The Witness

Set in Hungary sometime between 1949 and 1956, „The Witness” is a pitch-dark satirical comedy that fiercely ridicules the absurd power apparatus and paranoid atmosphere of the totalitarian regime. Faced with severe food shortages and trying to save his large family from starvation, the simple dike keeper József Pelikán has no other option but to kill his pig, which he has saved from collectivisation by hiding it literally underground. Unable to keep the illegal slaughter from the ears of vigilant informers, Pelikán lands behind bars. But instead of being punished, Pelikán finds himself entrapped in political intrigues. Under the aegis of comrade Virág, a local functionary, Pelikán is promoted to increasingly higher offices, despite the fact he miserably fails in every new position. In return to these baffling privileges, Pelikán is expected to deliver a fabricated testimony at a high-profile show trial held against his old friend, a politician fallen from the grace of the authorities.

The film was digitally remastered by the Hungarian Filmlab in 2011. The film is part of the Hungarian National Film Fund – Film Archive’s collection where the 35mm original negatives are being kept.