mag7bela

The Plunderers are four youngsters who come to a peaceful little western town without any money. Actually they're no gunfighters at all but enjoy staying there getting all for free and watching how they can get the people more and more frightened. Onearmed Jeff Chandler wants to stay out of trouble but is increasingly convinced that something must be done to help the citizens against the troublemakers. Lovely Dolores Hart is the daughter of the local store owner and the Mexican youngster Rondo, played by John Saxon, pays a lot of attention to her. She tries to avoid him but with no success. The dramatic final scenes include an unusual fight with knives. This is a classic black-and-white western from 1960 highly recommended. You can easily find resemblances to Brando's 1954 motorcycle movie "The Wild One".

To put it simply, it's brilliant: the direction by Emilio Fernández, the black and white photo by Gabriel Figueroa, the music by Francisco Dominguez and not least the acting by the legendary stars Dolores del Rio and Pedro Armendáriz. I think this film is the top peak in the career of Emilio Fernández, even if he made many other movie classics like Enamorada, Flor Silvestre or La Perla. Maria Candelaria (Xochimilco) is perhaps a Cinema Classic most people have been searching for but never found. And there are English subtitles. I am wondering why this movie never comes to discussion when film people make lists about the Best Movie of the Century. Think it's a kind of mystery.

Try to pronounce it - Hódmezövásárhelykutasipuszta. Yes, that's the name of the place where the young German student Andreas finds his Piroschka. It's a very small railway station in the southeast of Hungary in the glossy 20's. Rural and idyllic.

Liselotte Pulver is lovely as Piroschka, the 17 years old daughter of station master Gustav Knuth. It's a movie full of joy. Beautiful and charming. It really makes you happy when watching it. Music, csàrdàs and feast in a true Hungarian way. But perhaps it's a bit too grievous when it comes to the final part, when Andreas has to leave, when his Hungarian summer is over. He shall never return to Piroschka - just living with sweet memories of her and a wonderful summer in - Hódmezövásárhelykutasipuszta...