Laszlo Horvath Movies

Originally a nine-hour British miniseries, this film on the last four decades in the life of Richard Wagner may have taken its long-winded cue from the lengthy operas of the famous 19th-century German composer and musical theorist -- the Ring des Nibelungen is 14-15 hours in itself, divided into four separate operas. This biographical film begins when Wagner is first recognized for his work, yet in that same year, 1848, he was forced out of his homeland for his radical politics (he supported the unification of separate kingdoms under one Germany) and settled in Zurich for awhile. Focusing on character traits that are well-known and would not endear him to anyone, the film details his bigotry (a confirmed anti-Semitic), his insensitivity, and his obsession with money -- he went after the bottom line even if it meant losing friendships or ruining his marriage. Although Wagner is known for his music theory and the contribution he made to opera during his lifetime, very little attention is given to his actual works in this film. Venerable British thespians (Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Joan Plowright, and Richard Burton as Wagner) light up the cast but not always with the same brightness. In the final analysis, the slow-paced story is simply too long in the telling, and even the visually sumptuous costumes and production design cannot make up for a slow script, uneven acting, and problems in direction. The film version runs 300 minutes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This film seems to be saying that even when you try hard, things may still not work out. Julia (Juli Basti) works in a factory but has taken it upon herself to check in with different people to make sure everything is going well for them. To that end, she comes up to a house where two older girls and a little boy are left alone for long periods of time because Arpad (Jan Nowicki) their father has to work late. When Juli talks to the father he agrees to let her move in because the children need a mother, and she still continues with her work in the factory. Soon Juli and Arpad have developed a romantic attachment, but he has an alcohol problem which is probably at the source of some troubles at work that land him in jail. When he gets out, he is arrested again for political reasons. Meanwhile, Juli has decided to move out, and she becomes seriously ill and ends up in the hospital. All told, the future seems to hold no good tidings for either Juli or Arpad, much less the hapless children. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The brutality that preceded the 1956 protests in Hungary may have fanned the plot of this 1981 political drama. After a rather vicious soccer game, the coach of the losing team unleashes his rage against the umpire in a locker room fight that ends up with the umpire very dead, his head bashed against the inside of a toilet bowl. A journalist sees the bloody toilet bowl and hides it in a church belfry (yes), a place safe from accidental discovery. Meanwhile, the journalist writes an article that exposes much of the truth about the fight, and as a consquence of that unadvisedly rash action he is thrown in jail - perhaps for longer than he realizes as the political higher-ups are not too interested in getting to the bottom of things. Before the film ends, there is yet another murder - and the fate of the journalist, not to mention the truth, lies in the balance. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In a one-room apartment, live a man, his wife and two children -- along with his grown son and his wife and child -- a total of seven people in one tiny space. On returning from a tour of duty in the military, the grown son is scolded by his father for not reenlisting, which might have enabled them all to qualify for a larger apartment. The drive to have more space leads the older man's wife to spend time with other men in order to somehow qualify for another apartment. When the older man refuses to give his wife the money to bribe a housing official, she angrily leaves, taking her daughter with her. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This feature follows the student unrest that gripped Hungary in the wake of the 1947 socialist revolution. Scores of students are now able to attend college. Students march in an organized parade and push police into the water. They try to convince students at a parochial school to join them. Dialogue ensues, a student starts to sing old folk songs, and the young police chief counters with folk dancers. When students from the religious school are arrested, the situation verges on violence. Discussions of revolution and reform dominate the dialogue between the two factions who are equally concerned with local and world events. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Valahol Europaban (aka Somewhere in Europe and It Happened in Europe) was the second directorial effort from Hungarian filmmaker Geza Radvanyi--and, in the eyes of many film historians, his best work. Drawing his inspiration from the wreckage left behind by WW II, Radvanyi weaves a fascinating yarn about a group of orphaned and/or stranded European children. Left without homes or families, the kids form a gang, robbing others for food and clothing. The gang takes refuge in a bombed-out castle, intending to live there permanently. When it turns out that the castle is occupied by an elderly, shell-shocked musician (Arthur Somley), the kids' first impulse is to rob him too, but the gang's leader (Miklos Gabor) prevents this. Out of the gratitude, the musician "adopts" the children, protecting them from the prying eyes of the local authorities. Filmed entirely on location, Valohol Europaban has a raw vitality and refreshing spontaneity that many of Radvanyi's later films sorely lack. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi