Review by Choice Review
Hungarian films of the past decade are nothing special. As a result Lia Somogyi's Hungarian Film Directors, 1948-1983 (Budapest, 1984) is still useful, though hard to find in the US. However, two other hard-to-find books, Istvan Nemeskurty's Word and Image: History of the Hungarian Cinema, 2nd ed. (Budapest, 1974), and Graham Petrie's History Must Answer to Man: The Contemporary Hungarian Cinema (CH, Apr'81) need updating, and the present title is the full and welcome solution. Burns (Univ. of Sheffield, UK) surveys three areas: "Early Days" gives compact accounts of beginnings and the 1930s (with 3-4 page discussions of five directors) and the period 1939-47 (discussions of eight directors); "The Great Generation" covers 1956-72, a period of revolution and reformation (the seven directors here include giants Miklos Jancso and Istvan Szabo, treated brilliantly); "Our Contemporaries" explores the "achievement and uncertainty" of 1972-95 (29 directors). Observations--whether factual, sociological, political, or personal--are always clear ("Both Jancso and Kovacs are cerebral and demanding; Szabo likes to tell stories"; "Humour is not common in the Hungarian cinema; irony is"). Everything is judicious, thoughtful, solidly supported. This book both informs and evaluates, and the reader emerges with a firm grasp of the rich, important, and sometimes astonishing body of Hungarian films, and the wish to see the films Burns so enthusiastically praises. All film titles are given in English. P. H. Stacy emeritus, University of Hartford
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
