The Confrontation
The filmmaker Miklós Jancsó, described by his compatriot Béla Tarr as “the greatest Hungarian director”, takes the spotlight with the new restoration of six key works from his filmography. “The master of long takes” as Martin Scorsese still calls him, made a handful of extraordinary films between the mid-60s and the 70s, most of which are stages in the filming of the Hungarian historical narrative, from the Habsburg Empire until the end of the Second World War.
Paralleling the dramatic student protests and riots that were exploding across the world in the 1960s at the time the film was made, The Confrontation is a story of protest and rebellion. Set in 1947 Hungary when the Communist Party have just taken power, dancing, singing Communist students debate Catholic seminary students at a People's college, all the while worrying their words will escalate into a fight. Jancsó’s first color film is a virtuoso display by a director at the peak of his powers. The film eloquently explores the complex issues and inherent problems of revolutionary democracy, and was set to compete in the famously cancelled Cannes 1968. (Kino Lorber)
Miklós Jancsó
Miklós Jancsó (27 September 1921 – 31 January 2014) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Jancsó achieved international prominence starting in the mid-1960s with works including The Round-Up (Szegénylegények, 1965), The Red and the White (Csillagosok, katonák, 1967), and Red Psalm (Még kér a nép, 1971).
