Reviews

The "Tündérkert" series is based on the works of Zsigmond Móricz, the excellent Hungarian writer. An exciting story about the power relationship of historical figures Gábor Báthory and Gábor Bethlen and the fate of Transylvania. After the first 2 parts, it can be said that thanks to the excellent acting, spectacular and erotic scenes, we can watch a really great movie. The world-famous Erzsébet Báthory, who was not featured in the original work, also gets an important role in the film.

Unfortunately, many people think that any film made with state support can only be bad. Based on prejudices, they try to influence the viewers with their false evaluations.

After watching all 8 episodes, it can be said that the series is excellent. It exceeded my expectations. Exciting, twisty, unpredictable. I would especially highlight parts 6 and 8. Any country in the world would be proud of such a series of films. Good news, to be continued.

The Native American creation story made from the stories of different Native American tribes offers a special experience to everyone. Captivating story, beautiful visual world, excitement, adventure, drama, humor. Enjoyable as we immerse ourselves in the created and ever-expanding world, it reminds me of Avatar. One of the most amazing parts of the film is how the story of Adam and Eve was woven into the tales of the Native Americans, from whom the civilizations of the Old World originated.

"The Four Souls of the Coyote" is a beautiful fairy tale, an ode to nature. The story flows slowly until it sweeps the viewer along. We are not bored for a minute. In the film, we can see beautiful animation solutions. The animation technique used is a fresh splash of color in the palette of international films in the sea of three-dimensional Disney universes.

It can be seen that the director, Áron Gauder, is extremely familiar with Native American culture and loves it very much. Native Americans see the world differently, so this story sheds light on the main things in our lives from a special, unusual perspective. The director Áron Gauder dramatized the story with Géza Bereményi, one of the best Hungarian screenwriters.

According to the frame story of the film, an Native American grandfather tells his grandchildren how the Great Old Man created the world. Meanwhile, we know that this idyll is in danger, as the sacred land of the Indians stands in the way of an oil pipeline.

Main characters:

Old Man Creator is the one who has the gift of dreaming. He starts to form the material world with a handful of mud. He wants beauty and harmony. His only weakness is that he cannot control his anger and rage, so he unwillingly creates Coyote, the trouble maker.

Coyote is the ultimate trickster, the master of trouble-making. He is the one who was not created but appeared in the creator's dream. He is driven by his desires and begins to create life himself. A conflict with the Old Man Creator is inevitable.

Hoksila the first man on earth debuts as a new-born baby, he discovers the world step by step with the first girl. He grows and makes mistakes under the influence of the coyote but in the end, he finds his place in the council of living things.

Wichincala the first woman starts as a new born baby, she is always at the boy's side but is more cautious as she is the clever one of the pair. She is less attracted by blood and flesh and is more inclined to follow the rules of the Creator.

The story can be related to Imre Madách's "The Tragedy of Man", because Coyote is a similar dramatic figure to Lucifer, but also more complex. At the same time, "The Four Souls of Coyote" reminds us even more of Marcell Jankovics' cartoon "The Tragedy of Man", which, in addition to the story, can also be related in its visual world through symbols and metamorphoses.

The "Four Souls of Coyote" highlights the need for everyone to protect our created world. And for the solution, you have to realize that everyone is equal within the circle of creation, if we don't do this, the pre-world of our planet will be destroyed.

Catchy tunes accompany the film's scenes. The same music plays several times in the film, in harmony with the visual world. The rap music of the present-day frame story and the authentic and contemporary Native American music accompanying the creation story, naturally performed by Native Americans, can be heard even days after watching the film.

The final action-packed scenes of the film - a clash with the conquerors - are poignant, but at the same time make it the best Native American film I've ever seen.

Toldi - Movie (2022) is Marcell Jankovics' fifth and last animated feature film, after "Johnny Corncob" (1973), "Son of the White Mare" (1981), "Song of the Miraculous Hind" (2002), "The Tragedy of Man" (2011) . The cinema version of the animated series "Toldi" made in 2021. Unfortunately, he was unable to live his presentation. R. I. P. The cinema version was completed by co-director Lajos Csákovics.

