Another film adaptation of Géza Gárdonyi's popular romantic work, the novel Ida, was made, which will have its national TV premiere on December 23 on the Danube. The TV movie marked by the name of the creative couple Krisztina Goda and Réka Divinyi takes viewers back to the 20s. This time, the literary classic is presented in a more modern guise, but with contemporary, detailed visuals and great performances, the twisted love story.
"It doesn't matter if love is stupid, but it's a beautiful stupidity." – The third film adaptation of Ida's novel perfectly reflects the quoted motto of Géza Gárdonyi. The writer brings his novel, which was published in 1920, in the Pesti Hírlap, in sequels, to the screen in a light but exciting form. The story takes place in the 20s, when 18-year-old Ida (Júlia Mentes) is kicked out of the nunnery where she was brought up. She is forced to return home to her father, but he wants to get her married as soon as possible, so he quickly publishes a classified ad promising a huge dowry. A young painter, Csaba Balogh (Barnabás Rohonyi), immediately accepts the offer, whose relationship with Ida is not exactly cloudless at first. However, their mutual disdain for each other slowly turns into affection and then into love.
The director, Krisztina Goda, explained that due to the peculiarities of the TV movie, the plot was somewhat transformed compared to the base work. "The novel has descriptive parts where we learn about the feelings and thoughts of the characters, the film, on the other hand, is a series of dramatic situations where we get to know the characters from the situations. The Ida in the film is therefore a much more active hero, more lifelike and more caricatured than the protagonist of the novel, but I also wanted to meet the needs of modern viewers."
The selection of the cast fell just at the time of the first wave of the pandemic, which was a challenge, but it was quickly established who the main characters fit. Júlia Mentes and Barnabás Rohonyi, who have a serious theater background, excel in their first major film roles, and excellent actors such as Gábor Hevér, Angéla Stefanovics, Béla Mészáros, Lehel Kovács, Márk Ember, Éva Bata, or Rozi Lovas can also be seen in supporting roles.
The screenwriter Réka Divinyi's long-cherished dream came true with the film adaptation of the novel, as he felt that Gárdonyi was far ahead of his time with his plot management, and created the basis of today's "romcoms". His co-creator, Krisztina Goda, shared the same opinion, according to whom it is clear that this romantic story from the last century was meant to be on the screen.
The visuals of the film are also impressive, the old town of Veszprém wonderfully depicts the urban milieu of a hundred years ago, the period interiors, original costumes and imposing paintings provide a worthy background for Gárdonyi's classic. Ida's novel received the Hungarian Film Award for the best TV movie. Produced by Film Positive Productions, Tamás Lajos is the producer, Balázs István Balázs is the cinematographer, Zoltán Kovács is the editor, and Dániel Csengery is responsible for the music.
A winter full of miracles awaits viewers on the Danube, the film selection of the holiday period promises pleasant relaxation for the whole family. The series of film premieres will be opened by the novel Ida on December 23, from 20:50.
Source: MTVA/Felvidék.ma
Featured image: YouTube
