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The Fifth Seal

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Wikipedia article




'The Fifth Seal' is a 1976 film by Hungarian director Zoltn Fbri based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Hungarian author Ferenc Snta. It won the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival and it was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Plot



During the reign of the Arrow Cross Party in World War II, four friends are chatting around the table of a bar owned by Bla (Ferenc Bencze) when a wounded photographer (Istvn Dgi) who has just come back from the battlefront joins them. During their gathering, two Arrow Cross officers come in for a drink. After leaving, the group bitterly refer to them as murderers.

One of the friends, a watchmaker named Mikls Gyuricza (Lajos ze), poses a moral question to Jnos (Sndor Horvth) about two hypothetical characters; Tomceusz Katatiki and Gyugyu.

Tomceusz Katatiki was the leader of an imaginary island, and Gyugyu was his slave. The powerful and careless Katatiki treated the poor Gyugyu with extreme brutality, but never felt any remorse as he lived by the barbarian morality of his age. Gyugyu lived in misery and suffering but found comfort in the fact that whatever cruelty happens to him it is never caused by him and he is still a guiltless person with a clean conscience. What would he choose, if he had to die and reincarnate as one of them?

The photographer says that he would choose Gyugyu, but the others don't believe him. As they go home we get to know some of the deepest secrets of their lives. It turns out that Gyuricza is hiding Jewish children at his flat. Meanwhile, Lszl (Lszl Mrkus) drinks excessively, plagued with the question Gyuricza posed, and experiences hallucinations in his drunken stupor. Upset that the four bar attendees didn't believe him about Gyugyu, the photographer reports the four of them to the Arrow Cross Party for calling the Arrow Cross officers 'murderers'.

The next evening, the four friends are at the bar again when arrow-cross officers arrest them. They are taken to an office of the party where an arrow-cross official (Zoltn Latinovits) forces them to slap a dying partisan in the face in order to be freed. Gyuricza is the only one that complies. Gyuricza exits the building, severely disturbed by what transpired. As he walks through the city, buildings explode and crumble.

Cast



* Lajos ze - Mikls Gyuricza (Gyuricza Mikls)

* Lszl Mrkus - Lszl Kirly (Kirly Lszl)

* Ferenc Bencze - Bla

* Sndor Horvth - Jnos Kovcs (Kovcs Jnos)

* Istvn Dgi - Kroly Keszei (Keszei Kroly)

* Zoltn Latinovits - civvies

* Gbor Nagy - the blonde one

* Gyrgy Bnffy - the high one

* Jzsef Vndor - Mack

* Nomi Apor - Mrs Kovcs (Kovcsn)

* Ildik Pcsi - Irn

* Marianna Mor - Lucy (as Mor Mariann)

* Rita Bks - Erzsi

* Gyrgy Cserhalmi - dying communist

* Gbor Kiss - Guard

* Gabriella Kiss - Gyuricza's daughter

See also



* List of submissions to the 49th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

* List of Hungarian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References




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