"Toldi" is the work of the poet János Arany, a primary school curriculum in Hungary. The work of Sándor Petöfi, also included in the primary school curriculum, is "Johnny Corncob". Secondary school curriculum Imre Madách's work "The Tragedy of Man". It can therefore be seen that important literary works form the raw material in Jankovics Marcell's animated feature films. The folktales and folklore stories of " Son of the White Mare" and the "Song of the Miraculous Hind" are also based on fables, folktales, myths and historical descriptions.

The cartoon "Toldi" was created by request, as was the "Song of the Miracle Hind". The director was originally invited to make a series, but he already indicated that he wanted to make a movie version of it. The Toldi consists of 12 songs (chapters) and a prologue (preface). Since the story is connected, the movie version does not feel like a series has been made from it. Of course, minor changes were made. In addition to omitted scenes, new scenes and minor modifications were made in the cinema version.

A condition for making the cartoon "Toldi" was that János Arany's work must appear in the film faithfully. This was quite a serious limitation during the preparation. About 60% of the original text is spoken. Previously, "The Tragedy of Man" was also shown as a series on television, and there the film faithfully followed the original text, but there the different parts were of very different lengths and less text remained from the original.

It is interesting that this is not the first adaptation of Toldi in the form of an animated feature film. In 1984, József Gémes directed "Heroic Times", a sensational oil painting film. It was originally going to be made without text, but in the end a small narration was added. In reality, "Toldi" is a trilogy, and "Heroic Times" adapted the trilogy. He won in Annecy in 1985. Jankovics' film contains only the first part of "Toldi".

Toldi is also a typical Jankovics film, but here, for the first time, realism plays a bigger role. Like the cartoons " Song of the Miraculous Hind " and "The Tragedy of Man", it displays several styles here. The characters' thoughts are presented as a thought cloud in the realistic representation of the story in Manesse codex style. A ghost figure, none other than the poet János Arany, plays a significant role.

In Toldi, compared to Jankovics' previous works, transformation-based imagery plays a smaller role, but at the same time, the story of Toldi is presented in a world-class visual way that is likable for schoolchildren. The film is a meeting of visual storytelling and recitation, from which it follows that the characters of the plot themselves speak in the voice of Tamás Széles. This is how Toldi becomes a visually animated literary work of art.

The mood changes of the main character, Miklós Toldi, when his hair turns golden yellow and his eyes light up, are amazing - many compare them to anime heroes. For me, it reminds me more of Son of the White Mare. In Miklós Toldi, we can discover a real superhero.

We cannot forget the music accompanying the film, in which the atmosphere of the medieval world is significantly enhanced by György Selmeczi's music.

A special feature at the end of the film. After his victory, Toldi is brought back from the island in a flag ship with 12 golden warriors. In them we can recognize the main creators of the film. The first two golden warriors are Marcell Jankovics and Lajos Csákovics. Ferenc Mikulás, Zsolt Richly (R. I. P.) and György Selmeczi can also be seen.

I don't know if English subtitles have already been made - based on the original literary work or just a simpler text version - if not, I still recommend watching the film even for those who don't know Hungarian.

Macskafogó (Cat City) is the most popular Hungarian cartoon, along with Vuk (The Little Fox) and Lúdas Matyi (Mattie the Goose-Boy). It became a real cult film. It is an outstanding work not only of Hungarian cartoon production, but of the entire Hungarian film production. Unfortunately, the film was often cut during foreign screenings. In the USA, for example, they changed the names of the actors, re-arranged the songs and completely omitted the song of the 4 gangsters, which can also be used as an independent video clip. In the Soviet Union, several small and large scenes were completely cut out of it. Many people say that this cartoon cannot be translated from Hungarian to another language. This is only partly true. There are puns that cannot be translated into another language, but at the same time, almost every sentence in the film is a source of humor, so there is plenty of opportunity for a suitable translation.

