Un film d'amour

"Love film" is an early film from director Istvan Szabo, who is most widely known for "Mephisto" (1981). The Czech new wave ended abruptly with troops of the Warsaw pact knocking down the spring of Prague, but in Hungary innovative filmmaking went on for a while. Istvan Szabo followed in the footsteps of Miklos Jancso but was also influenced by the French Nouvelle vague.

Special about "Love film" is the way in which the story is told. It is not told in chronological order nor is it told in "reverse chronological order" such as in "Memento" (2000, Christopher Nolan). In stead the film leaps forwards and backwards in time in a seemingly random fashion. We do see some events a couple of times and from other events we have to guess whether they have happened in reality or only in the phantasy of the characters. We also see this sort of jumping back and forth through time in "Little women" (2019, Greta Gerwig) but most of all it reminds me of the Polish author Wieslaw Mysliwski, who is a real master in this way of storytelling.

The story of "Love film" itself has much in common with "The unbearable lightness of being" (1988, Philip Kaufman). A man and a woman, who seem to be lovers, are seperated from each other because one has left the country after a national uprising (in this instance Hungary 1956) has been suppressed by the Soviets. The other one stays in his homecountry. "Love film" is the more personal film of the two. The political message is much less explicit (but certainly not absent). The film is overwhelmingly about the personal relationship between the two main characters from their childhood on and what the seperations meant for this relationship.

It is a masterpiece of the young István Szabó from 1970, many years before worldwide-fame and Oscar Prize. A story of two young people in Hungary, Jancsi and Kata. First they are good friends, later lovers. Soon after the 56-Revolution Kata leaves Hungary, Jancsi stays there. After appr.10 years Jancsi is allowed to visit Kata in France, their love is reborn, but after a short, very happy period Jancsi has to return to Hungary and their love fades as years have gone by. It is unforgettable when Jancsi glances at Paris last time before leaving (perhaps) forever. The film is a fine memory of a not so nice past when two young people were separated from each other just because one of them lived in the "socialist" Hungary and the other in the "capitalist" France. Using flashback-system the director shows a human history of Hungary from the forties to the seventies as a mirror of the young lovers' life. Strongly recommended and not only for young lovers.

I saw this movie twice in the past weeks, and I love it. This movie is as slow as exaggerating. We can feel the happiness when the lovers meet after long years, and the sadness on their faces when they realise that it will never be the same again. They still love each other, but they've changed a lot, so they don't know each other any more. The power of their relationship was the very deep trust. Can you trust someone, you don't know ? No. There is no love at first sight, they had to work hard for their love. They have to fight against their fears, against the politics, and they haven't got enough force to start this fight again to stay together, because of this lack of trust. We saw the final motive in Meet Joe Black, when the man decided to have only the good memories about the loved woman, and didn't want to stay for the upcoming harder and probably more boring days, when they accommodate to each other so left her.

I just saw this movie again yesterday, 30 years later than I first saw it as a kid (like 8-9 years old or sg), with my parents we were visiting a friend and while the adults were talking I had nothing better to do than to watch the only TV channel at that time, and this movie was on. I somehow got touched by it, most probably I fell in love with the child Kata and when we had to leave the place in the middle of the film the only thing I was hoping that we would catch at least the end at home. I was literally depressed for not being able to watch it, it was a very strange feeling for me at that age. As an adult I thought about this movie a lot of times but never got to watch it again, till it was aired on TV again yesterday. Speaking of time shifts, the music which of course I did not remember until I heard it again, now was completely familiar since I started to play piano a few years ago and Corelli's Sarabande was one of the first pieces I played. So this was a wonderful experience for me. Sorry for keeping it long with irrelevant stuff :)

In 1970 it must have been very difficult for Istvan Szabo to deal with the anti-communist revolution theme. Jancsi was isolated from his love because of the communists yet Szabo had to include scenes where revolutionists behave like Nazis rather than fighting for all youth and the future. And of course the story in Paris about bad Nazis like it was happening again in 1956. But it was probably the deal.

As an audience, watching with English subtitles, I was not particularly familiar with Hungarian culture or history beforehand, but nevertheless felt touched by this portrait of a love and an era. The film treats its subjects delicately, using history as both a backdrop and catalyst for the romantic plot line, and also allowing it to become a direct subject at times; the country and times are inseparable from the lives they contain.

The romance is... beautiful. It is built up to an almost unbearable degree, such that you feel the romantic tension gradually but forcefully. The chemistry between the two lead actors is brilliant.

The directing style also lends the film a unique flavour. Time and setting are interwoven, so that the only absolute is the love of the two protagonists. Flashbacks and asides are used to add to the dramatic mood of film, but don't overshadow it. All in all, a truly excellent film.