New hero in the 1960s Hungarian fiction and film

Abstract

The article explores the formation of a new hero in Hungarian cinema of the 1960s against the background of transformations that took place in Hungarian society during the so-called Kádár Consolidation period, and in the context of changes that affected the country’s literature and film. The emergence of a new hero is closely connected with literature due to the traditional literary-centricity of Hungarian cinema. A brief description of the situation in literature and film in 1960s of this period is followed by references to three films-symbols of the era: Cantata by Miklos Jáncsó, based on József Lengyel’s short story, Age of Illusions by István Szabó and Good Evening, Summer, Good Evening, Love by Sándor Szőnyi and László Márton based on a short novel by Endre Fejes. The works of Jancsó and Szőnyi are screen adaptations of literary works (the book behind Szőnyi’s film is based on real events), while Sabo’s picture uses an original script, but using documentary materials. Versatile visual solutions, and an appeal to the current narrative techniques in current film speak in favor of the departure of 1960s’ Hungarian films from texts’ adaptations and signal the desire to talk about modernity using new modalities and practices of European cinema, as well as principles of composition inherent in the Hungarian visual arts (especially photography).