Movies Features
Hungary carries the torch for Central Europe in Cannes
By DPA
May 13, 2008, 14:45 GMT

Budapest ­ Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo is hoping to restore some lustre to the Hungarian film industry at this year's Cannes festival following the former east bloc nation's less-than- inspiring return to the main competition last year.

Master filmmaker Bela Tarr's Man from London was Hungary's first entry in the main competition for 19 years, but despite domestic high hopes it gave a relatively poor account of itself.

Not only did it not get a sniff of the Palme d'Or, but some viewers ­ numbed by Tarr's drawn-out scenes where not very much of anything happens ­ walked out of screenings.

So much for the old master. Now Mundruczo is to get a shot at the top prize with his film Delta, which was produced by Mundruczo's Proton Cinema, German company Essential Filmproduktion and Hungarian company Filmpartners.

Hungary seems to specialize in two types of films - vaguely idiotic comedies and bleak dramas. Delta belongs firmly in the second category.

Anyone who saw Mundruczo's Beautiful Days (2002) ­ a relentlessly downbeat tale populated by nihilistic youths that ends with a disturbing rape scene ­ will not be surprised that his new effort is not exactly cheerful.

Even its filming was hit by tragedy, when original lead actor Lajos Bertok died suddenly of a heart attack.

The film charts the story of a young man who returns home to his village in Romania's Danube Delta after a long absence and falls in love with his sister. Their forbidden love upsets the villagers and, not surprisingly, it all ends rather badly.

Delta was voted the best on offer at the Hungarian Film Week this year and, bolstered by some good reviews from international press, it hopes to do well at Cannes.

'Kornel Mundruczo is back on his feet with his best rounded and most mature work to date ... festivals should queue for it...art houses will find it easy to integrate it into their programmes,' Screendaily wrote in a review of the piece.

The only problem is that Mundruczo, 33, is not too different from Tarr in terms of using minimal dialogue and long, intense scenes ­ something that is bound to split audiences.

The US weekly Variety was impressed by the sweeping visuals and soundtrack, but warned that the film was essentially one you would either love or hate.

'The long-gestating Delta is a beautifully atmospheric vessel that will seem infinitely deep to some and chafingly dry to others,' Variety.

Mundruczo, however, is hoping that his nomination will not only raise the profile of his film but also that of Hungarian film in general.

'Delta will reach lots of countries through Cannes and will do Hungarian film a lot of good because a young Hungarian director has been invited to the competition,' he said in a recent radio interview.

Hungarian cinema is certainly in need of the international attention.

Tarr's return to Cannes was supposed to mark Hungary's recovery from its communist hangover and a new era of international acclaim. In truth, it appears to have changed little.

Young directors such as Gyorgy Palfi, 34, and Antal Nimrod, also 34, have drawn critical acclaim, but this has not necessarily transferred into broader appeal.

Palfi's bizarre film Hukkle (Hiccup), which is set in a tiny Hungarian village and has almost no dialogue, won a string of awards, as did Nimrod's Kontroll, a dark comedy about the subterranean world of subway ticket inspectors.

Beyond that, though, there is little for the industry to be too cheerful about.

The massive Korda film studio, in Etyek, near Budapest, was also supposed to help bring in the money and foreign productions to Hungary ­ delivering a financial boost while also bringing in experience that local crews could learn from.

Hellboy 2 finished shooting there last year, but despite effusive praise from director Guillermo del Toro and the involvement of Rambo producer Andy Vajna in the studio, there are rumours that Korda is already in trouble with no other productions coming in.

Terminator 4, which was supposed to be coming to Hungary, plumped to go elsewhere, and there is an ominous lack of announcements on new productions.

Even Hungary's 20-per-cent rebate on foreign productions filmed with a local partner seems to be losing its effectiveness in the face of an ever-weakening dollar.

Hungary's film business desperately needs a pick-me-up, and a Palme d'Or for Mundruczo would definitely fit the bill.