Customer Reviews for
25 Firemans Street
The most poetic film of Szabo
An old house on the eve of its demolition. A hot summer night. The perfect moment to evoke fragments of past events, hopes, dreams and vanished dreams.
Curiously, this nostalgic script has many resemblances with other two contemporaries movies; Pierre Granier Deferre's Le chat (1973) and Tarkovsky's The mirror (1974).
25 Firemans Street
A surreal survey of 20th century Hungarian history
An old apartment building in Budapest is being torn down and its former residents recall memorable events in their lives associated with that address.
Istvan Szabo, the film's director (famous for his "Mephisto"), claims "25 Firemans Street" was not meant to be surreal or fantastic -- but that's exactly how it comes off. Scenes shift between dreams and reality . . . the dead converse with the living (or is it vice-versa?) and time melts back and forth between pre-War times, Nazi-era WWII, and post-war Communist rule.
Perhaps to Hungarians who survived all the crazy shifts of their 20th century political history, what might seem "surreal" to outsiders is all-too "real" to the natives!
That may be true, but apparently even some contemporary Hungarian audiences found this film confusing when it was first released there. Non-Hungarian audiences (count me as one) might be even more confused by all the dizzying imaginative leaps Szabo makes from scene to scene as the film progresses. "What does that particular uniform or flag signify?" you might ask yourself, for example.
Ideally, I suppose, one should be able to instantly recognize all the film's potent images and historical references. Obviously Szabo intends that the kaleidoscope-like presentation of these powerful images should evoke complicated, nuanced emotional and political resonances -- and I imagine any native who has lived through the traumas of 20th century Hungarian life could point out layer upon layer of humor, irony, etc. to non-Hungarian viewers.
So, should you take a chance on this film?
Anyone curious about contemporary Hungarian cinema -- or 20th century Hungarian history -- will probably find this a very thought-provoking film that will repay repeated screenings.
Anyone who enjoys film-making that might be described as belonging to the "fantasic realism" or "surreal" school will probably find this Hungarian effort by one of that country's master directors well worth at least one viewing.
As for me, I'm holding on to my copy for repeated viewings, and puzzling out its layers of references is part of its appeal.
25 Firemans Street
Bringing Down the House
There's a demolition set for the following morning as a family (consisting of actors; Lucyna Winnicka, Margit Makay, Karoly Kovacs, Janos Janl, Edit Lenkey, and Zoltan Zelk) spend one last night in their home. Everyone seems to be having difficulty sleeping as each has dreams of the memories the house brings.
There's an old saying, "out with the old and in with the new", and it's what is at the heart of Istvan Szabo's film.
The movie is primarily flashbacks going through most of Hungary's history and the personal memories it bring for these family members. Most of the stories involve Nazis or Communist. And each deals with a personal struggle.
The film is also not just about these characters but Hungary itself.
The main reason I chose to review this film at this particular time is because Hungary is in the midst of celebrating the 50th anniversay of the Hungarian Revolution. If you follow the news you'll know recently even President Bush went to Hungary to comment on the event.
Keeping all this in mind, not to mention the stories I've been hearing at home, I've decided to go back and rewatch Szabo's films. I've always thought very highly of his work. A few years ago I reviewed his "Being Julia" and gave it four stars. I've never been shy about my admiration for "Sunshine", a film I think was robbed of Oscar nominations, and one of the leading reasons why I don't watch the show anymore. I also enjoyed his "Mephisto" and "Father".
But, now that I'm older and hopefully a little wiser, I see deeper into Szabo's work. I see a man who had a love of country and for his people but was caught within a duality.
There's a rich nostalgia in "25 Firemans Street" and "Father" but also something bittersweet. In this film the characters are sad to see the house go and perhaps one day lose the memories associated with it but on the other hand, there is a sense of hope. Perhaps it's good the country and the people are moving in a new direction. Better times may follow.
I don't think there's a large audience for a film such as this. It doesn't follow a "classical structure", there's no real character development, and plot structure may confuse some. But if one sticks with the movie and allows themself to get swept away in the film's charm I think you may find it rewarding. Because, even if one isn't interested in Hungarian culture, look at it this way. Lets assume the house you lived in was going to be torn down or you were going to move from the house where you grew up, wouldn't you feel a sense of lost?
Szabo's films, while they deal with Hungary, can transcend beyond that. His films are simply about people and emotions. And that's something we can all relate to.
Bottom-line: Not one of Szabo's great films, the movie carries a nostalgia that is infectious. It is a film about a country and its people and what the future may bring. It may not be great but it's pretty darn good anyway.25 Firemans Street
Excellent Unless You Only Like "Hollywood Formula" Films
Interesting to see that at the point I voted for this film on the Internet movie database (IMDB) roughly one-third of those who voted gave this movie a 10 -- and yet the votes of the other two-thirds people has held the voting down to an average under 5. Clearly -- to me -- a sign that most people watching this film "just didn't get it."
I cannot blame them too much. People unfamiliar with watching movies with a high amount of visual symbolism and with a unique slant might just not know how to appreciate a film like this. Additionally, they may not have had the advantage that I had of being told in advance that the great majority of this film depicts dream sequences (and most if not all of those dreams being memories of significant experiences in their lives especially as in relation to war, fascism and/or facing possible or even certain death). This really blends well into a very watchable "stream of consciousness" flick. It is all about he different people, younger and older, lovers, family, the haunted and others that live in one building. It is set in Hungary, and the building is under -- or about to be under -- demolition. That is a sense of going back and forth in time, and this is fine. The timing is not the importance; rather, it is the content.
This movie gives this viewer the feeling, "I am now seeing what these people were remembering, feeling and thinking just before they were going to die." Understanding this in advance perhaps made it much easier for me to appreciate this film without the unnecessary thoughts in my head like, "That's not realistic. It is supposed to be hot and he is not even sweating!" because in dreams things are not so realistic sometimes -- and even if they are, creative license can easily be allowed for this Hungarian Masterpiece.
This is a very interesting film with characters of varying ages and varying concerns, some very riveting actors, and it is with English subtitles (which I much preferred to dubbed). People with knowledge of Hungarian history will understand this film the best perhaps, but the montage of peeks into the thoughts and conversations -- all dreams, and memories within dreams -- give glimpses of history that many of us know, or should know, at least a little something about (such as life under Nazi rule -- or simply the interactions between people in varying situations, most of which are times that "test" one's humanity if you will.
I love the cinematography in this film. This is a feast to the eye visually in much of the film. But be prepared to witness some tragedy. And be prepared to think about things you may have never thought about before -- which is one of the things I love about foreign films. Good foreign films tend to broaden our minds, stimulate us, and also see the commonality of all peoples. While we see things that are, well, foreign, we also see that no matter what nationality, religion or creed, humanity has much more in common with one another than differences. It is truly what matters most that we have in common.
I checked the box for spoilers even though I am not giving away some key things about this movie. I checked it because perhaps for some people saying that these are all dream sequences would be considered a spoiler, not sure! I will say this, that this movie is not about the day that nothing happened. It is about the day that just about every character in this film, for all they know, will be dead tomorrow. They are, to say the least, feeling just a bit stressed.
In this day and age with info wars, conventional wars and threats of atomic-scope wars and globally powerful multinational corporations dictating to nations as if dictators, I think it is a good time to watch this film. What is that saying? Something like that those who don't learn their history well, and learn from that history, are doomed to repeat it, again and again. Mankind has repeated war for thousands of years. I hope it is on a learning curve by now.
Try it. You'll like it. By the way, my roommate and I have nearly opposite political viewpoints yet we both liked this film very much.
25 Firemans Street
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