Cinema
Treasured Earth
Talpalatnyi föld
Frigyes Bán · 1948
Synopsis
In a Hungarian village of the thirties, Juhos Marika loves Góz Jóska, a poor peasant, but her parents marry her to the son of a rich farmer, Zsíros Tóth Ferke. Jóska abducts her from the wedding; the husband agrees to let her go in exchange for money, and Jóska wears himself out raising the sum, from job to job, against the hostility of the village's rich and of a whole system. Drought spreads over the fields of the poor.
Context
The film is based on the novel by Pál Szabó, adapted by Sándor Dallos. Szőts, first approached, was set aside after the banning of his 1947 film, and Bán was chosen. The first film of the nationalised film industry, commissioned by the Communist Party, it was released on 23 December 1948. A sequel, Felszabadult föld, followed, but the planned third part was never shot.
Who it is for
A peasant drama in black and white, starring Ági Mészáros and Ádám Szirtes; screened in Paris in 2016 under the title Treasured Earth, with no localised commercial release.
Prizes and reception
Awarded a prize at the Karlovy Vary festival in 1949, and chosen in 1968 among the twelve best Hungarian films.
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