In article >,
Janos Koplyay > wrote:

>>What I don't understand is, how come the Hungarian
>>actor or dubbing speaker did not notice this obvious error.
>
>The actor was obviously NOT Hungarian

His pronounciation sounded authentic Hungarian, though come to think of
it, it may have been -- say -- a Romanian actor from Transylvania who
knew enough Hungarian to learn what he had to say in the movie, but
without complete comprehension.

Oh, and by that "maffia" label I only meant to implied some kind of
organized crime, not necessarily as extensive as the original, Sicilian
variety.  The Turkish connection sounded pretty contrived to me, too;  I
suspect the film makers, as most Americans, couldn't even find the two
countries on the map, but the connection must sound pretty good to that
type of audience.

>Zsa Zsa has never been a Hungarian. 

That's news to me, for her accent is so typically Hungarian, not German!

Joe Pannon

From the VOA report:

>HUNGARY HAS VERY LARGE BUDGET AND TRADE DEFICITS AND NEEDS I-M-F 
>MONEY TO AVERT FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES.  IF THE TALKS GO WELL, 
>HUNGARY COULD BEGIN RECEIVING I-M-F CREDITS BEFORE THE END OF THE
>YEAR.

But isn't exactly these credits that dig Hungary into an ever-increasing
hole?  It seems to me that the last thing Hungary needs right now is
incurring more debt than already amassed.  If IMF really wanted to help,
it should write off some of that debt, not adding more to it.

Joe

>... most Americans, couldn't even find the two countries on the map......

I agree, most Americans wouldn't find the two countries on the map.

>>Zsa Zsa has never been a Hungarian.
>
>That's news to me, for her accent is so typically Hungarian, not German!

Her accent may sound "so typically Hungarian" but when she speeks
occasionally Hungarian it does not sound Hungarian. She has a definite
foreign accent. Claiming to be Hungarian gave her sort of a mystic before
most Americans ever heard of Hungary (due to the 1956 revolution)

Janos

>But isn't exactly these credits that dig Hungary into an ever-increasing
>hole?  It seems to me that the last thing Hungary needs right now is
>incurring more debt than already amassed.  If IMF really wanted to help,
>it should write off some of that debt, not adding more to it.
>
>Joe

Very well said! The IMF monetary "help" would end up in the current
Socialist Goverment's pocket and eventually the "ever increasing hole"
would become a Black Hole swallowing the Country for ever. From what I hear
and read about the Hungarian Administration, they put Hungary in a free
fall and unless somebody wakes up over there and vote them out of the
power.

They are the same individuals who were Communist interrogators during the
1956 revolution and who owned most of the real estate in the Communist era.

Gyula Horn, the current Prime Minister was recognized by many tortured
Hungarians as one of those "interrogators". His Cabinet is full with his
contemporaries.

It is really the prvious administration's fault that they were not locked up in
1990 by the first democratic goverment. Antal Gyula, the first democratic
Prime Minister gave a general amnesty and since they owned the real estate
and were directors in the industry, they kept everything and now are
selling it under the "privatization" banner.

Jozsef Antal died before the second election and Hungarians wanted to
forgive and forget with catastrific results when the Horn Administration
won the election in 1994 (they bought most of the vote and cheated at
will).I was home in 1994 during the election and interestingly NOBODY I
talked to admitted voting for the current Communist/Socialist
administration (except the communists).

The IFM money would go directly to Switzerland in their private account and
Hungary would be suffocated in the process. Hungary needs foreign aid and
modern technology to catch up wit 40 years of neglect and exploitation (a
friend of mine requested a telephon hook-up 37 years ago and he is still
waiting for it).

We are giving foreign aid to most everybody including Russia, why not
include Hungary in the list.

Janos

..

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign policy 
institution in Washington DC, is seeking qualified interns for its 
Central European project for Fall 1995.

Knowledge of a Central European language (Polish, Czech, Slovak, 
Hungarian, Slovene) preferred.

For more information please contact David Augustyn at 202-775-3166, or 
at this e-mail address.

Eskimo Woman Feels Cold is a 1983 feature film by Janos Xantus which
for some reason has found its way into the 1995 Toronto International
Film Festival. (An unkind voice whispered to me later that a
Hungarian-Canadian sponsor had insisted on Hungarian content at this
year's festival. This includes a retro of the always disagreeable and
depressing Bela Tarr.) The story is of an unpleasant concert pianist
named Laci who is looking to get laid after a recital. He wants a
blonde, he says rudely to some fawning brunettes. Sure enough, a blonde
happens by, and is apparently unable to resist this talentless drunk.
It turns out Mari's married to a deaf-and-dumb zookeeper, Janos, who
rescued her when she was a teen runaway. And so an unlikely triangle
emerges. The film recounts the sordid unfolding of this affair between
unlikable people, and the beginning of Mari's singing career. It ends
with Laci being murdered by Janos (that's the first scene, so I'm not
giving away anything here.) The title seems to refer to the white
man's fable of Inuit men offering their women to their guests, though no
mention of this is made.

The director shows undeniable talent in eliciting natural, unconstructed
performances from his principals, and an eye for minor detail that lends
the film an air of gritty and squalid realism. One scene stands out:
starting with a scuffle between Laci and Janos, and ending with the
three jamming together, Janos on drums, Laci on piano, and Mari's voice.
And speaking of which, it's awful: flat, and off-key, and we are forced
to listen to her caterwauling "blues" numbers not once, but several
times. (The audience burst into spontaneous laughter during one of her
songs, which began "This will never end..")

Maybe there is some aspect of East European realism that escapes me
here, but I am truly baffled as to why this movie was made. This tale
of unpleasant marginal characters is unredeemed by any relevance to a
universal human condition, the relationships are abusive, not to
mention the sex, and I am honestly unable to see how any of these
characters could be attracted to any of the others. And especially the
unbearable singing is difficult to sit through. A truly tiresome film.
-- 
Balaji

To see the beauty of Laila, requires the eyes of Majnu.