Zoltán Huszárik
Encyclopedia
Zoltán Huszárik was an influential Hungarian
film director, screenwriter, visual artist and occasional actor, an acclaimed auteur of the European modern art film.
Huszárik was born in the small village of Domony
, Hungary. His father died when he was two years old. Being an only child, Huszárik had an adoring relationship with his widowed mother. His background had a great influence on his work.
He was accepted to the Hungarian School of Film- and Theatrical Arts, but was expelled in 1952 because his family was blamed to be Kulak
s. He took on different jobs, when—after a seven-year hiatus—he was again accepted to the film school in 1959. In the same year he made his first student film, a short entitled Játék (Game) about two prisoners playing chess with the shadow of their bars when the sun shines unto their cell. Huszárik's graduation film was another short entitled Groteszk (Grotesque) in 1963 about a strange train voyage of an artist carrying his own picture.
Huszárik made his first professional short film in 1965 at Béla Balázs Studios entitled Elégia (Elegy). This 20-minute experimental
short film was generally acclaimed as being the starting point of a new visual style in Hungarian filmmaking. Often called a "film poem" or a "film symphonie" Huszárik's masterpiece consists of montages of horses from the dawn of time to the modern times from cave paintings to horse races, mourning the loss of these creatures and their service to mankind, starting as free animals and becoming slaughterhouse victims. The film is generally regarded as an allegory to the human fate.
Huszárik made another experimental short film called Capriccio (about snowmen melting in the spring as an allegory to man's ultimate fate - death) and a short documentary on Hungarian-born artist Amerigo Tot
, both in 1969. He also directed several state-financed educational short films in this period.
In 1971 Huszárik finished his first feature-length work Szindbád (Sinbad), a highly stylized adaptation of early 20th century author Gyula Krúdy
's short stories. The film depicts the life and memories of traveler and womanizer Szindbád (played by Zoltán Latinovits
), who tries to recover his lost love before he dies. The film which covers time and memory in an unusual way, was praised by critics and was a commercial success upon its release and is generally regarded now as one of the best works of Hungarian cinema.
Huszárik made two experimental shorts in 1971 and 1976, entitled Tisztelet az öregasszonyoknak (Homage to Old Ladies) and A Piacere (As You Like It), respectively. The first is a homage to the old country widows whose husbands died in World War II and live their lives according to daily tasks and regulations until they die (which is mainly inspired by Huszárik's own mother). The second is a study of death in its various forms, including a gypsy "merry funeral" and stock footage of bombings and concentration camps in WWII.
The second (and last) feature-length film of Huszárik was made after a five-year struggle. Csontváry depicts the life of Hungarian artist Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka
and an actor playing him in a film (both played by Bulgarian actor Ichak Finci), with the two men' lives interacting with each other. After the death of Latinovits, who was the original choice for the dual role, the film went on through several re-writes, re-shoots, casting and budget problems, finally ending up as the most expensive Hungarian production at the time. The film was finally completed and released in 1980. It was a huge failure with the public and critics also bashed it. Huszárik who was greatly exhausted, depressed and an alcoholic at the time committed suicide in 1981 at the age of 50.
Huszárik originally wanted to be a visual artist. He made several paintings, drawings and other pieces of art during his lifetime. He also took smaller acting jobs in the films of fellow Hungarian directors, including István Szabó
's Budapesti mesék (Budapest Tales). His daughter, Kata Huszárik is an acclaimed actress.
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...
film director, screenwriter, visual artist and occasional actor, an acclaimed auteur of the European modern art film.
Huszárik was born in the small village of Domony
Domony
-References:...
, Hungary. His father died when he was two years old. Being an only child, Huszárik had an adoring relationship with his widowed mother. His background had a great influence on his work.
He was accepted to the Hungarian School of Film- and Theatrical Arts, but was expelled in 1952 because his family was blamed to be Kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
s. He took on different jobs, when—after a seven-year hiatus—he was again accepted to the film school in 1959. In the same year he made his first student film, a short entitled Játék (Game) about two prisoners playing chess with the shadow of their bars when the sun shines unto their cell. Huszárik's graduation film was another short entitled Groteszk (Grotesque) in 1963 about a strange train voyage of an artist carrying his own picture.
Huszárik made his first professional short film in 1965 at Béla Balázs Studios entitled Elégia (Elegy). This 20-minute experimental
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
short film was generally acclaimed as being the starting point of a new visual style in Hungarian filmmaking. Often called a "film poem" or a "film symphonie" Huszárik's masterpiece consists of montages of horses from the dawn of time to the modern times from cave paintings to horse races, mourning the loss of these creatures and their service to mankind, starting as free animals and becoming slaughterhouse victims. The film is generally regarded as an allegory to the human fate.
