Geza Tordy Movies
- 2008
Based on the novel by author Ákos Kertész, director Gábor Dettre's sinister crime drama follows a charismatic police detective as he investigates the murder of a wealthy trafficker while unintentionally making the complex case more confounding than it already is. Upon being summoned to investigate the murder of a notorious fence named Schulter, Roma policeman Karsci dutifully goes about his business interrogating the neighbors and suspects who have been singled out by the authorities. But despite his position of power Karsci is just as fallible as the next guy, a flaw that serves to complicate his tireless quest for the truth in ways that he could have never imagined. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zoltán Musci, Imre Csuja, (more)
- 2008
Love and murder make strange bedfellows for a cop on the trail of a fugitive in this thriller from Germany. Gyorgy (Zoltan Mucsi) is a police detective whose gypsy ancestry has forced him to confront prejudice among his colleagues as well as the criminals he deals with each day. Gyorgy's latest assignment finds him investigating the murder of a successful antiques dealer, and as Gyorgy looks into the victim's affairs, he learns that the murdered man had connections to a underground prostitution business. Searching for a lead among the working girls, Gyorgy becomes infatuated with Eva, a streetwalker still in her teens. Tablo (aka Tableau) was based on a novel by Akos Kertedsz, who also wrote the screenplay in collaboration with director Gabor Dettre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zoltan Mucsi, Imre Csuja, (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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juli Basti, Ferenc Bacs, (more)
- 1983
Three short stories involving alcohol in one way or another are strung together in this film, adapted by director Peter Bacso from the Russian author Vassili Shukshin, and first presented for television. In sequence, they are "The Insult," about a father who gets into a wild melée at a shop when he is mistakenly accused of being an alcoholic; "Conversation in a Restaurant," about two men who get drunk together at a nightclub and the next day, the younger of the two breaks his promise to bring the other along on a trip home; and "The Unexpected Guest," about an alcoholic who goes to a village to try to find his long-lost daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geza Tordy
- 1982
The year is 1931. Someone is trying to permanently derail the Orient Express. This drama, based on a true story, explains who and why. The mad bomber is Sylvester Matushka, a Hungarian businessman. He has destroyed the train and many have died. Now Dr. Epstein is called in to investigate and find Matushka before he strikes again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Sarrazin, Towje Kleiner, (more)
- 1980
A rebel leader imprisoned for trying to overthrow Austrian Emperor Franz Josef escapes from jail three years after an aborted political uprising in 1848. He quickly recruits six others sympathetic to his cause to take part in a kidnap attempt on the ruler. Although small in numbers, the group inflicts severe damage to the imperial guards before the last man enters the royal coach. In a satirical bit of ironic symbolism, the only one in the carriage is a dummy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lajos Balazsovits, György Cserhalmi, (more)
- 1966
The English-language title of this Hungarian drama refers to a true incident of 1848. Following the famous Kossuth Rebellion, the Hungarian police "round up" the likely suspects. They then subject the peasant prisoners to a sophisticated, ritualized form of psychological torture. Any resemblance between the authorities of 1848 and the communist rulers of Hungary in 1965 is purely intentional. Filmed in the manner of a modern documentary, The Round-Up (originally Szegenylegenyek) created a sensation when shown at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, making the international reputation of its brilliant young director, Miklos Jancso. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janos Gorbe, Tibor Molnar, (more)
- 1964
This confusing political drama from director Zoltan Fabri stars Antal Pager, Emil Keresh, and Yanov Gvorbe. A crusading newspaper reporter covers the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. Initially critical of the communists, the feature later espouses the virtues of the social changes implemented since the invasion. The title refers to the period of time the reporter spent interviewing witnesses to the invasion. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antal Pager
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Klari Tolnay, Geza Tordy, (more)
- 1959
The "sleepless years" in this propaganda piece by director Felix Marlassy occur on Csepel Island, an island south of Budapest that is home to an armaments factory. The factory workers are shown being exploited by imperialists, capitalists gone berserk, and fascists, more or less in that exact chronological sequence. The heavy-handed approach does much to undercut the belief that when socialism finally takes over, the lives of the workers are brought up to a human level. In this instance, audiences might prefer a more nuanced and subtle statement, no matter what the message. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eva Ruttkai, Geza Tordy, (more)
- 1958
3DSobalvany3D was released in non-Hungarian markets as 3DPillar of Salt3D. There is nothing Biblical about the story, however, which revolves around a dedicated young doctor. The trouble is that the doctor is 3Dtoo3D dedicated, and thus blind to the sociopolitical upheavals all around him. Only when it is nearly too late does our hero come to realize that he must take a stand in 3Dthis3D world, and not bury himself exclusively in the world of medicine. Though a popular entry in the 1958 Karlovy Vary Film Festival, 3DSobalvany3D wasn't a likely candidate for US showings, in the light of recent political tensions between America and the Communist Hungarian government. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antal Pager, Eva Ruttkai, (more)
