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The Witness (1969 Hungarian film)

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Wikipedia article




'The Witness' (, also known as 'Without A Trace'), is a 1969 Hungarian satire film, directed by Pter Bacs. The film was created in a tense political climate at a time when talking about the early 1950s and the 1956 Revolution was still taboo. Although it was financed and allowed to be made by the communist authorities, it was subsequently banned from release and grew a cult film following among the population.[http://americanhungarianlibrary.org/archives/854 "A tan The Witness"]. As a result of its screening in foreign countries, the communist authorities eventually relented and allowed it to be released in Hungary. It was screened at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. A sequel was made in 1994 named "Megint tan" (English: Witness Again).

In April 2019, a restored version of the film was selected to be shown in the Cannes Classics section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot



The film features Jzsef Pelikn as a single father who previously participated in the WW2 communist movement of Hungary, but is now working as a dike-reeve. He meets an old friend from the underground communist movement, Zoltn Dniel, now a government official who fishes at the Danube, near the dike. Dniel falls in the river, and Pelikn rescues him and invites him to his home. While the two reminisce old times at Pelikn's home, the VH suddenly appears. They received a "serious anonymous report" stating Pelikn committed an illegal act of slaughtering a pig for food. Dniel tries to save him by demonstrating to the VH thugs how the loyal Pelikn hid him during the purgings years before, but he unknowingly reveals the basement, where all the pork had been hidden. Pelikn is taken to prison though later released, on "higher command". Comrade Virg, being unnecessarily benevolent, gives various assignments to Pelikn such as being the CEO of a swimming pool, an amusement park, and an orange research institute. Pelikn, being "ideologically under-educated", fails magnificently in all his assignments, visiting the prison regularly, until they ultimately succeed with the orange research institute and are awarded. As it turns out, all this was arranged to force Pelikn to be the witness in a show trial against his old friend, Zoltn Dniel, who fell out of the favour of the communist regime. Pelikn is meticulously reshaped to fit the expected image of the archetypical "Hungarian worker, 1950" to be the perfect witness. Before the trial they present Pelikn with a pre-written testimony he must memorize, but at the end, before the judge, accused, Comrade Virg, and top communist leaders, Pelikn decides to tell the truth instead. He is thrown back in prison as a reprisal. While awaiting hanging, the political climate changes due to Stalin's death and he is released and he meets once again with Comrade Virg on the tram who has lost all his former power and influence.

Cast



* Ferenc Kllai - Jzsef Pelikn, dike-reeve

* Lajos ze - rpd Virg

* Bla Both - Comrade Bstya

* Zoltn Fbri - Zoltn Dniel

* Lili Monori - Gizi

* Kroly Bicskey - Elemr Gulys

* Gyrgy Kzdi - Virg's detective

* Jzsef Horvth - Railwayman

* Rbert Rtonyi - Operetta actor

References



Notes



*Janet Maslin, [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04EFD81439F935A1575AC0A967948260&sec=&spon= New York Times review], September 26, 1981


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