Resistance and Rebirth: Hungarian Cinema, 50 Years after ‘56 October 27 – November 15
On October 23, the world will commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. The events of those fateful weeks are of course well known: protests that began in solidarity with striking workers in Poland turned into more widespread demands for reforms in the Hungarian government — and for some, those demands included an end to communist control. The Soviet forces stationed in Hungary eventually acted to put down the growing protests — and the rest is tragic history. Thousands of Hungarians were killed, many more were arrested or purged, and tens of thousands fled the country; although the uprising would be quelled, nothing could ever be the same again. Throughout Western Europe and beyond, leftist political movements split over the question of Hungary; the Soviets’ brutal repression was the final proof, if one were needed, of the bankruptcy of Moscow-dominated communism. Movements began to spring up that rejected the enforced orthodoxy of the Old Left. Welcome to the 60s….
From October 27 to November 15, the Walter Reade Theater will present three different (but of course related) Hungarian film series. Remembering ‘56 will feature a number of important Hungarian films that have portrayed the Uprising itself or explored its consequences — themes that inspired masterworks such as Time Stands Still or Father. A Tribute to Miklós Jancsó: The Currents of History will be a seven-film salute to Hungary’s greatest director. Finally, New Cinema from Hungary will help introduce Hungary’s newest generation of film artists.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center in conjunction with the Ernst Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of vintage film posters, The Golden Age of Hungarian Film. These posters are one-of-a-kind, as only several pieces were made for the few movie theaters in Budapest. The exhibition is free and open to the public. The posters are on display in the Walter Reade Theater’s Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at Lincoln Center. Gallery hours are 2-8 pm daily.
This series is presented in collaboration with Magyar Filmunió in Budapest and with the help of the Hungarian Cultural Center in New York. Support for this program is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
Special thanks to Katalin Vajda, Éva Vezér and László Jakab Orsós for their help with the series.
