Perhaps many people still remember the taxi blockade, which erupted 31 years ago on October 25, 1990 and paralyzed the entire country for four days. Many people were horrified, as the barely blossoming Hungarian democracy was hit by a brutal attack.
The taxi drivers were well organized and managed by the then liberal center SZDSZ, providing logistical and ideological support for the action. According to Zsuzsanna Borvendég, "cover organizations of the CIA could also have been present during the taxi blockade and fueled the mood and manipulated people. Let's not forget the role of the media, television and print! The post-communist set remained essentially intact at the time of the regime change, the top positions were occupied by the reliable and experienced people of the previous regime long after 1990."
The shooting of a large-scale movie, Blokád, has just begun about the stormy events, the central figure of which is the first, freely elected prime minister after the regime change. He is portrayed by two actors in front of the cameras, after the story takes place in two time planes, giving an insight into the life of József Antall, who participated in the revolution of 1956 as a beginning teacher, and introduces him to the feelings of the Prime Minister, who was on the other side of the barricade during the taxi blockade, working to solve the crisis, also in the background of his decisions. The 24-year-old Antallt Jr. Attila Vidnyánszky, while his 58-year-old self will be shaped by Zoltán Seress during the recordings that will last until mid-January 2022, the scenes of which will be recorded in nearly 40 locations in Budapest and the capital city with the participation of 70 actors and more than 200 extras.
The taxi blockade 1990/source: Mandiner
Hungary experienced historic moments in October 1990. Due to the drastic increase in the price of gasoline, passenger and freight carriers, fearing the uncertainty of existence, closed roads and bridges across the country. It was almost impossible to get to the capital, Budapest was only served by the subway. The traffic chaos turned into an economic and social crisis in a short time, which the government that took office barely five months ago seemed unable to handle.
The Prime Minister, József Antall, who is struggling with his illness and has just been operated on, who fought against the oppressive power in 1956, is faced with the fact that he has now become the "enemy of the people" and that they are rebelling against him.
József Antall gives an interview from the hospital/Source/youtube
The imagination of the creators of Blokád - including producer Tamás Lajos, screenwriter Norbert Köbli and director Ádám Tősér - was captured most by this political trap situation, so that through the personal story of József Antall, who lived through two dense and fraught historical periods, the period of regime change can be experienced and processed. do it for the viewers, including the youngest ones, which Hungarian cinema has not yet undertaken.
BLOCKADE, SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL FILM INSTITUTE, BEGAN SHOOTING FOR 48 DAYS ON OCTOBER 20, AND FILMING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL MID-JANUARY 2022.
For the film, which takes place in several locations and in two time planes, scenes are recorded in Budapest, among others, on the Szabadság and Erzsébet bridges, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Parliament, the BM Hospital, the Budaörs barracks, Százhalombatta, and Bem tér, where the revolutionary events of 1956 moments will be captured by the camera.
The main roles of the film are played by jr. In addition to Attila Vidnyánszky and Zoltán Seress, the president of the republic, Árpád Göncz, is played by Tibor Gáspár, József Antall's doctor is played by László Szacsvay, and Ildikó Tóth plays the prime minister's wife.
BLOKÁD'S PRODUCER TAMÁS LAJOS, SCRIPT WRITTEN BY NORBER KÖBLI, WHO ALSO WRITE THE LITTLE FAIRY TALES, THE SEMI WORLD AND THE ETERNAL WINTER.
Ádám Tősér, the creator of Kittenberger – The Last Hunt, presented this September, is responsible for directing, while András Nagy, the director of The Loop, The Game and Post Mortem, is responsible for the unique visual world of the film. The set designer is Tamás Pataki, the costume designer is Tünde Kemenesi.
Source and featured image: origo.hu
