Over the eight days of the showcase, audiences can watch around 100 restored classic movies in cinemas in Budapest, while further screenings will be held in Eger and Győr. Budapest welcomes Pierre Richard, Michael Nyman, Udo Kier, Johanna Ter Steege and Magda Vášáryová. 

Budapest Classics Film Marathon will be the first opportunity to see the fully restored box office hit Car of Dreams (Meseautó, 1934), which also has a fascinating exhibition attached. The 30th anniversary of the collapse of communism will be celebrated with the special programme “30 Years of Freedom”.

Audiences get the chance to view newly restored versions of 1980s Hungarian music cult classics such as Eskimo Woman Feels Cold (Eszkimó asszony fázik), Bald-Dog-Rock (Kopaszkutya) and Stephen the King (István, a Király).

The festival pays tribute to the oeuvres of three-times Oscar-winning Hungarian composer Miklós Rózsa and Oscar-winner Michael Curtiz, born Kertész Mihály. There is a separate programme section devoted to the films of important female artists and actors including Márta Mészáros and Mari Törőcsik.

This year’s Film Marathon special guests are Michael Nyman, world-renowned composer (writer of score for Jane Campion’s The Piano that picked up three Oscars, and a regular collaborator on cult films by Peter Greenaway), Pierre Richard, star of French comedies Knock on Wood and The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, Udo Kier, world-famous German-born American actor, star of Gábor Bódy’s film Narcissus and Psyche, and actress Magda Vášáryová, who stole cinemagoers’ hearts as the glamorous blonde in Jiří Menzel’s Cutting It Short.

Johanna Ter Steege, one of the leads in István Szabó’s Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe (Édes Emma, Drága Böbe), that took a Silver Bear in Berlin and a European Film Award, is also in Budapest.

All are welcome to attend the free open-air screenings over six evenings in St. Stephan Square at the Basilica. Viewers can watch on the super-size screen a fully restored version of Marcell Jankovics’ masterpiece, Son of the White Mare (Fehérló fia), Gábor Koltay’s iconic rock musical Stephen the King (István, a király), the French comedy The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, the film of Queen’s 1986 Budapest concert and the Dziga Vertov classic Man with a Movie Camera, with original score by Michael Nyman.

“Tuned to Film”

The 2019 edition is focusing on the 125-year-old history and development of film and music. The selection will be enriched by silent film classics set to music, world-famous musicals such as Singing in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz, legendary film noirs from The Maltese Falcon to Le samouraï, Western epics, outstanding music-focused cult movies such as King of Jazz, All That Jazz, Evita, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and wonderful Hungarian musicals, too.

Programme @ Uránia: 

September 4, Wednesday 

19:00   The Heiresses – Opening Ceremony
Special Guests: Mészáros Márta director and Ragályi Elemér DOP
Hungarian-French drama, 100 min, 1980, in Hungarian with English subtitles 
Ticket: 1800 HUF

September 5, Thursday

18:30    Shortcuts – gala 
Special Guests: Magda Vásáryova and Kerekes Vica actresses
Czech comedy, dir: Jiří Menzel, 93 min, 1981
in Hungarian language with English subtitles
Tickets: 1800 HUF

21:00  The Road to God Knows Where
Concert movie about Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
German documenary, dir: Uli M. Schüppel, 113 min, 1990
in English lenguage with Hungarian subtitles 
Ticket: 1000 HUF

September 7, Saturday

14:00   The Wizard of Oz
American Musical, dir: Victor Fleming et al., 98 min, 1939
in Hungarian language with English subtitles  
Ticket: 1000 HUF

16:00   Car of Dreams
Hungarian Musical, dir: Gaél Béla, 94 min, 1934
in Hungarian language with English subtitles  
Ticket: 1000 HUF

18:30   Chinatown 
American movie, dir: Roman Polanski, 126 min, 1974
in English language with Hungarian subtitles 
Ticket: 1000 HUF

21:00   Rocky Horror Picture Show
English-American musical-comedy, dir: Jim Sharman, 100 min, 1975
in English language with Hungarian subtitles
Ticket: 1000 HUF

September 8, Sunday

14:00   Singin’ in the Rain
American musical, dir: Gene Kelly, 103 min, 1952
in English language with Hungarian subtitles 
Ticket: 1000 HUF

16:00   Don't Cry, Pretty Girls! (12) 
Hungarian drama, dir: Mészáros Márta, 85 min, 1970
in Hungaran language with English subtitlles 
Ticket: 1000 HUF

18:00   Psyché I-III. (16) - gala
Special Guest: Udo Kier színész
Hungarian movie, dir: Bódy Gábor, 261 min, 1980
in Hungarian language with English subtitles 
Ticket: 1800 HUF

September 9, Monday

18:30   Red Heat
American-Hungarian action, dir: Walter Hill, 104 min, 1988
in English language with Hungarian subtitles 
Ticket: 1000 HUF

20:30   Fame
American musical-drama, dir: Alan Parker, 107 min, 1980
in English language with Hungarian subtitles  
Ticket: 1000 HUF

September 10, Tuesday

18:30   Piano Lesson – gala
Special Guest: Michael Nyman zeneszerző
New-Zealand-Australian-French movie, dir: Jane Campion, 121 min, 1993
in English language with Hungarian subtitles 
Ticket: 1800 HUF

21:00   Easy Riders
American movie, dir: Dannis Hopper, 95 min, 1969
in English language with Hungarian subtitles 
Ticket: 1000 HUF

September 11, Wednesday

17:30   Spellbound 
American thriller, dir: Alfred Hitchcock, 113 min, 1945
in English language with Hungarian subtitles
Ticket: 1000 HUF

20:00   Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe (16) – Closing Ceremony
Special Guests: Johanna Ter Steege and Börcsök Enikő actresses, and the director of the movie, Szabó István
Hungarian movie, 80 min, 1991
in Hungarian language with English subtitles 
Ticket: 1800 HUF

Address details: 

St. Stephen's Square
1051 Budapest, Szent István tér 

Uránia Film Theatre
1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 21.

More: 
filmarchiv.hu / urania-nf.hu

Photo courtesy of the organisers