From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2006 Hungarian film
Children of Glory
(
Hungarian
:
Szabadsag, szerelem
) is a
2006 film
directed by
Krisztina Goda
. It commemorates Hungary's
Revolution of 1956
and the
"Blood in the Water" match
. Taking place in
Budapest
and at the
Melbourne Olympic Games
in October and November of that year, the film takes viewers into the passion and sadness of one of the most dramatic popular revolts of the twentieth century. In the same year
Soviet
tanks were violently suppressing the Revolution within Hungary, the Hungarian
water polo
team was winning over Russia in the Olympic pool in Melbourne, in what is sometimes described as the bloodiest water polo match in history. While telling the story of 1956 in part through fictional lead characters, the film-makers simultaneously recreated many of the key public events of the Revolution, including the huge demonstrations and the fighting in the streets of Budapest.
Plot
[
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]
In 1956, Karcsi Szabo (Ivan Feny?) was a star athlete at the
University of Budapest
and had been named captain of the national water polo team that would represent Hungary in the Olympics held that summer in
Australia
. However, many of Szabo's countrymen had more on their minds; Hungary had fallen under the oppressive rule of the
Soviet Union
, and a growing number of Hungarians were demanding independence. One day, Szabo and his friend Tibi witness a demonstration led by Viki Falk demanding an end to Soviet rule in Hungary.
While initially Szabo is more attracted to Falk's beauty than her message, through his attempts to woo her he is awakened to the need for revolution; however, an uprising by the people is crushed by the Soviet war machine, and matters become worse for the Hungarian people. When Szabo and his teammates discover that Hungary will be competing against the Soviet Union in the men's Water Polo tournament at the upcoming Olympics, they see an opportunity for a symbolic victory over their oppressors, if they will be allowed to leave to country to compete.
[2]
Cast
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- Kata Dobo
as Falk Viki
- Ivan Feny?
as Szabo Karcsi
- Sandor Csanyi
as Vamos Tibi
- Karoly Gesztesi
as Telki coach
- Ildiko Bansagi
as Karcsi's mother
- Tamas Jordan
as Karcsi's granddad
- Viktoria Szavai as Hanak Eszter
- Zsolt Huszar
as Gal Jancsi
- Tamas Keresztes as Acs Imi
- Peter Haumann as Feri bacsi
- Daniel Gabori as Jozsika (as Gabori Daniel)
- Robert Marton as Kardos Marton (Compo)
- Kornel Simon as Abonyi Gyula (Baro)
- Krisztian Kolovratnik as Fazekas Sandor (Frank)
- Antal Czapko as Prokop
Reception
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On the
review aggregator
website
Rotten Tomatoes
, the film holds a "fresh" approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews, with an average score of 6.00 out of 10.
[3]
A review in
The Guardian
stated "The atmosphere of the time, the demonstrations and the uprising itself are vividly recreated by director Krisztina Goda, and the water-polo match between the Soviet Union and Hungary at the Melbourne Olympics that followed shortly thereafter is excellently staged. It's certainly moving, but the cliche-ridden script and the blatant manipulations show that you can take the boy out of Hollywood, but you can't take Hollywood out of the boy."
[4]
The film was a box office success in Hungary.
[5]
References
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External links
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]