For example, a conversation between Mr. Teufel and Safranek: - Safranek! - Igen Uram! - Valami újabb baleset? - Borotválkoztam, uram. - Na, de a keze? - Abban volt a borotva, uram! - Szegény Safranek! Ez a sorozatos balszerencse! Remélem nem bántottam meg valamivel! - Egyáltalán nem, uram! - Megnyugtatott. Tudja... a fönök és a beosztottak közti harmónia a sikeres együttmüködés biztos záloga. - Tökéletesen így van, uram! - Mehet Safranek! És üdvözlöm a kedves feleségét! - Köszönöm, uram, de már egy éve Önnel él.

• Safranek! - Yes sir! "Some new accident?" - I was shaving, sir. - Well, but his hand? - In that was the razor, sir! - Poor Safranek! This is series streak of bad luck! I hope I didn't offend you! - Not at all, sir! - He reassured me. You know... harmony between the boss and subordinates is a sure guarantee of successful cooperation. - It is perfectly so, sir! - Safranek can go! And welcome to your lovely wife! - Thank you, sir, but she has been living with you for a year.

(Safranek's injury was caused by Mr. Teufel.)

At the same time, in addition to continuous verbal humor, we can also enjoy a lot of humorous moments visually. For example: 1. When the rats get into Grabowsky's car, the license plate changes as many times as they get into it. Also upon disembarkation. 2. When rockets are fired, they become tangled in the air and rain down.

The cartoon was renewed in a digital version, which premiered on September 13, 2018.

National Film Institute Hungary Film Archive entry

(translation) A cat-and-mouse James Bond parody starring Grabowski, the retired mouse agent 007.

What is it about?

Grabowski, the mouse agent 007, undertakes a dangerous mission: he must retrieve from Pokyo a secret plan for a superweapon, with the help of which the mice could deal with the cat syndicate that threatens their existence.

What makes it special?

The film is an epoch-making piece of Hungarian motion picture mass culture, its legendary figures, and its catchy dialogues have become a reference point for all Hungarian viewers. The action comedy set in the middle of the cat-and-mouse civilization is an inversion of popular genre movies. The Cat City primarily satirizes specific hit films, above all Star Wars and the James Bond series. In addition to sci-fi and spy films, it also incorporates elements of many other mainstream film genres, such as war films, disaster films, exotic adventure films, and vampire films.

How was it made?

The production of the film began with the involvement of foreign producers, Canadian Joseph Sefel of Hungarian origin and Manfred Korytowski, the head of Infafilm in Munich, in Studio II of the Pannóna Filmgyár, led by the producer Kunz Román, specializing in contract work. The lead designer of the figurines was Zoltán Maros, whose role was taken over by Béla Ternovszky after he left the country in connection with a job opportunity abroad. After the departure of Maros, József Gémes also got involved in the production of Macskafogó as the lead designer, who, in addition to the technical preparation of the scenes requiring more complex camera movements, modeled certain movement sequences with a program he constructed himself in a Commodore 64, such as the emergence and half-turn of the cats' submarine.

Where is its place in (Hungarian) film history?

The multi-faceted parodic genre mix is considered a pioneer not only in the history of Hungarian, but also in the history of universal animated film. The idea of combining genres and building from elements of mass culture, which can even be called provocative, typical of postmodern film, anticipates the audience-attracting strategies of the Hollywood family animation films of the turn of the millennium. Already in the first quarter following its release, Macskafogó was seen by more than 650,000 people in domestic cinemas, and since then it has been surrounded by a cult following in this country. Fans and critics often interpreted the film's bipolar world order as a political metaphor. According to this interpretation, the gigantic cat-and-mouse conflict actually refers to the arms race of the Cold War superpowers.

What a memorable scene?

The basic idea of the film was given by the song A 4 gangsters, which can also be interpreted as an independent video clip, which is integrated into the plot of the film as a promotional film for the underworld rat gang, and which the underworld businessman Von Schwartz shows to Mr. Teufel, the deputy leader of the cat syndicate.

