A Movie “1945” 11/30/17

November 30, 2017

Directed by Ferenc Török, and written by Ferenc Török and Gabor Szántó, a movie “1945” is in a black-and-white drama set with the immediate postwar period in rural Hungary. It is in minimalistic and beautiful color. This adaptation of the short story “the Homecoming“ from co-screenwriter Gabor Szántó depicts how a town feels about having moved into the homes and started eating off the beautiful plates and using the ornate utensils of the Jews that vanished during the WWII. On an August day in 1945, villagers are busy preparing for the wedding of the town clerk’s son. Meanwhile, two Orthodox Jews, elderly father and adult son, arrive at the village train station with mysterious boxes labeled “fragrances.” The station sheriff rushed to the village and told the town clerk. The town clerk fears the men may be heirs of the village’s deported Jews and expects them to demand their illegally acquired property back. Other villagers are afraid more survivors will come, posing a threat to the property and possessions they have claimed as their own.

I don’t want to go over everything. Tibor Szemzö’s music adds an important element in the movie, reminding me Bloch’s music. It is definitely one of the best movies of the year. I am still moved…