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MOST POPULAR LINKS... FRONT PAGE... MONTHLY DRINKS NIGHT
Kontroll
Film (2003) - 105 mins
Verdict: Drama (and laughs) underground
London - ICA - 17-30 Sept 04
5 tube inspectors battle human nature - except one who's battling Evil itself - in a half-world beneath the streets of Budapest.
Hungary's louchest ticket-Kontroll team fields worldly-wise Professor (Zoltán Mucsi); Muki (Csaba Pindroch) - ready for fights and sleeping with his head in a plate of breakfast chips with tomato sauce; lecherous droopy-moustached Lecsónak (Lecsó) (Sándor Badár); impossibly naive Tibinek (Tibi) (Zsolt Nagy); and serious-minded hero Bulcsú (Sándor Csányi).
Bulcsú sleeps in his leather coat on the platform, bleeding from his nose. He's trapped below ground, afraid of going above. He's otherwise fearless - accepting rival team-leader Gonzó (Balázs Mihályfi)'s challenge at 'railing' - running the tracks between trains. Bulcsú's running from something more psychological - hinted at in his ambiguous encounter with Feri (János Kulka), a smartly-dressed man from his past.
Kontroll's an irresistably good movie - there really isn't a dull moment. There's no bother about sub-titles either - the film is so odd and intriguing that language becomes irrelevant. It works on light, shadow, remarkable faces and tone of voice. There's the most fabulous heavy-metal sound-track from Neo (Milkovics Mátyás, Moldvai Márk), and a constant quirky humour counter-pointing the film's lower level of seriousness.
The Bosses (Péter Scherer, György Cserhalmi) are part-sinister, part playground villains. The set for their control-room (Production Design - Balázs Hujber; Set Constructor - Attila Budavári) is a chilling work of imagination - with glowing network map; edgy metallic surfaces; brooding geometric light overhead - the room seems to glow with evil.
There's an impish sequence when every member of staff is seen by psychiatrist Doctor/Doki (László Bicskei Kis). It's seen from his point of view - a montage of their private worries, funny and original. There's are glorious scenes as the hapless inspectors go into action on train and platform, meeting pimps, Japanese tourists, stutterers, gay undercover cops - and Bootsie.
Bootsie/Gyalogkakukk (Bence Mátyássy) is the inspectors's nemesis. Light-footed, he sprays paint at them and runs. Their single ambition is to catch him - which becomes part of Bulcsú's final challenge.
Kontroll works from an imaginative and intriguing script by director Nimród Antal. His brooding vision is evoked, with a passion that's occasionally shocking, by cinematographer Gyula Pados. There's a strong visual narrative by editor István Király, matched by atmospheric sound-cutting from sound editor Róbert Juhász.
Kontroll creates an intermediate world. Although it's a real train-system, and some of the passengers are real enough, most are at the edge of reality, and well into symbolism. When the system closes down, and Bulcsú trudges the tunnels, it's pure Kafka and Fritz Lang-land. But the plot and power of characterisation - it's impossible to stop looking at the remarkable Sándor Csányi as Bulcsú - hold attention throughout.
Bulcsú has an affinity with drunken tube-driver Béla (Lajos Kovács) - whose cab is decorated with bead-curtains, icons and burning candles. He falls in love with Sofie (Eszter Balla) who evades fares - she's Béla's daughter, born on a train - and dresses in a bear-costume. In a dream, she leads him to confront his demon. In reality, he faces its human form alone. Can Sofie bring him salvation?