Based on the recollections of screenwriter József Nepp, one of the world's most successful vocal ensembles, New York's Manhattan Transfer, wanted the jazz number Four Brothers, originally written for four saxophones by the American jazz musician Jimmy Giuffre, for an earlier satirical cabaret animation, Géza Hofi - Similar to Opportunist Cats (1979) starring János Koós, it was made into a cartoon and a story was created around it. The catchy melody was re-scored by the composer of Macskafogó, jazz trumpeter Tamás Deák, with whom Nepp had a working relationship since the sixties, and who, for example, composed the background music for the Mézga and Dr. Bubó series.

In addition to the songs of the 4 gangsters, the other singer-musical sequences of the film, such as the joint jamming of Lazy Dick and the bats, or the erotic overtones Miú what's up? The hit song sung by Juli Postásy evokes not only the new type of motion picture that appeared in the 80s, the video clip, but also the musical inserts often used in all-night cartoons, thus fitting into the film's genre-stacking strategy.

The series is based on a short novel of literary value by the Transylvanian Hungarian poet Sándor Kányádi. The beautifully drawn cartoon originally started as a 13-part series. The first part was completed in 2005, the second in 2007, and the third in 2009. The fourth, fifth and sixth parts were completed in 2011, while the seventh part was completed in 2012. Due to financing reasons, the production of the series stopped and remained unfinished. This is also annoying because the story should have been made as a connected, animated feature film. The story is exciting, kind and touching. Despite its incompleteness, I recommend everyone to watch the completed parts, because it brings the quality of the great Hungarian cartoons of the 80s. And for those who want to know the end of the story, I recommend the book, which can be read in Hungarian, English, German, Russian and Romanian.

I understand that this is the first animated feature film in the era independent Slovakia. I really liked the movie. I don't speak Slovak, but I understood some words and sentences from it, as well as the main line of the story. I laughed a lot while watching the movie.

In terms of theme and obscenity, it is very reminiscent of the excellent Hungarian animated feature film "Nyócker" released in 2004.

At the same time, his drawing is completely different. It is interesting that one of the protagonists is a Hungarian name Pista Lakatos, I have several such acquaintances in Hungary.

The Hungarian-Slovakian co-production dystopian science fiction "White Plastic Sky" will soon be presented.

In Hungary, Pannónia Filmstúdió was one of the 5 largest producers of cartoons in the world in the 1980s. (Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Toei, Soyuzmultfilm, Pannonia.) They made 20 films between 1980-89. Thus, the "Habfürdö" (Foam Bath), "Vuk" (The Little Fox), "Fehérlófia" (Son of the White Mare), "Suli-buli", "Idö urai" (Time Masters), "Vizipók-csodapók", "Háry János", "Misi Mókus kalandjai" (The Adventures of Sam the Squirrel), "Hófehér" (Snow White), "Daliás idok" (Heroic Times), "Szaffi" (The Treasure of Swamp Castle), "Mátyás, az igazságos", "Macskafogó" (Cat City), "Gréti...! (Egy kutya feljegyzései)", Éljen Szervác!" (Long Live Servatius!), "Az erdö kapitánya" (Captain of the Forest), "Nefelejcs - Mr. Joker", "Leó és Fred, avagy igaz történetek két jó barátról", "Vili, a veréb" (Willie the Sparrow), "Sárkány és papucs" (Dragon and Slippers). The most successful and well-known of these are "Macskafogó", "Vuk", "Fehérlófia", "Szaffi", " Az idö urai". At the same time, such masterpieces were created as the first feature oil-painting film "Daliás idök". The satirical Snow White story is "Snow White". "Vili, a veréb" about a child turned into a sparrow. The stop motion "The Adventures of Misi Squirrel" made from excellent literary material. "Habfürdö" has become a cult film among artists. Sensational "Háry János" based on the music of the excellent Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály.