Huszárik made another experimental short film called Capriccio (about snowmen melting in the spring as an allegory to man's ultimate fate - death) and a short documentary on Hungarian-born artist Amerigo Tot
Amerigo Tot
Amerigo Tot was a Hungarian sculptor and occasional actor. He was born in Fehérvárcsurgó, Hungary and moved to Rome, where he lived for the rest of his life. He studied in Budapest under Ferenc Helbing and György Leszkovszky from 1926 until 1928, and under László Moholy-Nagy at the Bauhaus in...
, both in 1969. He also directed several state-financed educational short films in this period.
In 1971 Huszárik finished his first feature-length work Szindbád (Sinbad), a highly stylized adaptation of early 20th century author Gyula Krúdy
Gyula Krúdy
Gyula Krúdy was a Hungarian writer and journalist.-Biography:Gyula Krúdy was born in Nyíregyháza, Hungary. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a maid working for the Krúdy family. His parents did not marry until Gyula was 17 years old.In his teens, Krúdy published newspaper pieces and began...
's short stories. The film depicts the life and memories of traveler and womanizer Szindbád (played by Zoltán Latinovits
Zoltán Latinovits
Zoltán Latinovits was a Hungarian actor, arguably the most significant one of the twentieth century.-Early life:...
), who tries to recover his lost love before he dies. The film which covers time and memory in an unusual way, was praised by critics and was a commercial success upon its release and is generally regarded now as one of the best works of Hungarian cinema.
Huszárik made two experimental shorts in 1971 and 1976, entitled Tisztelet az öregasszonyoknak (Homage to Old Ladies) and A Piacere (As You Like It), respectively. The first is a homage to the old country widows whose husbands died in World War II and live their lives according to daily tasks and regulations until they die (which is mainly inspired by Huszárik's own mother). The second is a study of death in its various forms, including a gypsy "merry funeral" and stock footage of bombings and concentration camps in WWII.
The second (and last) feature-length film of Huszárik was made after a five-year struggle. Csontváry depicts the life of Hungarian artist Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka
Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka
Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry was a Hungarian painter. He was one of the first Hungarian painters to become well known in Europe.Csontváry was born on 5 July 1853 in Kisszeben, Sáros County, Kingdom of Hungary , and died 20 June 1919 in Budapest. His ancestors were Poles who settled down in Hungary...
and an actor playing him in a film (both played by Bulgarian actor Ichak Finci), with the two men' lives interacting with each other. After the death of Latinovits, who was the original choice for the dual role, the film went on through several re-writes, re-shoots, casting and budget problems, finally ending up as the most expensive Hungarian production at the time. The film was finally completed and released in 1980. It was a huge failure with the public and critics also bashed it. Huszárik who was greatly exhausted, depressed and an alcoholic at the time committed suicide in 1981 at the age of 50.
Huszárik originally wanted to be a visual artist. He made several paintings, drawings and other pieces of art during his lifetime. He also took smaller acting jobs in the films of fellow Hungarian directors, including István Szabó
István Szabó
István Szabó is a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, and opera director.Szabó is the most internationally famous Hungarian filmmaker since the late 1960s. Working in the tradition of European, auteurist art cinema, he has made films that represent many of the psychological and political...
's Budapesti mesék (Budapest Tales). His daughter, Kata Huszárik is an acclaimed actress.
Filmography
-
- 1959: Játék (Game) (short, student film)
- 1963: Groteszk (Grotesque) (short, student film)
- 1965: Elégia (Elegy) (short)
- 1967: Egy mentőorvos naplójából (Diary of an Ambulance Doctor) (short, educational)
- 1967: Maszkot akarok (I Want a Mask) (TV, short)
- 1968: Heten a hegy ellen (Seven against the Mountain) (short, educational)
- 1968: Hegyi kiképzés (Mountain Training) (short, educational)
- 1968: Ugye te is akarod? (You'll Also Like to Do It?) (short, commercial)
- 1969: Amerigo TotAmerigo TotAmerigo Tot was a Hungarian sculptor and occasional actor. He was born in Fehérvárcsurgó, Hungary and moved to Rome, where he lived for the rest of his life. He studied in Budapest under Ferenc Helbing and György Leszkovszky from 1926 until 1928, and under László Moholy-Nagy at the Bauhaus in...
(short, documentary) - 1969: Capriccio (short)
- 1971: Szindbád (Sinbad)
- 1971: Tisztelet az öregasszonyoknak (Homage to Old Ladies) (short)
- 1976: A Piacere (As You Like It) (short)
- 1980: Csontváry
Source material
- An Eastern European Picture-writer (Egy kelet-európai képíró) Article of Zalán Vince in the Hungarian Filmvilág (Filmworld) magazine, Jan. 1982.http://www.filmvilag.hu/xista_frame.php?cikk_id=7198
- Commemorative program on the Magyar Televízió Hungarian Television on the 75th anniversary of the birth of Huszarik (May 2006) http://www.mtv.hu/modernkepmesek/cikk.php?id=115364