The Witness

A tanú, Hungarian tragicomedy, colour, by Péter Bacsó, 1969, Language: Hungarian, Subtitles: French, 103'

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SCREENINGS

09.10. 20:00
French Institute

Directed by Péter Bacsó
Screenplay by Péter Bacsó
Director of photography János Zsombolyai
Music by György Vukán
Cast: Ferenc Kállai, Lajos Őze, Zoltán Fábri, Lili Monori, Béla Both, Ida Versényi, László Vámos, György Györffy, Georgette Metzradt Production: Mafilm Studio 1.
4K restored

Rated: 12

Set in the Rákosi era, one day, dike-keeper József Pelikán comes across a fish poacher whoturns out to be his old comrade Dániel Zoltán, who was made a minister in 1949. In 1944,the two of them had battled against the fascist Arrow Cross party, and Pelikán had hiddenthe one-time resistance fighter in his cellar, precisely where he now has pork sides of anillegally slaughtered pig concealed. When the State Security Force (ÁVO) turns up inresponse to an anonymous tip, it is the minister himself who betrays his friend and revealshis one-time hiding place to the police. After this, the naive Pelikán finds himself caught upin a series of incomprehensible events. Pelikán is driven in a secretive black limousine fromthe prison to the managing directorates of an amusement park, swimming pool and thenorangery, in order that comrade Virág, who is pulling all the strings in the background, caneventually ask a big favour of him. The film was banned till 1979.

Uncensored version.