Uomini della montagna

Sometimes (rarely) a movie starts on TV which I have no intention of watching, but which I find myself drawn to. I pause and, contrary to intent, keep watching. I was walking past the TV when I saw the opening (title) shot, and I could not help but stop. Slowly, I was drawn in. Of course the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. But the pace of the film, its view of Nature, and its appreciation of a simple life, are attractive as well. The first twenty minutes or so are truly hypnotic! Just watching the couple and their child walk through the forest is mesmerizing. The latter half of the film, however, I was not that fond of. But then I guess the film needed some dramatic tension.

This is as good as mid-century poetic melodramas get. A Hungarian film by István Szőts, shot on location (!) in the Transylvanian Alps bordering the Carpathians, "People of the Mountains" is a remarkable historical document, but more importantly, a truly hidden gem of world cinema.

This grim yet breathtakingly beautiful film follows the tragic fate of an illiterate young mountain family and their pre-modern community as they are confronted with the oncoming Capitalist modernity. Though a seemingly predictable motif, for viewers nurtured in Hollywood social and historical melodrama, this film is anything but. In the course of the film, we encounter many remarkable scenes with characters responding to situations in the most surprising manner and in a way no Hollywood character would.

Shot in 1942 in the then Hungarian controlled Transylvania, a territory they received from Romania thanks to the brokering by Nazi-Germany, "People of the Mountains" allows both fascist and socialist readings. It is about an anti-Capitalist social struggle, but it is also an ode to the return to ancient harmony and circularity of time. Yet, the film also resists and defies both ideologies: socialism, with the film's deep and intimate religiosity, its utter disinterest in Marxist progress-cult; fascism, with the film's sympathy toward a small non-national community and its manifest anti- authority and anti-state message. At its core, "People of the Mountains" is a Christian (though paganism-infused) humanist film with a strong anarchist undercurrent. With its motifs of civilizational clash and respect for cultural uniqueness, one is reminded of films by Peter Weir, Sergei Parajanov and Werner Herzog.

Surely, the film is nostalgic, sentimental and emotively driven, but not in a cheap of schematic manner. I assure you, it will make you cry (and also laugh occasionally).

I am not exaggerating by saying that this film should belong to the canon of world classics. And it does not require banal legitimization narratives about how Goebbels hated it and how it functioned as some sort of "resistance" film. This is a film that is worth seeing on its own merits, for its ideas and values that are today largely forgotten since they don't fit with simple mainstream ideological programs of the 20th century. I would recommend "People of the Mountains" to anyone interested in seeing how remarkably differently and unpredictably a mid-century social melodrama about a disappearing community could be made. "How Green was My Valley" has nothing on this.

Made in Hungary in 1942 by István Szöts, this was banned as being 'Communist propaganda' by Joseph Goebbels – yet still managed to win awards. It tells the simple story of a woodcutter living in the Alps of Transylvania with his wife and small son. They seem to live in an idyll where they carve an existence from nature but are happy in so doing – living in harmony with all that surrounds them. Then a lumber business turns up and says it now owns all the land and they have to leave or pay exorbitant rents.

He chooses to work for the lumber company, but the Manager has an eye on his wife and intends to have what he wants. Thus will be set in motion a train of events more far reaching than any could have foreseen.

Now this was shot mostly on location and often in the harshest of conditions. He used mostly non actors to aim for authenticity and I think he has pretty much nailed it. This is a slow tale though and as I said is simple. It is also part social commentary, part eco awareness and a truly moving tale of love. It is also beautifully shot in black and white and is engaging almost from the first scene. It was restored in 2014 and it is so good that it was. This is part of our collective history – both cinematic and actual and also a true work of art.