| 8th Hungarian Film Festival of Los Angeles October 15 - 23 2008 This year's theme is "Hungarians in Hollywood" |
Opium - Diary of a Madwoman
(Ópium - Egy elmebeteg nő naplója)
János Szász
(2007, feature film, 35mm, colour, 108 min.)
Director: János Szász
Based on Géza Csáth
Screenplay: János Szász, András Szekér
Photography: Tibor Máthé
Editor: Anna Kornis
Set design: Tibor Lázár
Costumes: János Breckl
Sound: István Sipos, Manuel Laval, Matthias Schwab
Production company: Hunnia Film Studio, EuroArts
Production manager: Zsolt Valkony
Producer: Pál Sándor, András Hámori
Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Kirsti Stubo, Zsolt László, Enikő Börcsök, Gyöngyvér
Bognár, Roland Rába, László Kassai, Zoltán Szőllősi, Géza Szöllősi, Ákos
Horváth
Seeking refuge morphine addict, decadent Dr. Jozsef Brenner arrives to a
remote institution for disturbed women. One patient quickly attracts his
attention. Gizella Klein is convinced a devil wants to consume her: "The evil
one is constantly rummaging around in me," she writes. In fact, she's filled
dozens of thick diaries and much of the available wall space in her room
with such florid, frenzied ramblings about possession and control; though
professional, Brenner's admiration for her profligacy soon curdles into
jealousy and lust. Their forbidden attraction finally consummated in a
strenuous act of passion, the remorseful yet ruthless Brenner figures out a
way to simultaneously ease Gizella's pain while revitalizing his writing
career.
Prizes:
Porto FANTASPORTO
2008: Best Feature Film's Manoel de Oliveira Award,
Best Actress: Kirsti Stubo
Budapest Hungarian Film Week
2007: Best Director: János Szász,
Best Cinematography: Tibor Máthé,
Best Sound: István Sipos, Manuel Laval, Matthias Schwab,
Gene Moskowitz Prize
Moscow International Film Festival
2007: Best Actress: Kirsti Stubo
Hungarian Film Festival L.A.: Don't Read My Lips
Dreadful dubbing aside, strong films shine
By Robert Koehler
Published on October 16, 2008
For even greater intensity, try Opium: Diary of a Madwoman,
which features the stunning and virtually unknown Norwegian
actor Kirsti Stubø in a performance that can only be compared to
Maria Falconetti in Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc. The only
shame in this extreme study of creative madness and primitive
science is that Stubø and co-star Ulrich Thomsen (perhaps
Europe’s most consistently brilliant film star) are dubbed into
Hungarian.
Play Trailor
(Ópium - Egy elmebeteg nő naplója)
János Szász
(2007, feature film, 35mm, colour, 108 min.)
Director: János Szász
Based on Géza Csáth
Screenplay: János Szász, András Szekér
Photography: Tibor Máthé
Editor: Anna Kornis
Set design: Tibor Lázár
Costumes: János Breckl
Sound: István Sipos, Manuel Laval, Matthias Schwab
Production company: Hunnia Film Studio, EuroArts
Production manager: Zsolt Valkony
Producer: Pál Sándor, András Hámori
Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Kirsti Stubo, Zsolt László, Enikő Börcsök, Gyöngyvér
Bognár, Roland Rába, László Kassai, Zoltán Szőllősi, Géza Szöllősi, Ákos
Horváth
Seeking refuge morphine addict, decadent Dr. Jozsef Brenner arrives to a
remote institution for disturbed women. One patient quickly attracts his
attention. Gizella Klein is convinced a devil wants to consume her: "The evil
one is constantly rummaging around in me," she writes. In fact, she's filled
dozens of thick diaries and much of the available wall space in her room
with such florid, frenzied ramblings about possession and control; though
professional, Brenner's admiration for her profligacy soon curdles into
jealousy and lust. Their forbidden attraction finally consummated in a
strenuous act of passion, the remorseful yet ruthless Brenner figures out a
way to simultaneously ease Gizella's pain while revitalizing his writing
career.
Prizes:
Porto FANTASPORTO
2008: Best Feature Film's Manoel de Oliveira Award,
Best Actress: Kirsti Stubo
Budapest Hungarian Film Week
2007: Best Director: János Szász,
Best Cinematography: Tibor Máthé,
Best Sound: István Sipos, Manuel Laval, Matthias Schwab,
Gene Moskowitz Prize
Moscow International Film Festival
2007: Best Actress: Kirsti Stubo
Hungarian Film Festival L.A.: Don't Read My Lips
Dreadful dubbing aside, strong films shine
By Robert Koehler
Published on October 16, 2008
For even greater intensity, try Opium: Diary of a Madwoman,
which features the stunning and virtually unknown Norwegian
actor Kirsti Stubø in a performance that can only be compared to
Maria Falconetti in Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc. The only
shame in this extreme study of creative madness and primitive
science is that Stubø and co-star Ulrich Thomsen (perhaps
Europe’s most consistently brilliant film star) are dubbed into
Hungarian.
Play Trailor
