her young son. The boy's father, a heroic doctor who served in the resistance during World War II, was a widely recognized hero, and the young newlyweds have been asked by the widow to travel to a nearby village to be present at the dedication of a memorial plaque in his honor. Already thoroughly tired of his legend, they are forced to sit through lengthy reminiscences by many people who knew him. Some of these tales bring up painful bits of family history, as when a pair of sisters who were in love with the dashing doctor recount how they were separated from him by the boy's mother. However, being immersed in the human side of his father's legend removes the shadow that has dogged the young boy, and the newlyweds also emerge happier with one another. This story is based on a play by Imre Szasz. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Klari Tolnay
In The Father (Apa), Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo invests a great deal of poetry and warmth in a story that, in lesser hands, might have become a wallow in bathos. After his father is killed in World War II, a young Hungarian boy named Tako concocts a fantasy image of the parent he never really knew. Convincing himself of his father's unstinting bravery, the boy grows into a man (Andras Balint) who hopes to emulate his dad's heroism. During the 1956 uprising, our hero falls in love with Jewish refugee Anni (Kati Solyom). Apprised of the horrors experienced by Anni's people during the Holocaust, Tako decides to find out whether or not his father was truly the noble warrior he's imagined him to be. It turns out that the father was neither wholly good nor wholly evil, just an average Hungarian hoping to make the best of a difficult world. At long last, Tako is able to divest himself of his father's shadow and become a man on his own terms. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Andras Balint, Miklos Gabor, (more)
- 1966
Kerekes (Antal Pager) believes he is wanted by the police when his friends play a practical joke in this unusual comedy drama. He returns to his hometown where he was accused of turning a Jewish druggist and the druggist's wife over to the Nazis. With his friends following him, Kerekes tries to find out what became of the couple after they were deported. After being subjected to a mock trial by his friends -- and found guilty -- Kerekes becomes despondent and attempts to kill himself. Flashbacks and hallucinations are employed to tell this story that occurs during the Eichmann trial. Both the film and Antal Pager gained some unwanted publicity when a Variety article from April 23rd, 1967 accused Pager of being a Nazi collaborator for his role in an anti-Semitic film during World War II. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antal Pager, Klari Tolnay, (more)
- 1963
Based on a novel by Dezso Kosztolani, this Hungarian drama is set at the turn of the 20th century. A young, homely woman lives at home with her mother and retired father. Because of all the care the girl provides for her parents, the couple becomes detached from the world outside their home. When the girl leaves for a short visit to her uncle's home, the parents realize the extent of their separation from society and their selfish feelings toward their own daughter. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antal Pager, Klari Tolnay, (more)
- 1959
Set in 1922 when the world was quite different, this conventional drama by director Laszlo Ranody looks at the mix of one's economic station in life and the nature of romantic love. A young servant in a wealthy family is carrying on an affair with a woman who works for the same household. Even though he has this female "friend," he harbors a deep desire for the lady of the house, someone far beyond his reach on the economic and social scale. He is torn between his feelings for both women, and then he finds out that his friend who is clearly in love with him, is pregnant. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Klari Tolnay, Geza Tordy, (more)
- 1939
Istvan Bors was adapted from the popular Hungarian stage play by Sandor Hunyady, with a few songs added to the mixture. The title character, played by Antal Pager, is an impoverished farmhand whose lot in life is radically altered when he inherits a fortune. Istvan Bors' benefactor was a fabulously wealthy business executive who happened to be our hero's real father. Baron Tulgody (Bela Mihalyffy), the decedent's nephew, is understandably put out when Istvan is declared the sole heir, but he fulfills the conditions of the will and permits the scruffy farmhand to move into the family's ancestral estate. Gradually, Istvan ingratiates himself with the rest of the household, even winning over the Baron after a last-act plot convolution. The whimsically inconclusive ending of the original play was altered a bit, but the results were so satisfying that no one had any cause for complaint. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antal Pager, Bela Mihalyffi, (more)
- 1938
Magdat Kicsapjak (Magda is Expelled) was director Ladislao Vajda's next-to-last Hungarian film; only Friday Rose remained to be filmed before he moved on to Italy, Spain, England and, ultimately, Germany. Ida Turay plays Magda, a 16-year-old Budapest schoolgirl with a predilection for trouble. The fun begins when Magda mails a "mash note" written as part of a language exercise by the school's English teacher (Clara Tolney). The letter ends up in the hands of Liverpool industrialist Harvey (Antal Pager), who out of curiosity pays a visit to the school. Love blooms between Harvey and the teacher, but Magda is expelled for her insubordination all the same. Never fear, however: our heroine also lands a handsome husband at fade-out time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ida Turay, Piri Peery, (more)
- 1938
Hot on the heels of his "optimistic comedy" 13 Girls Smile at the Sky, Hungarian director Athos Rathonyi turned out another happy-smiley entertainment, A Holgy Kisse Bogaras. The title translates as The Lady is a Bit Cracked -- and indeed, insanity is regarded as a rich vein of humor in this farce. Desperately seeking a job, young Klari Tomay "borrows" another girl's sealed letter of introduction. What she doesn't know is that the letter states that its bearer is a trifle crazy, but perfectly harmless as long as she's not offended. Thus it is that Tomay is at a loss to understand why her new employers treat her so deferentially, and with a look of panic in their eyes. Things get really hairy when Tomay is led to believe that the firm's junior partner Imre Raday is also a few cards shy of a full deck! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Klari Tolnay, Imre Raday, (more)
- 1938
Azure Express was based on Budapest-Wein. Hungarian film favorites Antal Pager and Klari Tomay star respectively as a schoolmaster named Thomas and a forlorn waif named Tery. On the eve of his weding, Thomas saves the suicidal Tery from a watery grave. He gives her shelter for the night (carefully observing the proprieties, of course), and nearly misses his own wedding as a conseuqence. While on his honeymoon, Thomas meets the impoverished Tery again, and again takes pity on her, missing his train as a result. One thing leads to another until Tery persuades Thomas to pose as her husband for the benefit of her snooty relatives. He is forced to maintain the deception right up to the honeymoon chamber, as the audience wonders if this mess will ever straighten itself out. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antal Pager, Klari Tolnay, (more)
