Hungarian New Wave

In the 1960s, after the political thaw that followed 1956, a new generation of Hungarian directors began to make films that looked hard at their country's past. Miklós Jancsó's The Round-Up and The Red and the White used long, gliding takes on the open plain to turn history into a parable of power. István Szabó, András Kovács and Péter Bacsó explored memory, guilt and satire, while Károly Makk, Márta Mészáros and Zoltán Huszárik found quieter, more personal and poetic forms. The movement faded by the early 1980s, but its ideas passed on to Béla Tarr's work.

Where

Hungary, mostly Budapest and the Hungarian plain

When

c. 1963 to 1980

Key figures

Miklós Jancsó, István Szabó, Márta Mészáros, Károly Makk, András Kovács, Zoltán Huszárik, Péter Bacsó

Landmark films

The Round-Up (1965), Father (1966), Cold Days (1966), The Red and the White (1967), Red Psalm (1971), Szindbád (1971), Love (1971)

Legacy

Showed how long takes, history and parable could speak about power, and prepared the way for Béla Tarr

What to look for

• Very long takes with a camera that glides and circles
• History told as parable, with open landscapes and ritual
• Memory, guilt and everyday life under a one-party state