Season of Monsters

Szörnyek évadja, Hungarian drama, colour, 1986, by Miklós Jancsó, Language: Hungarian, Subtitles: English, 89'

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SCREENINGS

09.05. 20:30
Toldi Small Hall

Directed by Miklós Jancsó
Written by Gyula Hernádi
Screenplay by Miklós Jancsó, Gyula Hernádi
Director of photography: János Kende
Music by Tamás Cseh, Zoltán Simon
Cast: József Madaras, Ferenc Kállai, György Cserhalmi, Júlia Nyakó, Erzsi Cserhalmi, András Bálint, Tamás Cseh, Miklós Székely B., András Kozák, Lajos Balázsovits, György Fehér
Production: Studio Dialog
2K digitally remastered

From the 1980s, although the Puszta is still to be found in the films of Jancsó, history has disappeared. The film is an alarming, ‘catastrophe film’ depicting contemporary Hungary, where we recognize illustrious figures of the past at a countryside birthday party as though in a waxworks. The film outlines a near mystery play-like picture of a party breaking up into factions, where we follow the story not only in its reality but also as broadcast on TV monitors. This is the first film to show the chaos and impenetrability of a world that has lost all sense, from which it is apparent that the socialist utopia is collapsing and the change of regime is upon us. And this is Jancsó’s last film which still contains a serious tone.