János Koltai

  • Ferenc Kósa – Tízezer nap AKA Ten Thousand Days (1967)

    1961-1970ArthouseDramaFerenc KósaHungary

    From filmjournal.net and torinofilmfest.org

    One of the most impressive Hungarian directorial debuts, Ten Thousand Days offers clinching proof that Miklós Jancsó wasn’t the only mid-1960s master offering breathtaking widescreen compositions featuring hundreds of men and horses. Shot by Sándor Sára, then well on his way to cementing his reputation as one of Hungarian cinematography’s greatest visual artists, the film routinely throws up stunning shots: mass wheat scything, dozens of horses crossing a bridge to market (followed shortly afterwards by train wagons crossing the same bridge heading in the opposite direction, a neat visual gag on technological progress), prisoners doing hard labour on a rocky hillside, numerous public festivities crammed with local colour. The aesthetic impact alone makes it’s easy to see why this once had a considerable international reputation, even achieving a commercial release in Britain.Read More »

Back to top button