The Red and the White * * *

Miklos Jancso's films are famous for plunking the viewer down in the middle of a scene with no background or context to ground the viewer. It's disorienting. The Red and the White is especially like this. As the film starts we see two men running across a field. You don't know who they are and you are never told. What's going on? Who are these characters? Eventually, we piece together that they are fighting for a Red Army militia and being hunted by a White Army militia.

Miklos Jancso films are known for being difficult, oblique, and experimental. We are so ingrained to want to be told a story, to have the comfort of a plot, to know 'what's going on'. But Jancso films are not like that. His is not telling a story – he’s making an impressionist painting. It reminds me of visiting a museum in Europe and staring at one of those huge paintings of a war scene -- except that now the painting is moving. So I think it’s helpful to approach Jancso’s work with the mind-frame of studying a painting, rather than watching a movie.

Jancso’s films are purposely disorienting. That said, some basic knowledge of the 1918 Civil War in Russia, will help you feel a little feel disoriented. But I suggest that you view this as an answer to the question 'What is the setting of this painting?' rather than 'What is the setting of the plot?', because this film does not have a plot and there is not meant to be a plot, per se. In the summer of 1918, civil war breaks out in Russia. There is the Red Army which is fighting for the Bolshevik government of Vladimir Lenin and is opposed a variety of anti-Bolshevik forces. One of the more important of these is the White Army, which in the summer of 1918 was a fine fighting force, though small in numbers. There are also a confusing array of other anti-Bolshevik armed groups, such as the Greens. In southern Russia, in the summer of 1918, small bands of these groups are fighting each other. The fighting is characterized by back and forth: capture, retreat, capture, retreat.

Enjoying Miklos Jancso's films is greatly enhanced by doing some research on what your watching beforehand. Otherwise, you’re likely to respond "What the &*#!3 is this piece of $#%?". Here are some of the important themes:
* Unique use of the screen
* Use of landscape as the stage
* Purposely, disconnecting the viewer from the action. You are an observer. You see but are not explained. The actions of the 'characters' are inexplicable. I put characters in quotes, because there are not characters in the traditional sense of the word, in many of Jancso's films.
* Ritual
* Long, long takes. One of his films uses only 6 takes.

The Red and the White is ranked by film critics as one of Jancso's best pieces of work and an important anti-war film. But for me personnally, I liked Electra, My Love better. Electra, My Love is much more 'over the top'. The surreal aspects are presented with a sledge hammer, and the wide open plains are used as a dance stage. I could appreciate Jancso's unique style without trying to figure out what was going. In Red and the White, I was continually distracted by trying to figure who was White and who was Red. However other people really like this movie: RandW review.

My take: You have to be interested in world directors or experimental film to enjoy this film. Be ready for 'something completely different', because nobody makes films that look quite like Miklos Jancso's.

Rented from Scarecrow Video.
My epinions review of The Red and the White.

Elektra My Love * * *

This is one of the best known films by the Hungarian director, Miklas Jansco. This is not a 'film' in the traditional sense of the word. It seemed more like a choreographed musical with the stage being an endless plain. The cinematography is beautiful -- deep colors and sweeping vistas. It does have a plot, but keep in mind that this is really a tragic greek play set to a choreographed Hungarina dance and the film is rather obviously a metaphor for life under communist rule. For example, one of the lines early on is "Lies pollute all like the plague". And the response of the king, is essentially the line I heard a number of times when in East Germany and the Czechoslovaki in the 1980s: "A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth". The ubiquitous dances. The plot is entertaining. Elektra's father, let's call him A1 since I can't recall his name, was a bad king and a weak king. A2, his brother and Elektra's uncle, kills him and takes over. A2 is a tyrant and keeps the populace in check with a combination of fear and placation. Elektra has been grieving her father's murder for the last 15 years. She speaks crazy things like freedom and justice are more important than peace. She is widely regarded as mad -- although she looks mostly like an over-serious 1970s feminist. She is waiting for her brother (played by Cserhalmi) to come back, and kill A2 and avenge A1's death. While waiting for him, she admonishes the people that they accept tyranny for peace and accept lies in exchange for full bellies. The people predictably put their hands over their ears during this sanctimonious lecture. Anyhow, her brother does show up, and Elektra kills him. Conveniently for her, he comes back to life. Her brother then kills A2 and his lackey. Elektra is now happy. Elektra and her brother then kill each other, and then they come back to life. They do this a few times. Finally, they fly off in a red helicopter. I'm not making this up. I watched Elektra My Love because Gyorgy Cserhalmi is in it and I'm trying to see his films. This is not too big of a task since very few Hungarian films are released on video. Of his 80 or so films, less than 10 have been released. This was the best of the three 1970s films I've seen. In Hungarian Rhapsody, he was desperately wooden, and here he's quite a bit more natural. Personally, I thought this was a really interesting film. The dances set on the plains were beautiful and I liked the Hungarian folk music that played throughout. That said, this is an Art Film. It's really not like anything you'd normally pick up in Blockbuster, and only those into impressionistic film would want to see this. Finally, the burning question...what on earth are they doing in the top picture with that big ball? Beats me. This was a bit of symbolism that escaped me. This clip will give you a good sense of the film: Buy it at Amazon Rent it from Netflix (amusing plot summary; I don't think they watched the movie) Rent in person at Scarecrow Video Good Kinoeye.org discussion of this film

Magyar Rapszódia * *

This one of Miklós Jancso's works dealing with the relationships between the classes in pre-revolutionary Hungary. You've never heard of this director, I'm positive. But here's what some film critic said about him: "Jancsó is a giant of world cinema, yet his works are rarely seen and much of his oeuvre languishes in total obscurity." (here). This film, Hungarian Rhapsody is set in 1911, and follows Istvan, a nobleman who joins ranks with the peasants in opposition to the ruling class in general, and his statesman brother in particular. It's highly symbolic (it felt like a weird, over-serious play). Lots of dancing, singing, on plains with nude women dancing around for no apparent reason. I often couldn't figure out what it was symbolic of, however. One thing I can say is that the filmmaking is quite different than anything you'll see today -- quite stylized. Here's a long artsy analysis of this film (here). I couldn't make sense of the analysis, either. Boy, you know you're lost when you can't even make sense of a film review.

Why on earth did I watch this film? Well, it has Gyorgy Cserhalmi in it, and I'm trying to see his films. His performance here, was...well...I think he's improved a lot with age. Why am I giving it 2 stars? First, it is not because I think you should ever see this film. But there was something bizarely compelling about it to me. I'm glad I saw it.

This is tricky to get a hold of. Buy it from Amazon although it might not be in stock. Facets.org also lists it but as Hungarian Rhapsody, although again it might not be in stock. Scarecrow Video has it for rent.