The Witness

A tanú

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Director

Péter Bacsó

Run time

1h 45min

Cast

Ferenc Kállai, Lajos Öze, Béla Both

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.

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Director

Péter Bacsó

Run time

1h 45min

Cast

Ferenc Kállai, Lajos Öze, Béla Both

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.

Info

Rating

(none)

Production year

1969

Global distributor

Libra Films

Local distributor

Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ

In cinema

11/22/2018