Freedom's Fury
Encyclopedia
Freedom's Fury is a documentary film
about the Melbourne, Australia 1956 Summer Olympics
semifinal water polo
match between Hungary
and the USSR, and the events that led up to the violent battle, the match that what would later be known as the "Blood in the Water match
."
The documentary was narrated by Mark Spitz
, who as a teenager had been coached by Ervin Zádor
.
The film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006, in the year of the 50th anniversary of the match.
in 1945, Hungary was liberated from the Nazis by the forces of the Soviet Union. While there was initial jubilation amongst the people of Hungary, they soon found that they had only exchanged one totalitarian regime for another. As Hungarian educator Karoly Nagy puts it in the film, "yes, we were liberated from one devastating, dictatorial, extremist, horrible creature called Nazis [clears throat], but, during that course, a lot of people were also liberated from all their belongings, they were liberated from their rights, they were liberated from their freedom and life, women were liberated from their honor..."
By 1956 (the year of the Melbourne Summer Olympics), Hungarian tensions with the satellite government installed by the Soviet Union had risen to the point of mass uprising and, eventually, outright revolution.
The film documents the meeting (and subsequent battle) between the representatives of these two rival nations, and in a larger sense, became a globally-televised embodiment of the Hungarian people's fight for independence under the communist regime.
The documentary tells the story of the young star of the Hungarian Olympic waterpolo team, Ervin Zador
, who finds himself the unwitting focal point of one of the most politicized sports matches ever played, popularly known as the "Blood in the Water" match.
The journey of Zador and the Hungarian waterpolo team to the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne becomes the films through-line as "Freedom's Fury" explores the larger human tragedy of the Hungarian Revolution
of 1956.
As the revolution rages in the city below, the team is on an isolated mountaintop training camp near Budapest, and doesn't learn the details of the savage crushing of the revolt and brutalization of Hungarian citizens by Soviet forces until they land in Melbourne. The animosity they feel towards the Soviet occupiers for the atrocities they committed is transferred to the Soviet players.
After the match, Zador and half his teammates decide to defect rather than return to the oppression in their homeland.
In the final act, the documentary also touches on how the Hungarian Revolution become a symbol of freedom and impacted the collapse of communism in 1989.
Quentin Tarantino
described the film as "the best untold story ever".
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Melbourne, Australia 1956 Summer Olympics
Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Ten nations competed in water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. The event was open only to men's teams.-Medallists:-Results:For the team rosters see: Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's team squads.-Preliminary round:...
semifinal water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
match between Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and the USSR, and the events that led up to the violent battle, the match that what would later be known as the "Blood in the Water match
Blood In The Water match
The "Blood in the Water" match was a water polo match between Hungary and the USSR at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The match, which took place on December 6, 1956, was against the background of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and saw Hungary defeat the USSR 4–0...
."
The documentary was narrated by Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....
, who as a teenager had been coached by Ervin Zádor
Ervin Zador
Ervin Zádor is a Hungarian retired water polo player and former member of the Hungarian national team.-Career:At the age of 21 Zádor represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He played four matches and scored five goals.The Soviet Union and Hungary fielded competitive water...
.
The film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006, in the year of the 50th anniversary of the match.
History
Near the close of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1945, Hungary was liberated from the Nazis by the forces of the Soviet Union. While there was initial jubilation amongst the people of Hungary, they soon found that they had only exchanged one totalitarian regime for another. As Hungarian educator Karoly Nagy puts it in the film, "yes, we were liberated from one devastating, dictatorial, extremist, horrible creature called Nazis [clears throat], but, during that course, a lot of people were also liberated from all their belongings, they were liberated from their rights, they were liberated from their freedom and life, women were liberated from their honor..."
By 1956 (the year of the Melbourne Summer Olympics), Hungarian tensions with the satellite government installed by the Soviet Union had risen to the point of mass uprising and, eventually, outright revolution.
The film documents the meeting (and subsequent battle) between the representatives of these two rival nations, and in a larger sense, became a globally-televised embodiment of the Hungarian people's fight for independence under the communist regime.
Plot
Ervin Zador
Ervin Zádor is a Hungarian retired water polo player and former member of the Hungarian national team.-Career:At the age of 21 Zádor represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He played four matches and scored five goals.The Soviet Union and Hungary fielded competitive water...
, who finds himself the unwitting focal point of one of the most politicized sports matches ever played, popularly known as the "Blood in the Water" match.
The journey of Zador and the Hungarian waterpolo team to the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne becomes the films through-line as "Freedom's Fury" explores the larger human tragedy of the Hungarian Revolution
Hungarian Revolution
Hungarian Revolution may refer to:* The Hungarian Revolution of 1848.* The Hungarian Revolution of 1919, which led to the formation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic headed by Béla Kun.* The Hungarian Revolution of 1956....
of 1956.
As the revolution rages in the city below, the team is on an isolated mountaintop training camp near Budapest, and doesn't learn the details of the savage crushing of the revolt and brutalization of Hungarian citizens by Soviet forces until they land in Melbourne. The animosity they feel towards the Soviet occupiers for the atrocities they committed is transferred to the Soviet players.
After the match, Zador and half his teammates decide to defect rather than return to the oppression in their homeland.
In the final act, the documentary also touches on how the Hungarian Revolution become a symbol of freedom and impacted the collapse of communism in 1989.
Filmmaker commentary
The making of the film allowed for the reconnection of the surviving members of both teams nearly fifty years after the bloody match, this time under very different circumstances. Writer and director Colin Gray said of the men:
Both teams were as much a victim of the circumstances and really both countries were imprisoned by the same ideology - and these guys were able to finally reconnect as human beings and as fellow athletes...That was something that we really wanted to highlight, the sort of humanistic side to counter the sort of oppression of ideology that everyone had suffered under in the Eastern bloc.
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
described the film as "the best untold story ever".
Release and reception
The film received positive reviews, and was praised for its intriguing look at a very important, yet under-told story of international importance.Festivals
Freedom's Fury was screened at the following festivals:- Hungarian Film Week 2006
- Global Peace Festival 2006
- Waterfront Film Festival 2006
- Bahama Film Festival 2006
- Cinequest 2006
- Tribeca Film Festival 2006