Confidence

This was shown as part of a festival of films by Szabo Istvan at the National Gallery of Art Feb-March 08. nga dot gov.Suspense and tension is superbly developed. The ensemble work among actors, director, and cinematographer remind you of the best of Carroll Reed's films. Except they are all better. The male lead must have been the George Clooney of his day in Hungary. What does it mean to trust, surrender, take and give sexual intimacy, and love when you are explicitly denying your identity and suspect what even your love for your spouse? The print was excellent. The English subtitles were projected below the screen. I hope this means a transfer to DVD can be and will be released. I would rent or buy this for at least one more viewing. This is a more personal and affecting film than Szabo's "Sunshine." See it if you have a chance, even before Szabo's other, bigger films. (Colonel Redl, Mephisto, Hanussen.)

Haunting, disturbing and somewhat thrilling and erotic drama set in hungary during world war 2. a man and a woman pretend to be husband and wife to escape authorities during world war 2. they have connections to the hungarian resistance. they fall madly in love with each other. i really liked the way the film looked with those grayish ugly rotting city landscapes. the lead pair had some great chemistry. i realized that i had watched another SZABO film called LOVEFILM atleast 20 years ago after i checked his filmography. great background score too.

(8/10)

I agree with the general consensus of the few reviews posted here. A great and subtle film, which also manages to be suspenseful, erotic, and spiritual. It's among my favorites (which I realized after remembering and thinking about it for years, watching it again, and finding that it holds up to re-viewing). Although it's been years since his review, to "eyoder," who asked about any other version with alternate subtitles (i.e., other than English), the only video release I've seen is the Second DVD. Not sure this has Spanish or French, but it might. Checking the Amazon.fr site, however, an outfit by the name of Clavis Film released a version which is surely French-subtitled.

I saw this film, accidentally, in t.v., and I feel astonished how dramatic stories can be expressed by so simple and poor instruments and, still, be so strong and unforgetable. A love story in an impossible circumstances of war and slandering (in Hungary of World War 2) - could exist? may be love cannot exist without freedom? Or, in opposite: real love is possible only in a crazy times? it's very realistic and sad movie which tell us about a short love but real one (because this love stand against all difficulties of those days). I recommend you to see "confidence" and you will not forget this masterpiece drama.

"Confidence" (1980) is not a mood-lifter: the streets are empty, the colors are grey, the skies are cloudy, the houses are minimally furnished. But it is a compelling movie, an example of superior filmmaking for adults (it goes deeper than most movies). It is also surprisingly feminist, much of it told from the point-of-view of ldikó Bánsági (a natural beauty); the love scenes are not explicit but sensuous. ***1/2 out of 4.