Péter Bacsó's satire became a cult film even while it was banned. To this day, the film remains an instructive and entertaining memento of one of the most oppressive periods in Hungarian history. After the screening, discussions with experts will focus on topics such as film censorship.
The year is 1950: the film's protagonist is József Pelikán (Ferenc Kállai), a Danube dam guard who is raising his children alone. They have nothing to eat, so they secretly slaughter Dezső, the family pig, which is considered illegal black market slaughter. Pelikán is caught, sent to prison, and then brought before a certain Comrade Virág (Lajos Őze), who tells him that old, reliable communists like him are needed, so he appoints him to various positions of trust. Comrade Pelikán thus quickly becomes the director of a swimming pool, the head of an amusement park, and the head of the Orange Research Institute, but his assignments always end with him being sent to prison after some kind of misstep. Comrade Virág finally asks him to be the crown witness in a show trial.
The witness openly satirizes the era of the personality cult. Even the most absurd scenes in the film have elements of reality, from Hungarian oranges to the socialist spirit railway. The film was not allowed to be shown, and it took nearly 10 years for the first official screening to take place. After the ban was lifted, it was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981.
Date: Researchers' Night, September 26, 2025; 7:00 p.m.
Venue: University Square Campus (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1–3., ground floor, A/1 Training room, corridor next to the cloakroom)
The film was provided by the National Film Institute Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd.