Description
Book SynopsisIstván Szabó is one of the few Hungarian filmmakers to have earned a major international reputation over the past half century. This thoughtful and original book is the first examination of Szabó's contribution to contemporary thought, engaging the troubled history of Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries. István Szabó's importance as a filmmaker lies not only in his attention to film's formal elements but in his deep and ongoing engagement with some of the most urgent ethical and existential questions of our time. With detailed analyses of István Szabó's major films, from his 1960s works to his Academy Award for Best Foreign Film winner, Mephisto, and on through Szabó's last film in 2020, Final Report, Susan Rubin Suleiman focuses on four important questions pertaining to existential choice: to leave home or to stay in a communist country? To collaborate or not with an authoritarian regime? To affirm or to deny one's Jewishness in the face of antisemitism? To seek or to give
Trade ReviewSusan Suleiman’s book touched me deeply and it was interesting even for me. I was surprised by several connections that I had never thought of, but they are very true. * István Szabó *
Drawing on her previous studies of exile and memory, and inspired by her own investigation of roots, Susan Rubin Suleiman’s engagement with István Szabó’s films presents a compelling and essential analysis of his continuing exploration of the themes of community, Hungarian-Jewish identity, and the individual’s ‘search for security’. * Peter Hames, Author of Czech and Slovak Cinema: Theme and Tradition (2010), and Visiting Professor in Film Studies, Staffordshire University, UK *
Susan Suleiman’s landmark book,
István Szabó: Filmmaker of Existential Choice, brilliantly illuminates the neglected oeuvre of a major Academy Award-winning Central European director. Foregrounding Szabó’s lifelong concern with the impact of historical forces on the fate of his protagonists, each chapter engages deeply with the urgent ethical and existential questions of our time. * Catherine Portuges, Founding Program Director and Founding Curator of the Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, USA *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Encountering István Szabó 1. To Leave or to Stay? Existential Choices under Communism Getting around the Censor in the 1960s Leaving and Its Consequences in
Lovefilm Those Who Stay: Visions of Home in the 1970s 2. What Price Glory? The Talented Individual and State Power Step by Step: The Road to Degradation in
Mephisto Responsibility in the Rearview Mirror:
Taking Sides The Parvenu’s Dilemma: Loyalty and Alienation in
Colonel Redl 3. To Be or Not To Be Jewish? Identity as Choice or as Fate The “Jewish Question” for Jews Jews in Hungarian Cinema under Communism Jewish Identity and Its Vicissitudes in
Sunshine 4. Living Together? The Idea of Community after Communism “A Metaphor for Europe”? Passions and Music in
Meeting Venus Hanging On: Precarious Lives in
Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe “Poor Hungary”:
Relatives and
Final Report References List of Figures Films Index
