Hungarian director Judit Elek addressed the biggest controversy of her career at Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam.
Answering Variety’s question during the launch of “The Lady from Budapest,” a new book dedicated to her legacy, Elek opened up about a scene from her film “Memories of River,” which she still views as “essential” despite accusation of animal cruelty.
In the film, inspired by an actual anti-Semitic incident back in the 1880s, as well as a trial for “ritual murder,” several sheep were burnt alive in front of the camera.
“The beginning of the film is extremely brutal, because we are talking about a pogrom. The scene [depicting] sheep in flames, burning, is a representation of several millions of Jews perishing,” she noted.
“When the day came when we had to shoot the scene of Jákob’s [a shepherd played by Zoltán Mucsi] house being set on fire, it had to be done in one take.
Answering Variety’s question during the launch of “The Lady from Budapest,” a new book dedicated to her legacy, Elek opened up about a scene from her film “Memories of River,” which she still views as “essential” despite accusation of animal cruelty.
In the film, inspired by an actual anti-Semitic incident back in the 1880s, as well as a trial for “ritual murder,” several sheep were burnt alive in front of the camera.
“The beginning of the film is extremely brutal, because we are talking about a pogrom. The scene [depicting] sheep in flames, burning, is a representation of several millions of Jews perishing,” she noted.
“When the day came when we had to shoot the scene of Jákob’s [a shepherd played by Zoltán Mucsi] house being set on fire, it had to be done in one take.
- 1/29/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
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