Cinema
The Philadelphia Attraction
Uramisten
Péter Gárdos · 1984
Synopsis
Sajek Oszkár, a young circus acrobat, has limped since a fall in the ring; he does walk-on parts in the kangaroo act of his friend Simi and trains tirelessly. He hears of an act that has remained unequalled: fifty years earlier, a Hungarian illusionist had had himself encased in a block of ice and transported by train to Philadelphia, where he had emerged from it before the crowd. This man, Binder Lipót, is still alive, in a hotel in Budapest. Sajek wants his secret; the old man throws him out.
Context
Gárdos wrote the screenplay with András Osvát. To obtain the agreement of the Hunnia studio, he claimed that Kamill Feleki, who was then living in retirement, had accepted the role of the illusionist, which was not true; Feleki played it afterwards, opposite Károly Eperjes, whom the national film review rewarded for his performance. The shooting took place at the Nemzeti hotel, at the Grand Circus of the capital, in the former amusement park of the Népliget and at the parcel sorting centre of the Eastern station.
Who it is for
An obstinate duel between a young man who wants to get back into the ring and an old artist who keeps his secret, in the circus world of Budapest.
Prizes and reception
Silver Hugo for best first feature at the Chicago festival in 1985, then a popular success in the United States.
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