Somewh:?;[ere - (in the\= r/=emo_(te re^`gion, the war ends. In the midst_- of ruined ci\/^ties and houses in+$ the st :%reet?s, i,?*.n rural hamlets, everywhere where peopl.e stil_l)\/ live, ./?are \ children who hav%e
! /;/lost their .@!ho mes and parents. A]$_!bandoned,).% hungry, a nd /in rag_^s, d_e[@
fe]_ns eless and humi^.liated, they wa\nder through t[#;h(: e w!orld. Hunge/`/r driv//=es) them. Little %streams o*f orphans merge into ):%a river which ru]shes forward_* and_] submerge?/s -everything /%in its^ path. The children d$=o n-_ot =/
know an=
y fe^eling \; t)hey ,`#know]/ only the +`.-/world o\-.%f_ their enem(,ies `!,. T!+hey ].[fight, [=?steal, st(/ru)-ggle f `or+ a\-) mout+ h..]ful of food, and `violenc#@+e is `/m_erely a means t!,o get$( [:(it. A gang /led b$y[/ Cahoun fin!/ds a r=[ef*
uge in an abandoned castl^e_ and enc=o[unters an
old! composer 
who !.has volu?ntar@,[ il=*y retired into solitude =`%from a worl d of hatred-, trea[so@_n, 
and crime. H ow can :/(they fin@d a common ground,`?#_ ow can they becom`
e mutual f@:^?ri;=e= :_n/%ds The castle becomes their h(iding ]place but  pos,]sibly it
w)#ill a+lso,[]
; be t=h
+eir fi+-.rst ^`home(:?^( wh/*]ich the^y may or@:ga?ni \ze and =%must defend. .^Bu%`=t even +\for this, th_:;e pri#\c).e wi^ll be very high.　　To this simple story, the journ%,alist, w riter, po
]et, scrip] t@
w/(ri+
-ter, .movie director[, and film theoret.@i*cian Béla B,
!:a .lázs appli_
ed, many\ years of e =\xperience. He%\ and +t:he di(+re(ctor Géza Radványi creat)e!d-@` a !work which opened* _ a new postwar chapt /?er in Hungar;`ia)*/#n film. Sur)pris$/$ingly,% thi`$_s $] film has %.not;(-: lost any `.[)of its im,pact over t!h]e years @ , especially on a profoun/d+# philosophical@ l!^ev@
@[el. [T;_ hat is to say, ^?i
?t is not merely a mov?!/i[ \e about  ?war; i_-t is ,no\t important in what loca,t=$ion and i@])n what pe!ri$$[od of ti`,me it takes pl?$#ac+*( e$:.(( . It is a story outsi!$de of time ab%out th).e j`*=oyless fa
,t+e of]]\ =chi/ldren who pay dearl
y% f?
or t# ,h/ e cruel war games of adult)]#s.　　.- At the time it was premiered, the mov ?-i* . e was enthusiastically received \ by! the (cr +%itics. The ma*in roles )we;/re ta+!ken) by s\/\tre/etwise] boy*/s=`. of a childr:e^*n's.. group who ==%create=*d th?eir role) ]s imp?_[rovi_
+sationally in $+cl$; $os:= e c]? %on.tac;@t wit\h a  f,#(ew %pro f),[`essio.,%?nal actors, [and in th@,:e children,'s ac@@`ting their) own f
/;resh(_?: experienc;e [-
of w@! ar's turmoil :app #ears to b==;e reflect# ed. At t``he 
[(same tim@\e, *thei]\r performance fits$/\ admirably int/-o the mosaic of #a
#+very complex m@:^!ovie l(/=angua;?ge.*%+ B_@@,alázs's inf`!lue +=nce re_#vealed it(self,/ a?\)^b+o *ve all, in t[
he i: ntr !oducto=*ry/;) -sequenc*es/; a =n air raid\ on an amusement p_^ar \.k, se^e`n i -@n a montage of dram:? atic s
it*;=ua tions evok ?@ing the $
last s+pasms+ of =war, where, und-oubted#[ly,. we disce[@?rn ?the influence of classical ;`So-viet cinema*t(ography. Shooting, th?_(e %boy's e `scap%e, the loc^- )o`[motive's @ *-wheels, the sh@*adows ]%of soldiers with sub$machine guns, the :sou(=?n d of a whistl? +e—the images are  ]linked together in abr[^@;upt s^)@equences in which varying sh=ots and !):expressive sha \r-*p sounds are empha`,;size+#d.^ A:  pe?rfect$ly planned screenplay avoided al-l elements! of, sentimentality, tim)%?e-wo[[rn stereotypes of wr\onged children, romanticism and ch`eap s]!%!implific$ [at %io.n. T:!=he authors succeeded in bri:dg()ing the perilous` dramati/#c[$+ abyss of/ the metamorph @osis +( /(of a ch.\^%ildren's community+!(_. Th]*^eir telling:) of the st@ory (the scene of @`pillagin+!g,+; the as`).]^sault on t#
h;e [ $+\,cas#(
tle, etc) independently int rodu^$ced som-(e neorealis/?-*t element(s which, at that time+, we%r?$e be; =?ing propagated in Italy( . by [ )D/
e Sica=, Rossellini, and oth/ _e^r film //*artists..:
The/^- rebu kes of conte^+mporary critic+@[%s,$-] w.)[ho calle^d attent([ \i$\`on \;=to [ formalism f :or( its -o=%wn s*]ake -#hav
/_e `been f(orgotten. Th\^e mas+terly art o)f cam$*#e.;raman Barn- abás Hegyi gi_:.ves  $vitalit!_y to the poetic ^+images. His)_ angle shots (of the chil@dren  , his c.+o#[[mpositi(;- on of s/ cen: ,%es% in the !? castle inter+^ior=[,, are a li\^@ving document%)[ of the ti+_me
*s, an[d und!erlin%?=e t;=he]*$ at:-,mo;=;sphere and the`\ characters of  th.e protagonis@(?ts. ^
The success of the picture was al+_so enhanc  ed by the musical)] ar^.t of co#*%mposer Dén);;#;es Buday w\;^ho, :,in tense s$%;ituat@ions, inserted the theme of the Mars__eila-ise i``nt`o t,*he mov-$ie']s s.#tructure, as a motive of community uni.f(ication, as an expr .?ess[io\n of*[ friendsh)/ip a.\ nd the possib!ility of understanding.　　Vala//hol Europab\,\ an *_is the first/ significant postwar
(Hungar _i(]an f ,ilm. I
+%t or(^i=;ginate#d in a:+[]: rel`axe d atmo#sphere, rep%lete with` joy an%_d e-uphoria, ;and it includes `= t/$$hese eleme^]_nts !  in or#]der to demonstr$^a`te] ]the strengt+-/h o#@-f hu %(manism, tolerance, and fr;_iendship. It re_pres=)/ents\ a-# general?% cond [emnation? of[_ war anywhe!.[re in the #world+!], in a`\ny form.