The Falcons

This overlooked film from Hungary deserves to be seen more often. Istvan Gaal directs a seemingly straightforward film about a rural outpost where falcons are trained and used to control birds considered as pests to farmers. This narrative is simply a cover for subtle observations on the communist system and of how it depersonalises individuals. Use a simple equation: falcons = government agents and/or communist citizens.

We observe the action of the film through the eyes of "Boyo", the urban visitor to the camp. The head of the camp is Lilik who trains his falcons according to rigid ancient traditions. The film is shot in beautiful colour and features the hot, harsh environment of the plains of Hungary.

After seeing the film you wonder what it was all about. There is no great dramatic plot nor is there any deep dialogue. Boyo arrives, learns and then departs. However, after viewing you realise that things in this film - and in life - are not always what they seem. A visual treat with a standout scene featuring the training of falcons.

about falcons. and people. and a political regime. all - presented in simple manner. images, meets and dialogues. a man in a falcon farm. the contact with new reality. the art of an old employment. rules, memories, drama, experiences. and the depart. one of admirable films about nothing. important for the science to discover world behind its appearances. a trip in the essence of things. and the poetry of image. a film who, maybe, could be discovered in its real message sense by the viewer who knows the Comunist reality in East. but the wise choice to suggest, the air, rain, falcons and dreams of the woman, the deep solitude of the visitor , the small room with the painting representing birds, the relation between the master of farm and his birds, the parable about dictatorship are pieces defining a great film and a real useful story.

I just had the opportunity to see Istvan Gaal's THE FALCONS on a screen. It's a good example of the seventies' films that trust the spectator and give away only little information on the characters' backgrounds and their destination in life. The film comes close to Brechtian alienation effect and there's simply no one to get deeply interested in. Hence the film shifts the spectator to watch closely for the political undertones and subtle messages. There's also the rhythm of the falcon training and the dull imagery of the Hungarian pusta which add to the overall experience.

The film seemed to be to many quite compelling. I chatted for a while with a friend of mine and she said: "What was the meaning of that?" I think it's best - as the previous (and only!) commentator said - to interpret THE FALCONS as a satire on the Communist system. The film has pretty weird, almost surrealist symbolism for which there's no explanations or easy give-aways, but then again Gaál has said himself that he's not interested in substance, only in structure. Maybe this was the only way he got his films made in the Socialist Hungary. I hope this film would be released as a good quality DVD. The old 35mm copy I saw yesterday was full of scratches and the colours were faded. There were two subtitles: in English and in Finnish. The English ones were at the bottom of the screen and the Finnish ones were in the middle!