And here is "Gréti...!" A very nice cartoon that is hardly known outside of Hungary. The story is about a German shepherd dog. The dog's name is Gréti. He gradually succeeds in making his life with his master more and more comfortable. The film is not full of action, but it is smart. A skillfully structured story, verbally strong. At first, the dog does not understand human language. As the days pass, the dog understands more and more words, and so do we while watching the film. In fact, human speech was recorded backwards. You can also find videos on the YouTube channel where a part of the cartoon is played backwards and thus becomes understandable. Emotional, humorous, touching, excellent cartoon.

"Boxi and the Lost Treasure," originally titled: "Boxi, a Film" is actually a series of episodes of a few minutes, augmented with connecting scenes into an hour-long animated film. The film is made for kids, but can also be enjoyed by adults. We hear voices from Kartomi and Boxi, but not speech. We don't even miss it, the story is humorous, interesting and draws attention to the importance of social, cooperative activities. We hardly notice that we are watching computer animation because it is made up of every cardboard box that we can even make at home. Original, special creation.

In the 1980s a large number of Hungarian cartoons were made at Pannónia Filmstúdió. Over 10 years, 20 animated feautre films have been made here. This is a world record. During this period, for example, the world-famous "Vuk" (The Little Fox), "Fehérlófia" (Son and the White Mare), "Macskafogó" (Cat City) were made. This great musical cartoon was made in 1983 and is completely unknown in other countries. In Hungary it was broadcast on television. The music is fantastic. In Zoltán Kodály's opera he works on Hungarian folk songs. Quality music is combined with brilliant visuals. Sour verbal and visual humor characterizes the whole movie. Anyone who hasn't seen it may regret it.

In 2017, the film was digitally renovated. I hope it is not only presented in Hungary.

You can watch it here: háry jános rajzfilm mtva filmarchívum

Nemzeti Filmintézet Magyarország Filmarchívum (National Film Institute Hungary Film Archive) entry

(translation) In the cartoon based on Zoltán Kodály's song play, the caricaturing point of view, folk decorative art and folk dance choreography also play an important role.

What is it about?

In the cartoon adaptation of Zoltán Kodály's song play, the anecdotes of the old soldier come to life. During the adventures that merge historical reality and fairytale fantasy, we see how the imperial army came to Nagyabony to take her away from her wedding and enlist her as a hussar, how she saved Mária Lujza's carriage on the border of snowy Burkus (Prussia) and sunny Galicia. How Johannes Háry tames the wildest horse in the Vienna imperial stable, how he defeated Napoleon's army with a couple of handsome hussars, and how he finally said no to Mária Lujza, the daughter of the Austrian emperor (and at the same time Napoleon's wife 22 years younger) and left the wooden image the imperial court, which was preparing for the wedding of the two, to return to Nagyabony to his bride, Örzse.

What makes it special?

János Háry is the first full-length Hungarian cartoon made for television. Its characteristic is that the director started from an already existing musical material and builds heavily on the color and form world of folk ornamentation.

Folk art floral designs surround the residents of the imperial court when the hussars walk around the palace with the ladies of the court. When the people of the Vienna Burg prepare for the wedding of Mária Lujza and the Hungarian hussar, floral ornamentation moving to the melody of the song beginning with "Gyújtottam a gyertyát a völegénynek" punctuates the silhouette of the harsh Viennese cityscape.

Realistic movement stylization plays an important role in the film: in the dance choreographies, such as the village recruiter and the courtier visiting the imperial court, we see realistic rotoscope animation of the filmed folk dancers of the Miskolc Avas Dance Ensemble.

The film shows Háry, an eternally optimist, old man with a thick sense of humor, telling stories at the pub table, without colors, only with contour lines. The fantastical excesses of the veteran hussar's antics (funny adult tales), however, are embodied in vividly colored animated sequences. Cartoon gags make the stories told from a particularly distorted point of view ironic and even more removed from reality.

How was it made?

