Kádár100 – Documentaries 1.
Documentaries by Péter Muszatics, Zsuzsa Méry, Pál Erdőss and Péter Forgács
16:30 Kádár
dir. Péter Muszatics, 2009, 70’
The film presents the political career of János Kádár. Kádár was the leader of Hungary for 32 years, and his heavy legacy lives on many years after the fall of his regime. The controversial life story is pieced together from the narratives of the interviewees in this portrait film and excerpts from Kádár’s famous last speech, as well as from many archive photos and TV footage.
18:00 János Kádár Retires
dir. Zsuzsa Méry, 2001, 45’
In 1972 János Kádár, First Secretary of the MSZMP (Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party), asked the Central Committee for his retirement. In the end, his retirement did not take place, but what was the background to the case? Who was the letter really addressed to? Leonid Brezhnev? To the Soviet Union? Or perhaps to Kádár’s internal opposition in Hungary? And who wrote this letter? An old man in his 60s, tired of work, war, revolution and public life? Or a cunning politician with a good tactical sense?
19:00 Controversial Figures: János Kádár 1912–1989
dir. Pál Erdőss, 2003, 60’
A biographical overview about János Kádár’s childhood, political career and legacy. Kádár was born János Csermanek in 1912 in Fiume. After finishing high school, he obtained a diploma in mechanical engineering. He worked in his profession for only a short time, and from 1930 he was a member of the KIMSZ (Hungarian Association of Communist Youth Workers) and was arrested several times. He broke his ties with the illegal communist party and joined the MSZDP (Hungarian Social Democratic Party). In 1945 he took the name Kádár, which had been used in illegality. He held increasingly senior positions in the MKP (Hungarian Communist Party) and then the MDP (Hungarian Workers’ Party) and was Minister of the Interior from 1948–50. Arrested in 1951, he was released in 1954 and started to move up the ranks again. During the 1956 Revolution, from October 30 to November 4, he was Minister of State in Imre Nagy’s government, but in reality, he was transferred to Moscow on November 1, where he accepted the offer of the post of Prime Minister the following day. He returned to Hungary on November 4, announcing the formation of the Revolutionary Workers’-Peasants’ Government of Hungary.
20:00 Kádár’ Kiss (Private Hungary 12)
dir. Péter Forgács, 1997, 45’
This film collage evokes the atmosphere of Hungary in the 1960s and 1970s, in which, through the superimposition of meanings, the wittily composed sequences of images make the story of nothing happen.
The program is in Hungarian.