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The Red and the White

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In this minimalist anti-war film, a faction of Hungarian soldiers on the side of the Russian Red army, led by a determined commander (Jozsef Madaras), fight against the pro-Czar white army in a remote Russian field near a dense wood along the Volga River. As the tide of battle ebbs and flows, a small group of compassionate nurses, including Olga (Krystyna Mikolajevska), do not differentiate between the sides, transporting all wounded soldiers to the nearby wood and treating their injuries.
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The Red and the White

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Penelope Gilliatt The New Yorker The Red and the White makes Cinemascope the only apt proportion. It expresses feelings in the characters' bones. As the soldiers are physically on the screen, so they are psychically in the story. Jul 6, 2022 Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker Jancs organizes the swarming and scattered fighters with a stupendous, almost unnoticed virtuosity, delineating the chaotic action in precise, flowing long takes. May 25, 2015 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader If you've never encountered Jancso's work, you shouldn't miss this. Sep 24, 2014 Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl Tamás Somló’s black-and-white Cinemascope cinematography is stunning, and there are more occasions to identify with specific characters than in The Round-Up, but the mood overall remains chilly and abstract compared to the typical American war film. Rated: 7/10 Dec 8, 2022 Full Review Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly It would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic. Rated: 5/5 Dec 8, 2022 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap Hungarian master Miklós Jancsó's seminal film is both masterful and absurdist, using cutting-edge cinematic techniques to show the chaos and pointlessness of war. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 22, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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StephenPaul C The greatest war-related 01 hour: and 32 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/05/23 Full Review William L A different kind of anti-war film, less focused on creating compelling battle footage or developing empathetic characters than demonstrating a coldness inherent to near-industrial killing that is excessively romanticized by conventional war films. Jancsó deliberately sidesteps the pitfalls of heroic characterizations in order to show less than comfortable parallels between two ideologically opposed military forces as they each take turns exercising authority over small regions alongside the Volga, methodically separating the undesirables from potential allies as the distinctions between the two are often too miniscule to be immediately evident. The grasp on authority is variable throughout the film, with the potential to swing wildly at the drop of a hat, but these particularly (somewhat comically) brief tenures in power often carry with them mortal consequences. Often considered a challenging film with its subversion of the conventional central protagonist structure (setting up some form of backstory with an individual only to dispatch them unceremoniously; reminds me a bit of No Country for Old Men) and unusual bending of cinematographic convention, The Red and the White carries a sense of unpredictability, cruelty, and spontaneity that singles it out among war films, particularly those from the Soviet Union. Embraces a sense of futility and a dirty nature to combat without totally denying bravery. (4/5) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/11/21 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. The unique style of long sprawling shots is unique, but it's not something I enjoyed. It does have its place in cinema though. It was on Daily Motion. There wasn't even much Hungarian, it was a lot of Russian. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member We never get to know the characters by name and it is often difficult to discern who is a Bolshevik (Red) and who is loyal to the Tsar (White). This is Jancsó's point. War crimes are committed by those in power on either side. The film is largely episodic but the characters that we follow in each episode soon die. So, this makes war seem futile and tragic. The use of long shots in sprawling landscapes further emphasizes the trivial importance of each life. Yet, the movie can just flow over you and in 87 minutes it is over. Vaguely, the role of Hungarians in the conflict (they supported the Communists) can be noted - but their contribution is even more trivial and they are often told that they are irrelevant and should leave. Since this is Jancsó's putative national affiliation, the pointlessness of it all is that much greater. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member It focus the inhuman high rank personnel. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched this and didn't review it? That was stupid of me. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Synopsis In this minimalist anti-war film, a faction of Hungarian soldiers on the side of the Russian Red army, led by a determined commander (Jozsef Madaras), fight against the pro-Czar white army in a remote Russian field near a dense wood along the Volga River. As the tide of battle ebbs and flows, a small group of compassionate nurses, including Olga (Krystyna Mikolajevska), do not differentiate between the sides, transporting all wounded soldiers to the nearby wood and treating their injuries.
Director
Miklós Jancsó
Genre
War
Original Language
Hungarian
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 21, 2017
Runtime
1h 32m
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