Cast Credits (Source and order: definitive source: www.kontrollfilm.hu 4 September 04; small additions from www.imdb.com 4 September 04 & UK film poster 1 September 04): Bulcsú - Sándor Csányi. Professor/ Professzor - Zoltán Mucsi. Muki - Csaba Pindroch. Lecsó/Lecsónak - Sándor Badár. Tibi/Tibinek - Zsolt Nagy. Bootsie/Gyalogkakukk - Bence Mátyássy. Shadow/Árnyék - Győző Szabó. Sofie (Bear-Woman)/Szofi - Eszter Balla. Laci - László Nádasi. Chief/Boss/ Főnök - Péter Scherer. Béla - Lajos Kovács. Tamás - Károly Horváth. Big Boss/Boss/Öltönyös - György Cserhalmi. Feri - János Kulka. Doctor/Doki - László Bicskei Kis. Nub/ K - Zsolt László. Gonzó - Balázs Mihályfi. Róbert - József Tóth. Drunken Woman (at start)/Spicces nő - Enikő Eszenyi. Last Passenger/Utolsó utas - János Derzsi. Big Guy/Nagydarab krapek - Balázs Lázár. Woman With Big Breasts/Nagymellű nő - Melinda Völgyi. "Zsiráf" - László Bolyki. Metróellenőr - Imola Gáspár. Stutterer- János Greifenstein. Junkie - Andrew Hefler (as Andrew Heffler). (Cameo) - Gábor Herendi. (Cameo)/"Oroszlán" - Tamás Pintér. Old Lady (Witch) - Ilona Psota. "Zsola" – Zsolt Szentiványi. Gay Man - Levente Törköly. Other actors in alpha order: Éva Bacsa, Béla Barabás, Marcell Bálint, Zsolt Bánki, Krisztián Berg, Péter Bergendy, Zsóka Békefy, Tamás Búvári, Zsolt Czakó, Gábor Czibere, Alpár Cziglényi, Dávid Csobai, András Fésős, Péter Galambos, Gábor Gallyas, Péter Haumann, Zoltán Hoffmeister, Ákos Horváth, Ferenc Hujber, Margó Kasza, Péter Kiss, Heléna Kiss, Veronika Klement, Babett Köllő, Ernő Köves, Szabolcs Máté, László Mészáros, Hunor Michálik, Mikulcik Milan, Tamás Molnár, Sándor Mucsi, Imre Nagy, Adrienn Nádor, Szilvia Nemesdési, Árpád Nick, Márton Nyitrai, Edit Orbán, Béla Paczolai, Gyöngyi Pápai, Imréné Pocz Nagy , Gábor Rohonyi, Róbert Sarkady, Csaba Sárvári, Zoltán Sárvári, Géza Schramek, Andrea Takács, Gergely Tapolczai, Líviusz Varga, Vera Varjasi, Zsolt Venczel, Miklós Viola, Zoltán Viola, Tibor Viszkó, Melinda Völgyi.
Company Credits: (Source and order: www.kontrollfilm.hu 4 September 04): Director - Nimród Antal. Cinematographer - Gyula Pados. Screenplay - Nimród Antal. Music - NEO: Milkovics Mátyás, Moldvai Márk. Producer - Tamás Hutlassa, Nimród Antal. Production Manager - Károly Fehér. Unit Manager - Eszter Fixek. Location Manager - Tamás Guba. Production Co-Ordinator - Eszter Kerekes. 1st Assistant Director - László Janicsek. 2nd Assistant Director - Marcell Bálint. Editor - István Király. Sound Editor - Róbert Juhász. Sound Recordist - Attila Madaras. Boom Operator - Csaba Erős. 1st Assistant Camera - Ádám Kliegl. 2nd Assistant Camera - Tamás Jánossa, Zoltán Jánossa. Video Assistant Operator - Zsolt Éliás. Script - Krisztina Kelemen. Gaffer - József Marton. Best Boy - Károly Brauner. Spark - István Faragó, Tibor Fazekas, Elek Hornyák, István Ősz, József Simon. Production Design - Balázs Hujber. Set Constructor - Attila Budavári. Stand-By Constructors - Antal Lakatos, Viktor Barabás. Property Master - Tamás Tamási. Props - Péter Újvári. Make-Up / Special Effects Artist - Ernella Hortobágyi. Hair Stylist - Brigitta Szabó. Costume Design - János Breckl. Dresser - Mária Havasi, Éva Csele. Electrician - Ferenc Deák. Stand-By Electrician - György Cseh. Stunt Co-Ordinator - Zoltán Gulyás Kis. Stunts - Balázs Farkas, Béla Gerner, Krisztián Korányi, Gábor Piroch, István Ákos Sinkó, Ferenc Szabó. Casting – Open Casting - Veronika Varjasi, Szilvia Nemesdédi. Head Bookkeeper - Richárd Szabó. Bookkeeper - Helga Kiss. Cashier - Andrea Horváth. Catering - Fatima Deák, Viktória Frindt, Mária Balogh. Drivers - Zoltán Szijártó, András Kassai. Lab - Tamásné Deimanik. Companies: Café Film & Bonfire Films. (Remaining credits: source and order: www.imdb.com: 4 September 04): Distributors - Budapest Film (Hungary), Tiberius (Germany), ThinkFilm Inc (USA). Runtime - 105 minutes. Country – Hungary. Language – Hungarian (English Subtitles) . Colour – Colour. Sound Mix – DTS.
END
John Park
reviewed Wednesday 1 September 04 / Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2010
