The Witness

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Audience Member alapműveltség része, minden magyarnak látnia kell Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review s r A good political satire that considers bureaucracy in its finest. If you would like to learn about the legendary Hungarian orange, don't miss this one. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the finest political satires ever made. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Brave Hungarian film that perfectly captures the systematic betrayal of humanism in Soviet-era Eastern Europe. The humor is stolid, droll and methodical to a point: inherent absurdities are teased apart episodically, it's sour & humorous drudgery (like drinking Unicum) until the bumbling half-assedness is shown for what it is- apparatchik-grooming. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A bittersweet, but funny satire about the socialist Hungary, showing the methods and system of a dictatorship, from the viewpoint of an average worker. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member That Bacso Peter's devastating satire was banned by the Hungarian authorities for almost a decade will come as no surprise to anyone lucky enough to see this film. You might be left wondering, however, why or how it was eventually granted clearance while communism still held sway in the country. Perhaps it was the pure, blatant cheekiness of the movie? Or perhaps the government of the time realised there was something to be said for the ability to laugh at oneself? Whatever the reasoning, The Witness stands up as more than a curiosity piece from another era. It's still remarkably fresh, and continues to have much to tell us on the subject of authoritarian bureaucracy. Parts of this film, such as the sequence with the 'Magyar Narancs' (Hungarian Orange) have passed into the countries mass consciousness, and with good reason. In fact, I suspect that as good as this film is you really have to be Hungarian to truly appreciate its subtleties and joys. For the rest of us, however, there are still hilarious moments such as the sausage factory in the basement or Pelikan accidentally being given papers with the pre-determined outcome of a court case. This is a unique, beautiful and powerful political satire and a true Hungarian cinematic treasure. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Witness

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