A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda
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List Price:
$29.95
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$26.99
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Manufacturer: Bunyik Entertainment
Starring: Mari Töröcsik, Iván Darvas, Eszter Nagy-Kálózy, Dezsö Garas, Eileen Atkins
Directed By: Károly Makk
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: FACETS VIDEO
EAN: 0736899095222
Format: Color
Label: Bunyik Entertainment
Manufacturer: Bunyik Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Bunyik Entertainment
Release Date: 2006-07-25
Running Time: 90
Studio: Bunyik Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
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Editorial Reviews:
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Legendary Hungarian actors Mari Torocsik and Ivan Darvas reunite with master director Karoly Makk for his last feature film, a contemporary romantic drama set in picturesque Budapest. Darvas stars as Ivan, an aging retiree who was forced to leave Hungary during the ‘56 revolution. He lives in comfortable retirement with his wife in Switzerland, but a phone call prompts him to return to his homeland. He is reunited with a former lover (Mari), who has lived with many secrets that will change his life. Over thirty years before the release of A LONG WEEKEND, Torocsik and Darvas, a popular romantic team in Hungarian films, starred in Makk’s internationally acclaimed LOVE, which daringly explored the theme of lovers separated by the state. The three legends of Hungarian cinema now reunite for Makk’s final theatrical film.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Lovely "Weekend" in Budapest
Comment: "A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda (egy het Pesten es Budan)" is a film about the past. It is about age and regret and finding that ever important place called home. It is then fitting, given the themes of the film, that it should mark the end of the film career of director Karoly Makk.
Makk, as I've stated in past reviews, is not one of the great Hungarian filmmakers in my opinion. He is however, one who consistantly makes entertaining, intellectual films.
The reason I don't think he is one of the greats has do with his style. Visually I don't find anything extraordinary in his work. His films are shot fairly conventional. He doesn't push the medium far enough. At the height of their careers, Makk's contemporaries were doing just that. In the late 60's, early 70's there were some Hungarian films and filmmakers which were starting to gain international recognition. Istvan Szabo, Miklos Jancso and Martha Meszaros were making films which were ahead of their times. Makk at this point was also breaking through, especially after the release of his film "Szerelem (Love)" which was more experimental, as well "Macskajatek (Cat's Play)". But in his more recent times Makk stopped pushing the envelope, therefore, while I respect his talents and acknowledge the greatness of some of his work, I don't think he is as meaningful to Hungarian cinema as the others mentioned.
But here with "A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda" Makk seems to be going back to his more experimental side. Visually this is probably his most striking work since "Cat's Play".
The film stars the legendary actress Mari Torocsik, (who has worked with Makk before in "Szerelem" and on Jancso's "Silence and Cry (csend es kialtas)" and "Electra My Love (Szerelem, Elektra)") as Mari, a sick elderly woman, who may be dying. Ivan Darvas, another well known actor, who also appeared in Makk's "Szerelem", plays Ivan, Mari's old lover. He is called by a mysterious person who informs him of Mari's health.
Ivan had to leave Budapest after the revolution in '56. Since that time he has never went back. He never forgot about Mari, but, he realized, given the political environment of Hungary at the time he could never go back. He was put in prison and tortured. He moved to London where he married Amanda (Eileen Atkin, "Gosford Park", "The Hours" and recently appeared in "Evening", which was also directed by a Hungarian, Lajos Koltai).
When Ivan arrives in Budapest, turbulent times still seem to exist. In his first day back he witnesses a man shoot a young woman in a her. Luckily the woman does not die. That young woman however turns out to be Anna (Eszter Nagy-Kalozy, a new face to me, but very talented). Anna is Ivan's daughter. He had no idea she existed, and she knows nothing about Ivan's past.
Makk keeps throwing in archieve footage of Hungary in shots. Helping to enforce the gap in time. Plus the appearance of such actors as Torocsik and Darvas (who pasted away a few months ago) also push this theme forward.
Much of what Makk does in this film is right. Very few wrong steps are taken. The actors are convincing. Makk directs with a sure hand. He pace's the film nicely. Darvas and Toricsik have good chemistry and Nagy-Kalozy and Darvas are believeable as estranged daughter and father. In fact the only thing I don't like about the movie is the music by Laszlo Des. It is a jazz score with trumpet but I didn't think it did anything for the movie. Des worked with Makk before as well on his film "Another Way (egymasra nezve)".
Other problems are not with the film but the transfer. There is something wrong with the chapter set-up. Instead of saying being 15 chapters, the film divides it up. Meaning, one section is 5 chapters, the next section is 6 chapters, but once each section is done the movie skips overs. I found this distracting.
"A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda" despite these techinical problems is still worth seeing. There is some substance here. Makk is playing with some interesting ideas and it makes me sad to think he won't see anymore films from him. At least he ends his career on a high note. *** 1\2 out of *****
Bottom-line: Final film from director Karoly Makk is a throwback to his earlier works. It is a film, fittingly, about the past. The cast is extremely good and convincing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lovely Hungarian Film... Ugly DVD transfer from Facets/Bunyik
Comment: This is a lovely film, the final work of Hungarian film-maker Karoly Makk. It tells of an aging man's return to Hungary after some 40 years in exile following his involvement in the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Now happily retired and living in Switzerland with his wife, he suddenly receives a call telling him that the love of his younger days is dying. He hurries home, visits her in hospital and learns of her life; of the secrets she kept from him and of the daughter he never realised he had. It's a very quiet, subdued, nostalgic film; sad but with a glimmer of hope at the end.
The DVD from Facets/Bunyik is an utter disgrace. The producers should be charged with false adverstising. The DVD cover blatantly states that the film is in 16:9 Anamorphic. But it is nothing of the sort. It is in the original 1.85:1 widescreen but letterboxed into a standard 4:3 frame (Non-anamorphic). The lack of anamorphic enhancement is not the worst of it. The picture looks truly execrable. The print is extremely dark. Faces are almost perpetually in shadow. Even scenes in broad daylight look murky. In darker scenes, you can forget about seeing what is happening onscreen. The image is extremely soft, approaching blurriness. Colours occasionally smear. There is a dirty yellowish-brownish tint on the print that makes the film look like something from the 1960s. You'd never believe this film came from 2003. The DVD player defaults to "Bob" mode during deinterlacing, usually indicating a video source as opposed to an original film source (It looks like this was taken off a video-master instead of the original film and judging by the poor quality I'm sure that's the case). Optional English subtitles are included. The only Extra is a 12-minute interview with Karoly Makk which looks beautiful in contrast to the horrid main feature. Utterly disgraceful and totally unrecommendable. Rent it if you must, but don't reward Facets/Bunyik by buying this.
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