Andras Kozak Movies

The symbol-laden works of the celebrated and award-winning Hungarian director Miklós Jancsó evoke esteem from many critics, and rolled eyes from others: this film is no different in that regard. In the story, which is set immediately after the departure of Russian "advisors" from Hungary and the downfall of its communist government, two television newsmen have come to view the scene at a recently abandoned police academy. They find an odd crew of people, including the uncle of one of them and various people loyal to political factions of the new Hungary. Oddest of all is the naked woman who wanders nonchalantly through the scene. While they are admiring the chaotic scene, some communist soldiers come in and kill them all. Then we see that this is just a screening of the unfinished rushes by director Jancsó and his crew, when they, in turn, are gunned down. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The work of renowned Hungarian screenwriter and director Miklos Jancso has grown increasingly enigmatic since his first film in 1958. Jézus Krisztus horoszkópja is no exception to this rule. Jancso emphasizes highly evocative and ambiguous imagery over dialog or exposition. Here he seems primarily interested in showing the painful, stunted lives of Hungary's intellectuals, who are shown as remaining silent and ineffectual during various political crises. There are several action sequences involving chases and shootouts, but since there's no clear narrative we're not sure how they relate to each other or to anything else. The film is, however, visually fascinating, with shots of police cars, horses, and naked bodies juxtaposed and extensive use of multiple video imagery. The camera work is dazzling. This kind of film is obviously not aimed at general audiences. Fans of Jancso and those interested in experimental filmmaking will find it a difficult but rewarding experience. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Zoltai (Andras Balint) is a Hungarian professor who returns home after a visit to the United States. Following a television interview, he commits suicide and leaves a note for his longtime friend Dr. Bardocz (Gyorgy Cserhalmi).The doctor and Zoltai's colleague Komindi (Jozsef Madaras) join the police in investigating what drove the man to suicide in this surrealistic drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, 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

An unexplained incident before a Hungarian firing squad during World War II is exploited by the authorities to boost morale during a difficult period. A man who was to be shot for desertion was left tied to the execution post while everyone else fled for cover during an aerial bombardment. When the soldiers returned to the field to proceed with the execution, the man was missing, and the post was covered with stones. It was widely believed that he had prayed to a saint to be saved, and his prayers were answered. When the priest on the scene fails to go along with this version, because he thinks something fishy is going on, he is hidden away in a mental institution. This incident causes him to lose his faith. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A group of anarchistic Croatians cross borders to carry out their assassination plots in order to create political chaos. There are no heroes, only a collection of despicable humans. A lesbian couple rapes and terrorizes a roomful of women who are ordered to disrobe and perform unwanted sex acts at gunpoint. The target of the murderers is Serbian King Alexander II of Yugoslavia, but the thinly disguised plot takes a back seat to the nudity and exploitation in this film. ~ Dan Pavlides, 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

The story begins amidst political instability after an abortive attempt by the communists to seize power in 1919. The police and the army are rounding up the insurgents, and a young communist is tracked down to a rural area. The army officer knows the wanted man, having been a childhood friend of his. A farmer, his wife, and their servant girl hide the man on their small farm, but the dragnet tightens around them. Two former childhood friends face off for an inevitable and symbolic showdown that leads to violence. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The changing and turbulent history of Hungary is seen through the eyes of three men over a 30-year period in this somber drama. The three recall the highlights of their lives in flashbacks as they reminisce in the mid 1960s. The venerable trio begin their story in the 1930s, through World War II, and the decade beyond the communist invasion of 1956. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

A 17-year-old Hungarian youth finds himself in Russian territory after fleeing from the Nazis in this World War II drama. He is placed with a wounded Soviet soldier and ordered to tend to the cattle. The two become good friends, but the soldier's health begins to fail. In a desperate attempt to save his new friend, the Hungarian dons a Soviet Army uniform and brings medical help, but the doctor arrives too late and the young soldier dies. Back in Hungary, things don't get any better, as the teen is beaten up by his own people for wearing a Soviet uniform. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Set in 1956 during the Hungarian rebellion, this partisan drama downplays the seriousness of the revolt, in part by setting the story not in Budapest, but in a small village. The local rebels take over a military base where the soldiers themselves are divided about which side of the fence they support. At the same time, a former landlord tries to recover his property, now run by a flourishing commune, and a dark, sinister revolutionary type seems to be fomenting the discord. Russian tanks rolling down the streets of Budapest never get their moment, as the film focuses on Hungarian activists and rebels. That viewpoint gives the impression that the conflict was mainly an internal issue. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi