Director Peter Bacso dies at 81
Güncelleme Tarihi:
BUDAPEST The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 13, 2009 02:11
Scriptwriter and film director Peter Bacso, whose best-known films satirize life in Hungary during the Stalinist era, died on Wednesday. He was 81. A major figure in Hungary's film industry, Bacso was best known for films such as "The Witness" and "Oh, Bloody Life."
In the early 1960s he began directing, and in 1969 made his most famous film, "A tanu" (The Witness"). The film, about the absurdity of life during the early 1950s, was initially banned in Hungary and was not shown publicly until a decade later. But it was well-received at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival and has since become a cult.
The film focuses on a lowly countryside dike keeper, Jozsef Pelikan, who instead of being punished for killing his pig to feed his family, is sent to Budapest, When his benefactor, the slimy Comrade Virag, seeks to call in his favor and have Pelikan testify at a show trial - a staple of the times - Pelikan refuses and instead denounces all those involved in the sham.
In the early 1960s he began directing, and in 1969 made his most famous film, "A tanu" (The Witness"). The film, about the absurdity of life during the early 1950s, was initially banned in Hungary and was not shown publicly until a decade later. But it was well-received at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival and has since become a cult.
The film focuses on a lowly countryside dike keeper, Jozsef Pelikan, who instead of being punished for killing his pig to feed his family, is sent to Budapest, When his benefactor, the slimy Comrade Virag, seeks to call in his favor and have Pelikan testify at a show trial - a staple of the times - Pelikan refuses and instead denounces all those involved in the sham.