Miklós Jancsó has died.
February 1, 2014 9:28 PM   Subscribe

Famed Hungarian film director, Miklós Jancsó, has died at age 92. Winner of Cannes in 1972 for Red Psalm/Még kér a nép[SLYT, NSFW], which deals with a doomed uprising of farm workers, he also directed The Round-Up/Szegénylegények [SLYT, entire film], widely regarded as the greatest Hungarian film of all time. Hughly influential, he made great use of the long take with Elektreia/Szerelmem, Elektra having just 12 shots in its 70 minutes. Béla Tarr, another exponent of the long-shot, called Jancsó the greatest Hungarian film director of all time. posted by vac2003 (9 comments total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
Can I add, on a personal note, Jancsó, was born in Vác, a small town north of Budapest, that forms the basis my Metafilter name.
posted by vac2003 at 9:30 PM on February 1, 2014 [2 favorites]


It's always bittersweet to find out about an artist like this only when they pass away. Thanks for the post, vac2003.
posted by clockzero at 10:01 PM on February 1, 2014


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posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:23 PM on February 1, 2014


I'm embarrassed that I didn't know of his films until now.
posted by Dip Flash at 10:36 PM on February 1, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm embarrassed that I didn't know of his films until now.

I keep finding all this wonderful work from Hungary, and I feel this way every time I discover something new.

I was watching Hungarian films all last night, looks like I will be watching Hungarian films tonight.


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posted by louche mustachio at 11:36 PM on February 1, 2014


Do yourself a favor and watch his The Red and the White. Absolutely brilliant. The staging and the camera choreography is phenomenal. This is the kind of film which shows you what is possible - it expands the horizons. But it is so much more than a technical achievement - it feels as if he managed to distill the very essence of what war is about, all without resorting to dialogue, just through pure visuals. An amazing illustration of how staging - just staging! - is capable of conveying such a depth of meaning. This film shook me to the core when I saw it as a young man. Unforgettable.
posted by VikingSword at 11:38 PM on February 1, 2014 [1 favorite]


The only film of his I've seen is The Red and the White, and I agree with VikingSword about its power and craft; I look forward to watching more. Thanks for the post.
posted by languagehat at 9:11 AM on February 2, 2014


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posted by jlbartosa at 2:05 PM on February 2, 2014


For the sake of the record if nothing else, this post on the ever reliable Hungarian Spectrum gives some background to the Hungarian government's response to the death of Jancsó . While they will be giving him a State funeral, the Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, has said nothing about the passing of Jancsó. This is because Jancsó wrote a highly critical letter to Orbán condemning is anti-democratic, nationalistic actions and behaviours. But at least Jancsó will be honored with a state funeral so that is good news.
posted by vac2003 at 5:31 PM on February 9, 2014


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