Maia Morgenstern Movies

Writer/director Andor Szilagy weaves this politically charged tale of a charismatic teen whose youthful rebellion ultimately transforms him into a national icon. Inspired by the 1956 rebellion against the Soviet-sponsored dictatorship in his native Hungary and enraged at the subsequent wave of terror that engulfed Budapest, sixteen year-old Peter Mansfeld emerges as the leader of a group that starts collecting weapons and begins practicing revolution on a decidedly small scale. Later, the patriotic idealists kidnap a police officer and Mansfeld is sentenced to life in a political prison known as "Hell's Hallway" for his participation in the crime. At the age of eighteen Mansfeld's sentence is retroactively switched to the death penalty, and he is summarily executed less than two weeks after his birthday. Though few would realize it at the time, patriotic Hungarians all across the country would subsequently celebrate the young rebel whose life was cut decidedly short by the state as a national hero. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hungarian director Andor Szilagyi received a much-coveted Crystal Globe nomination at the Karlovy-Vary Film Festival for directing this period drama. The film unfolds in WWII-era Budapest, Hungary (in the fall of 1944) and follows the plight of a Jewish clan, the Halasz family, as they hide from the Nazis and struggle to evade capture. Throughout this experience, they are joined by an opera singer, Imre Rosza, alleged to have such a beautiful voice that it will deliver from harm anyone in his presence. Szilagyi filters much of the story through the eyes of the family's 14-year-old son, Tomi (David Zum). Franco Castellano and Ildiko Bansagi co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Kinai vedelem is based on the true story of Peter György, a Romanian of Hungarian descent from Transylvania, who spent twenty-two years imprisoned in a Gulag near the Ussuri river. During the border conflict between the Soviet Union and China, he was liberated by the Chinese and allowed to return home. He arrived in Transylvania with a roll of dollar bills and a piece of radioactive uranium; he had been instructed to inform the Romanians (and the representatives of the Ceausescu regime maneuvering between Moscow and Beijing) about the horrors of his imprisonment, as well as the economic and atomic potential of the People's Republic of China. The authorities were highly suspicious of him, and began following him everywhere. His money and papers were confiscated, and he became a victim of bureaucracy, a worse humiliation than what he had already endured. The film, which reflects the absurd realities of Romania under the regime of Ceausescu, is the first co-production between Hungary and Romania. It was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Outwardly Janos and Erno Witman seem like typical middle class teens, but beneath their facades of normalcy, the two are deeply disturbed and obsessed with the nature of sex and death. Leaving much to the viewer's imagination, this horrific and highly atmospheric tale begins in a small Hungarian town in 1914. The brothers live a happy, well-adjusted life until their father, a tax inspector, suddenly dies in terribly painful manner. After the funeral, Janos and Erno pay a nighttime visit to his grave and begin reflecting on death. They spy a big owl which they capture. On the way home, they find a dog tied up outside a bar and steal it. Six months pass. When their biology teacher dissects a frog in class one day, the two renew their fascination with death and begin experimenting on their pets -- their experimentation occurs off-camera. Their lives become even stranger when Janos becomes obsessed with a young prostitute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, this drama centers on the Balkan conflict as viewed through the eyes of a filmmaker named A (Harvey Keitel). Director Theo Angelopoulos wrote the screenplay, drawing from personal experiences. A is a Greek émigré director who returns to his homeland after 35 years in the U.S., ostensibly to screen his latest film, which is so controversial that it attracts religious protests. In fact, A's real purpose is to search for three reels of undeveloped film that may be the first ever shot by pioneer Balkan filmmakers the Manakis brothers, who documented simple circa-1900 peasant life. A's Homeric journey includes flashbacks into past historical events. He travels by taxi to Albania, where he enlists the help of a film archivist (Maia Morgenstern, who plays all four female roles). She joins him on a train ride to Bucharest, Romania. An extensive flashback chronicles A's childhood under Communism in Bucharest. His next stop is Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, where he is directed to Sarajevo. Angelopoulos mixes scenes shot during the actual Balkan war with historic re-enactments and dreamscapes to examine the role of the artist in political upheaval. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

After World War II, Romania was swiftly integrated into the Soviet empire, but not before journalist George Vlaicu (Johan Leysen) could write and disseminate an article decrying the death of democracy. He spends eleven years in prison, emerging in 1959 after a secret policeman promises him that, if he will write a weekly summary of the events of his life (which need not include anything the policeman doesn't already know), he can go free. He goes on to become a nationally celebrated poet after marrying the woman who typed his postwar protest. Eventually, a number of incidents make him realize that his reports to the police have been used to further the government's persecution of his friends, and he makes plans to defect. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Lucian Pintilie wrote this dramatic tale of a woman who travels through Romania on a journey to bury her father's ashes, while the countryside lapses into chaos during the final days of the Ceausescu regime. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide

Not long after World War I, the politicians are back to business as usual in the lovely city of Bucharest. In this political melodrama, a journalist has his sights set on one of these politicians and hopes to get his paper to expose him as the scoundrel he is. However, when the politician and his allies get wind of the investigation, things become very difficult for him. In a parallel story, a sensitive poet has returned from serving in the war and has fallen in love with a very wealthy woman. He has no hope of getting anywhere with her, as he is desperately poor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide