A new film adaptation of Petőfi's comic epic, A helység kalapács, was made after more than 50 years - for the 200th anniversary of the poet's birth - which debuted on the Danube on January 22. Screenwriter György Somogyi spoke about the film's reception on the channel's morning show.
The films Kusturica's World, The Wind Whistles Underfoot, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs also had an impact on A helység kalapács, financed and commissioned by MTVA, said György Somogyi, the film's screenwriter, as a guest of Család-barát. The new film version of the epic parody brought to life by the Petőfi bicentenary presents the work created in 1844 in an eclectic way, using elements of Hungarian folklore and contemporary stylistics. In contrast to the visuals, the creators left the text in its reform-era version, but based on the first feedback, the classic lines were completely refreshed in the modernized environment.
"The 1965 film directed by Éva Zsurzs is no longer able to engage today's generation, even though Petőfi's humor and linguistic inventions are cultural values that we must preserve. We treated the texts with great respect, we did not change them. I feel that they became much more understandable in the environment created by the film"
György Somogyi added, and then went on to say that although many things fit into the genre of parody, many were surprised by how bravely they went about depicting the action: in the new film adaptation, Petőfi's heroes sometimes ride a chopper and sit in a jacuzzi. According to the screenwriter, there is no point in fearing that archaic fiction texts do not work well in today's environment, just think of how many times Shakespeare's plays have been adapted in modern versions.
Source: Felvidek.ma/mediaklikk
Featured image: MTI
