Second Run has announced the release of HUNGARIAN MASTERS, a selection of essential works by three of Hungarian cinema’s most renowned filmmakers, which will be available in a Limited Edition 3-Disc Blu-ray set on 13 December 2021.
Presented from stunning new 4K restorations with a raft of extra features, the set includes Zoltán Fábri’s Merry-Go-Round (Körhinta, 1955); István Gaál’s Current (Sodrásban, 1963) and Miklós Jancsó’s Agnus Dei (Égi bárány, 1970), all presented on Blu-ray for the first time ever.
MERRY-GO-ROUND (Körhinta)
Zoltán Fábri’s beloved film is considered one of the finest in all of Hungarian cinema. A love story set against the rural backdrop of communist farming collectives, a young girl (the late, great Mari Törőcsik in her film debut) falls for farm worker Máté, but is betrothed by her domineering father to another man.
This pastoral take on Romeo and Juliet is a rich and achingly beautiful work, framed by the turbulent changes in society taking place at that time.
CURRENT (Sodrásban)
A group of young friends on the cusp of adulthood decide to spend one last idyllic day together by the river before they depart for jobs and university. When one of them goes missing, a frantic search begins – and recriminations ensue.
Often cited as the first film of the Hungarian New Wave, István Gaál’s haunting existential drama contemplates the transience of youth and the impermanence of memory. Echoing Antonioni’s L’Avventura and Kurosawa’s Rashomon, CURRENT is a powerful and lyrical work that serves as a lament for a generation.
AGNUS DEI (Égi bárány)
Miklós Jancsó’s symbolic re-enactment of Hungary’s 1919 revolution and counter-revolution is another virtuoso display of cinematic skill and artistry, turning history into theatre.
The film explores political upheaval, oppression and the complicity of the Church, in this refined, complex allegory of the rise of fascism in Hungary. The dazzling AGNUS DEI marks a transition from Jancsó’s more traditional narrative films of the 1960s, to the more experimental and provocative works of the 1970s.
BLU-RAY 3-DISC LIMITED EDITION BOX-SET CONTENTS
Merry-Go-Round (Körhinta), Current (Sodrásban), and Agnus Dei (Égi bárány) – each film presented from new 4K restorations by the Hungarian Film Archive.
An archival interview with Miklós Jancsó (1987).
Award-winning Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó on the influence and cinematic legacy of director Zoltán Fábri.
Tisza – Autumn Sketches (Tisza – Őszi vázlatok, 1962): director István Gaál’s acclaimed short film observing autumn descend along the river Tisza.
Merry-Go-Round 1955 screen tests.
A film showing the restoration process undertaken for Merry-Go-Round.
Trailers.
Individual booklets with new writing on each film by cinema programmers and writers John Cunningham, Peter Hames and Tony Rayns.
New and improved English subtitle translations.
World premieres on Blu-ray.
Region-free Blu-rays (A/B/C).
+ MORE TBC
