The heroes of this story, based on real events at the end of the 1930s and during World War II, face and dismiss the illusions of intellectuals about their ability to transform society. Professor Magyary and his disciples hoped to promote the modernisation of Hungarian society through a radical reform of public administration.
Acting
Eperjes carries the weight of doomed conviction beautifully.
Direction
Bereményi finds tension in policy meetings and paper shuffling.
Director
Géza Bereményi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Magyary was a real figure whose public administration theories were genuinely influential across interwar Europe, making this possibly cinema's most obscure biopic subject.
The film's 1985 release during late socialism let Hungarian audiences read their own trapped reformism into the 1930s narrative—art imitating history imitating art.
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