Setting: 1970s Hungary (Eastern Europe), somewhat loosening communist dictatorship.
Content: The plot is minimal, Juli (Jaroslava Schallerova) is engaged to Savanyu (Mark Zala) - a nickname meaning "sour" in Hungarian - , but she encounters and starts fancying a travelling musician, Geza (Lajos Balazsovits). This description is misleading, because Juli is totally passive and she lets happen whatever the men want to do to her whether it is the more traditional Savanyu or the more modern Geza.
Rather than this plot, what actually happens in the movie is a series of everday situations of the young people, in which we can see them being somewhat restricted by the old world, but they are already more powerful.
Realization: But rather than all of the above, what we really encounter for most of the runtime is a series of songs mostly in the format of concerts. I think the songs do not fully reflect what's in the film, so they rather serve it by providing the contemporary atmosphere. The musicians (except for Geza, who is "just" an actor) are some of the iconic Hungarian bands of the era. Think of it as a Hollywood film featuring the Beatles, Doors, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin in one. Accordingly, the camera shows rather groups of peoples than individuals.
Summary: I think this is a less focused work by Meszaros dealing with that particular age and somewhat feminism, just like in her previous films. It is more fun for Hungarians, who are emotionally involved with the featured musicians, but that generation, who enjoyed the changes and the music of that era is now disappearing.
Don't Cry, Pretty Girls!
1970 [HUNGARIAN]
Action / Drama / Music
Plot summary
Savanyú and his friend work at a plant. After the monotonous shifts they engage in the pleasures of the afternoon and the night, i.e. parties and concerts. Savanyú dates Juli, they are already engaged. The young men live as sub-tenants, the young women in workers' hostels. None of these places are suited for spending time together. They are in need of an apartment. Out of the ruinous apartment which they lay siege on, however, they are sent away by the otherwise friendly policeman. At a concert held in the Park of Youth, Juli gets to know Géza. They flirt, then go to the country with a pop-group. Savanyú and his friends follow them. A minor fight cools the atmosphere.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
May 27, 2022 at 02:07 PM
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Capturing the changing moment between two worlds
Fantastic music, beautiful girls, naive innocent era
Well, the story is simple though flows easily. This film is of mainly about the characters, the music and the era. Although the music is quite similar but these people differ from those who act similar roles in mainstream western flower power movies. Here the characters are simple people without world changing ideas. They are just enjoying their youth what are focused on beat music. In the other hand they are simple naive and innocent people and act instinctive. The music are fantastic. Quite enjoyable even without understanding the lyric and completely take us to the era. A little background information is that originally this film was intended to be about the band "Illés". But they gave an interview in London what the politicians disliked in Hungary so the director had to change the story and musicians. Although the band did not appear but four of their songs did. The movie's best moments are when the band called Kex is playing. They are those guys who are taking photos from stage of the public. This movie is the only memory of this very popular band of that age. Their surrealistic lyric was quite outstanding in those years. The dialogs are poor but this is intended. It was a kind of expression of the minimalism what was a popular trend among the era's directors especially Miklós Jancsó.