The film was made for the Kodály centenary and was shown on television on Christmas Day 1983. Many of the orchestral and choral compositions of the originally more than three-hour song play are also heard in the long one-hour film. The musical material of the stage play (conducted by János Ferencsik) accounts for half of the playing time, and the plot of the song play is equally emphasized. The well-known Hungarian folk songs are sung together with the text, when the state of mind of the characters, Örzse, Háry, or Mária Lujza, who is galling after Háry, needs to be felt (but never in the "gaping performance" of the drawn characters). But sometimes they can only be heard instrumentally as a bridge between the different meanings (e.g. "For the good horse soldier"), so the film does not turn into a bunch of folk songs.

The film's two most memorable performances by the voice actors: Háry as the old storyteller of the village pub is speak by the rumbling baritone of Gyula Szabó, and Péter Haumann lends a French-rasping, palm-crawlingly affecting voice to Ebelastin, who plays the role of the intriguer.

The film mixes graphic and animation styles. Ornamental, caricaturistic and realistic modes of representation can be found in each scene. Through the graphic styles, each character takes on a different character: the elderly inhabitants of the village are archaic, the young Hungarians in the village are realistic-idealized, the imperial soldiers and the Viennese courtiers are stylized in a caricature-grotesque manner.

Where is its place in (Hungarian) film history?

Just as János Garay's 1843 narrative poem "Az obsitos" predates Petöfi's 1844 János vitéz, so Richly's Háry is the brother film of Marcell Jankovics' cartoon "János vitéz" (Johnny Corncob). But while the Kukorica Jancsi (Johnny Corncob)/János vitéz (John the Brave) is a figure with an adolescent romantic spirit, János Háry/Johannes Háry is more down-to-earth, down-to-earth, and profane. There are also many overlaps between the creative team of the two films. While Zsolt Richly designed the backgrounds of János vitéz (Johnny Corncob), the animation director of János Háry, i.e. The designer of the character movements in the film, was Marcell Jankovics.

Want a memorable scene?

In its animated version, one of the most lyrical moments of the film is Háry's return home from the Austrian imperial court. The final scene of the film is exceptionally dramatic and uplifting, given the uplifting and gloomy tone of the folk song beginning with "Felszántom a császár udvarát"(I am plowing the emperor's yard), in which János Háry, after refusing the hand of the emperor's daughter, asks her to marry him and returns to his village to marry his love, Örzse.

Under the image sequence of the homecoming, in the barely three-minute scene, the condensing power of animation based on morphosis and transformation is shown, which is one of the guiding motifs of Richly films. We alternately see Háry from the back, from below, from under his seven-mile boots/soles, and from his eyes. While marching through mountains and valleys, forests and fields from Vienna to Nagyabony, the landscape is constantly changing, the character is stripped of his hussar armor and spurred boots, and he reverts from the emperor's soldier to a simple peasant girl. (This scene is a nice counterpart to the wandering of the faithful Örzse, who follows her fiance everywhere in the first half of the film, when she takes food from the village to the border between the frozen Burkus and sunny Galicia for her lover.)

The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre recommend.

Phantasmagorical Hungarian animation and folk opera that often feels like a marriage between Baron Münchausen and Fantasia, if the Baron were on shrooms that is. It tells the epic, mythical-in-scale tale of a Hungarian hero whose adventures and exploits are bigger than the world, and all of them are depicted with the most lively, colorful, imaginative, constantly morphing imagery that knows no boundaries, sometimes reaching surreal proportions. He can lasso a snowballed complete house just to save a maiden, defeat Napoleon single-handedly, tame a wild horse that can tear apart a palace, etc. When Napoleon asks for a bigger map, it literally covers the whole army, an annoying French nobleman literally turns into a fly, a gaggle of boys literally multiply into a grand choir Fantasia style, etc. Every few seconds there is something imaginative and colorful to look at, and it is backed by a grand symphony orchestra.

The first Hungarian animated feature film from the poet's work by Sandor Petofi. Special animation, humor and music make this work unforgettable. Unfortunately, cinemas in the United States were not shown because Disney was afraid of competition.