The Ragged Guard, the Hungarian guerilla team, which fought the referendum on Sopron with fox furrows instead of bloodshed. Now, with a unique film, they have undertaken to present the unknown story of the Rags. Gábor Tóth talked with Béla Harcsa, the screenwriter-director of the film Őrtüzek nyagaton.

The fiction-documentary film will have its premiere on May 25 at 6 p.m. at the Uránia National Film Theater. 10 more art cinema shows across the country in the coming weeks.

- His work "Guard Fires in the West" will be shown in cinemas soon. Why did you make a film about the Ragged Guard?

– In 2020, we commemorated the 100th anniversary of Trianon. In connection with the event, I wanted to make a film that is not necessarily about the Trianon trauma and its incomprehensible pain. We lost the First World War, but even then there were people who heroically tried to do something for the country. The Ragged Guard did exactly that, stood up and fought, created an uprising in Western Hungary, which led to the referendum that eventually annexed Sopron to Hungary.

The history of the Rag Guard shows that there were those who were able to act bravely despite unfathomable war losses and the mutilation of the country.

The Watchmen in the West presents their fate and commemorates them.

– In the case of the Ragged Guard, there was no shortage of courage and enthusiasm.

- Yes, moreover, this was Hungary's only significant success after Trianon. After all, Sopron's feedback is still valid today, it has not lost its importance. If nothing else, Hungary "defeated" the Trianon peace decree in this. The fact that this was possible is thanks to those incredibly brave people who did everything to improve the destiny of the homeland - even when the ruling Károlyi government was inactive or made a series of fatal mistakes .

These people, without any authority, tried to save what they could out of pure patriotism.

The injustice of the peace that ended the war was not in question, but the fact that they even took a piece from Western Hungary - to compensate Austria, which had also lost - was completely outrageous. This was real fuel for the fire, which motivated many to support the Ragged.

– As a film director, what historical sources did you have access to?

– Numerous documents, volumes, and photographs are available on the subject, but it must be seen that a filmmaker is always interested in individual destinies, because great historical events can be presented through them.

From this point of view, Gyula Somogyváry's novel And yet we live, as well as two books by László Domonkos, provided inspiration: one in the shadow of the Héjjas-nárfa, and the other, The Life and Death of Mihály Kiss Francia, whose stories formed the basis of the plot .

Iván Héjjas and the military officer Mihály Francia Kiss are the two characters through whose fate we present this peculiar historical era.

From the end of October 1918, the administration of Mihály Károlyi - which was also tantamount to treason - began, which sealed the fate of Hungary. Many did not agree with the government's pacifism and the disarmament of soldiers returning from the front. Outraged military officers and civilians began the resistance that created the Rag Guard.

– The Ragged Guard was really ragged, yet they successfully reached the road leading to the revision. What could be the secret of their success?

- A dear friend of mine, the writer János Bán, has a saying, according to which the question is not how strong the enemy is, but how much determination is in the hearts of the defenders. The members of the Ragged Guard entered the fights with great determination and courage.

"Curly?"

- Yes, because they knew that they were weaker than the Austrians in all areas, so they started the war in a deceptive way, with a fox's fury. There were few of them, so they tried to position their forces on the field in such a way that it would seem as if the Austrian side was facing a significant Hungarian force. They invented all kinds of things: there was a time when they drove a huge herd of cows into the forest, as a result of which the Austrians thought that a huge Hungarian cavalry charge was approaching them. A number of sentinel fires were lit at various places to make it appear that a considerable number of troops were encamped in the vicinity.

The full interview HERE !

Featured image: A column of rags marching into Kismarton / Wikipédia