'Hungary 1956' is part of these series of documentaries in which Western European film makers try to synchronize and inform their audiences about the history of the other Europe - the one that for almost half a century was under Soviet occupation and communist rule. It deals with a crucial moment in the history of Europe and of the Soviet block - the revolt of the Hungarian people against Soviet occupation and communist rule in 1956. It succeeds too little on the documentary side. Although quite a lot of film footage from the streets of Budapest is available, there is too little film, information and commentary to describe the whole situation in 1956 on the background of the history of Europe or of Hungary. I doubt that somebody uninformed on the theme learned or understood too much of the context.
There is a second opportunity which is missed here. The film was made 50 years after the events, and this is a date when many witnesses are still available - a golden moment for documentary film makers. There are some who appear in the film, in fact much of the structure of the film is based on testimonies, but the viewers get too little information at human level - who they were, what role they played before and during the revolution, what became of them after 1956. They just retell the events of these days and this is not enough. I hope that Hungarian or other authors did or will catch the opportunity to not let this important moment of history pass and first-hand testimonies about it be caught on film in an documented and detailed manner for the future generations.
