Silence and Cry

A hard film to review: a story of a serious dillema in hard times told fluently in the language of cinema, but requireing more then superficial knowledge about history of Hungary - without it it's unfortunatelly too much of a 'WTF?' experience.

Viewed August 27, 2021. Miklos Jancso's trademark sweeping long takes emphasize the invaded boundaries of personal space, pointedly moving from an endless expanse of land to a tight and claustrophobic farmhouse. Shot in stark black-and-white, the nationalist soldiers are captured as shadowy, unwanted presences lurking deep on the horizon.

Silence and Cry is a typically bleak yet gripping take on Jancso's usual obsession with the corrosive effects of arbitrary power set in a specific historical period that's arguably superior to some of his more acclaimed films. His trademark long takes track movement and imbue wide open spaces with disquieting dread, revealing the invisible demarcating lines of oppressive authority. Its stark vision of people under iron rule is superbly realized, even if the ending is a tad abrupt.

A masterclass in long takes. The details of the plot and characters are left a bit too vague for me to truly love it (I did understand it better when reading up about it and Hungarian history afterwards). Still even without understanding the exact details the long takes and constant fluid movements expertly conveys the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety in a society of persecution, when anyone can be executed on a whim even by people that seem to be civil and friendly.

Em honra do centenário de Miklós Jancsó. Efetivo uso dos espaços e de planos-sequência para dar vida a uma atmosfera opressiva entre o dilema ético e o jugo militar BlurayRip no MakingOff.

Looks good but the pace is too slow.

Shorter and with a smaller cast than "The Round-Up" and "The Red and the White", but stands shoulder to shoulder with them in its greatness, and completes their grand narrative. Here we get a bleak realistic image of a homestead in the countryside, terrorized by the regime after the reactionary nationalist coup. The photography is picture perfect throughout characteristically long takes, even while they emulate constant pacing around and panning. Jancso and Hernadi amaze once again.