Hungarian Exodus to Hollywood

Now that winter, more specifically ice and snow, are settling in, it's time to devise a way to amuse myself but still feel productive. Those Puritan genes are coming to the surface.

Emeric Pressburger

So, to support OLGS in his ongoing efforts to master all things Hungarian, I have resolved to watch films involving Hungarian emigres in Hollywood. The list is vast, with a seemingly endless supply of directors, screenwriters, producers, actors, musicians and others becoming part of the US film scene from the silent film era to post-1956. And the US was not the only landing spot for Hungarians who turned out to have remarkable talent for all aspects of film-making; many of them headed for England, adding to the richness of British movies.

I am starting my odyssey with the films of Emeric Pressburger, who on his own and with Michael Powell wrote, directed and produced movies in England from the 1930s to the 1960s in England. Probably the most famous result of the Powell-Pressburger collaboration was the 1948 film, The Red Shoes, based on the tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

A lot has been written about The Red Shoes, which was recently restored and re-released by the Criterion Collection. I'm not equipped to judge it as a ballet movie, but it had its charms, nevertheless. A couple of interesting things to watch: the behavior and recreation of the corps de ballet, the set designers and others foreshadows later beatniks. Lots of late night drinking and partying, something that I didn't think dancers did much of, not that I know many dancers, but...

The other thing is the color. Everything has a sunset glow, and the colors are intense. Really intense. OLGS noted that perhaps they hadn't quite gotten technicolor right. Or it could be the remastering. For whatever reason, it's kind of hard on the eyes, although the dancing is nice. Credit Moira Shearer for that.