The Round-Up (1965 film)
Encyclopedia
The Round-Up is a 1965 Hungarian film directed by Miklós Jancsó
. It was well-received in its home country, and was its director's first film to receive international acclaim.
's 1848 revolution
against Habsburg rule in Hungary, prison camps were set up for people suspected of being Kossuth's supporters. Around 20 years later, some members of highwayman Sándor Rózsa's guerrilla band, believed to be some of Kossuth's last supporters, are known to be interned among the prisoners in a camp. The prison staff try to identify the rebels and find out if Sándor is among them using various means of mental and physical torture and trickery. When one of the guerrillas, János Gajdar, is identified as a murderer by an old woman, he starts aiding his captors by acting as an informant. Gajdar is told that if he can show his captors a man who has killed more people than himself, he will be spared. Fearing for his life, he turns in several people his captors had been looking for by name, but could not identify among the prisoners.
Eventually Gajdar becomes an outcast among the prisoners, and is murdered at night by some of his fellow inmates while in solitary confinement. The prison guards easily discover suspects, people whose cells had been left unlocked for the night, and start interrogating them with hope of finding Sándor himself. The suspects are tricked into revealing the remaining guerrillas when they are given a chance to form a new military unit out of former bandits and informed that Sándor, who was not among the prisoners, has been pardoned. However, the celebrating guerrillas are then told that those who previously fought under him, will still face execution.
, or around half a million US$
at the exchange rates of the time. The screenplay was written by Hungarian author Gyula Hernádi
, who Jancsó had met in 1959 and who was a frequent collaborator with the director until Hernádi's death in 2005. The film was shot in widescreen in black and white by another regular Jancsó collaborator, Tamás Somló.
The Round-Up does not exhibit many of Jancsó's trademark elements to the degree evident later: thus, the takes are comparatively short and although the camera movements are carefully choreographed they do not exhibit the elaborate fluid style that would become distinctive in later films. The film does, though, use Jancsó's favourite setting, the Hungarian puszta
(steppe), shot in characteristically oppressive sunlight. The film has little dialogue and rarely shows any emotion in its characters. It has been called by one critic as "a total absorption of content into form".
at the 39th Academy Awards
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
The Round-Up was Jancsó's first film to also receive international attention. In 1966
, it was the first of five films by the director to be entered in the competition category of the Cannes Film Festival, but failed to win any awards. The brutal, dictatorial methods depicted in the film were read by local audiences as a partial allegory for the clampdown that happened following Hungary's failed 1956 uprising against Soviet Russia. Therefore before Jancsó was allowed to screen the film in Cannes, he had to make a declaration stating the film had nothing to do with the recent events in the country, even though he later said that "everybody knew it wasn't true". Later in 1966, the film was released in the United Kingdom, and in 1969, it received a limited release in the United States.
The film was included in Derek Malcolm
's The Century of Films, a list of 100 of the critic's favorite films from the 20th century.
Miklós Jancsó
Miklós Jancsó is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter.Jancsó achieved international prominence from the mid-1960s onwards, with works including The Round Up , The Red and the White and Red Psalm .Jancsó's films are characterized by visual stylization,...
. It was well-received in its home country, and was its director's first film to receive international acclaim.
Plot
Following the quelling of Lajos KossuthLajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe.-Family:Lajos...
's 1848 revolution
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
against Habsburg rule in Hungary, prison camps were set up for people suspected of being Kossuth's supporters. Around 20 years later, some members of highwayman Sándor Rózsa's guerrilla band, believed to be some of Kossuth's last supporters, are known to be interned among the prisoners in a camp. The prison staff try to identify the rebels and find out if Sándor is among them using various means of mental and physical torture and trickery. When one of the guerrillas, János Gajdar, is identified as a murderer by an old woman, he starts aiding his captors by acting as an informant. Gajdar is told that if he can show his captors a man who has killed more people than himself, he will be spared. Fearing for his life, he turns in several people his captors had been looking for by name, but could not identify among the prisoners.
Eventually Gajdar becomes an outcast among the prisoners, and is murdered at night by some of his fellow inmates while in solitary confinement. The prison guards easily discover suspects, people whose cells had been left unlocked for the night, and start interrogating them with hope of finding Sándor himself. The suspects are tricked into revealing the remaining guerrillas when they are given a chance to form a new military unit out of former bandits and informed that Sándor, who was not among the prisoners, has been pardoned. However, the celebrating guerrillas are then told that those who previously fought under him, will still face execution.
Cast
- János GörbeJános GörbeJános Görbe :hu:Görbe János was a prominent Hungarian actor of film and theater...
as János Gajdar - Zoltán LatinovitsZoltán LatinovitsZoltán Latinovits was a Hungarian actor, arguably the most significant one of the twentieth century.-Early life:...
as Imre Veszelka - Tibor MolnárTibor MolnárTibor Molnár was a Hungarian film actor. He appeared in 96 films between 1948 and 1982.-Selected filmography:* Two Confessions * Two Half Times in Hell * The Round-Up...
as Kabai - Gábor Agárdy as Torma (as Agárdy Gábor)
- András Kozák as Ifj. Kabai
- Béla Barsi as Foglár
- József MadarasJózsef MadarasJózsef Madaras was a Hungarian film actor. He appeared in 85 films between 1958 and 2006.-Selected filmography:* The Round-Up * The Red and the White * The Confrontation...
as Magyardolmányos - János Koltai as Béla Varju
- István AvarIstván AvarIstván Avar was a Romanian-Hungarian footballer and a legend of Újpest FC, most famous for playing for the Hungarian national team in the 1934 World Cup...
as Vallató I - Lajos ŐzeLajos ŐzeLajos Őze was a Hungarian actor. He appeared in over 80 films between 1955 and 1984. He starred in the 1976 film The Fifth Seal, which was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival....
as Vallató II
Production
The Round-Up was produced by the Hungarian state film production company Mafilm. It had a budget of 17 million forintsHungarian forint
The forint is the currency of Hungary. It is divided into 100 fillér, although fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step of the post-WWII stabilization of the Hungarian economy, and the currency remained relatively stable until...
, or around half a million US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
at the exchange rates of the time. The screenplay was written by Hungarian author Gyula Hernádi
Gyula Hernádi
Gyula Hernádi was an Hungarian writer and screenwriter. He wrote for 36 films between 1965 and 2005, mostly for director Miklós Jancsó...
, who Jancsó had met in 1959 and who was a frequent collaborator with the director until Hernádi's death in 2005. The film was shot in widescreen in black and white by another regular Jancsó collaborator, Tamás Somló.
The Round-Up does not exhibit many of Jancsó's trademark elements to the degree evident later: thus, the takes are comparatively short and although the camera movements are carefully choreographed they do not exhibit the elaborate fluid style that would become distinctive in later films. The film does, though, use Jancsó's favourite setting, the Hungarian puszta
Puszta
Puszta is a steppe biome on the Great Hungarian Plain around the River Tisza in the eastern part of Hungary as well as on the western part of Hungary and in the Austrian Burgenland. The Hungarian puszta is an enclave of the Eurasian Steppe....
(steppe), shot in characteristically oppressive sunlight. The film has little dialogue and rarely shows any emotion in its characters. It has been called by one critic as "a total absorption of content into form".
Critical reception
The film was well received by audiences on its initial release in Hungary. During its theatrical run, the film was seen by over a million people, in a country with a population of around ten million at the time. The film was selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 39th Academy Awards
39th Academy Awards
The 39th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1966, were held on April 10, 1967 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
The Round-Up was Jancsó's first film to also receive international attention. In 1966
1966 Cannes Film Festival
The 19th Cannes Film Festival was held on May 5-20, 1966. To honour the festival's 20th anniversary, a special prize was given.-Jury:*Sophia Loren *Marcel Achard *Vinicius de Moraes *Tetsuro Furukaki...
, it was the first of five films by the director to be entered in the competition category of the Cannes Film Festival, but failed to win any awards. The brutal, dictatorial methods depicted in the film were read by local audiences as a partial allegory for the clampdown that happened following Hungary's failed 1956 uprising against Soviet Russia. Therefore before Jancsó was allowed to screen the film in Cannes, he had to make a declaration stating the film had nothing to do with the recent events in the country, even though he later said that "everybody knew it wasn't true". Later in 1966, the film was released in the United Kingdom, and in 1969, it received a limited release in the United States.
The film was included in Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm is a British film critic and historian.Malcolm was educated at Eton College and Oxford University. He worked for several decades as a film critic for The Guardian, having previously been an amateur jockey and the paper's first horse racing correspondent. In 1977, he was a member of...
's The Century of Films, a list of 100 of the critic's favorite films from the 20th century.
See also
- List of submissions to the 39th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Hungarian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film