József Gémes

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József Gémes (born November 9, 1939 in Budapest ; † April 13, 2013 there ) was a Hungarian animator , film director and screenwriter . He is considered one of the most important animators in Hungary and is best known for the historical epic Daliás idők (1983) and children's films such as Princess Aline and the Groblins (1991).

life and work

József Gémes worked as a lathe operator from 1959 to 1961 before he was accepted at the Budapest University of Applied Arts. There he learned painting and animation under György Z. Gács and József Nepp. From 1965 he worked for the Pannonia film studio and a year later he obtained his diploma in cartoon , design and directing. In 1968 he took over the management of Pannonia and his first short film was made under the title Koncertisszimo . The three-minute film in red and black and white is considered a milestone in Hungarian animated film and is to be understood as an anti-war statement.

In the following years Gémes devoted himself to other short films and television series , whereby his overall humanistic work was characterized by bizarre comedy and black humor in this phase . He then turned to fiction and in 1975, after half a decade of drawing and animation, completed The Hippopotamus Hugo , which became the model for many animators in Hungary. While painting remained the main medium of his films, Gémes began to process his predilection for Hungarian literature . In 1983 he created his Magnum opus with Daliás idők ( English title: Heroic Times ). The historical epic is based on the Toldi trilogy by the poet János Arany and consists of thousands of painted pictures that harmonize with one another. For this he received the Grand Prix of the Festival d'Animation Annecy in the feature film category in 1985 . He made another literary work in 1994 with Új Iliász, based on a short story by Frigyes Karinthy .

Gémes reached his largest audience with the children's films Willi, der Spatz (1989) and Princess Aline and the Groblins (1991). He made most of his films with the Pannonia Filmstudio, later also in Kecskemét , such as A walesi bárdok from 2010. Today, the Budapest native is mentioned in a ranks with colleagues like Marcell Jakovics , Sándor Reisenbüchler praised his "balanced, meticulous perfection" . Even Oscar winner Ferenc Rofusz found 2,001 words of appreciation and called Gémes as a "genius" in an interview.

From 1967, József Gémes was married to the film director Edit Bleier (* 1939), with whom he had a son born in 1969. He died on April 13, 2013 at the age of 73 and was buried with his family, as the Hungarian Film Association announced a month later.

Filmography (selection)

Director

  • 1968: Koncertisszimo (short film)
  • 1970: Díszlépés (short film)
  • 1973: Archibald, the space trotter ( A Mézga család különös kalandjai , TV series, 2 episodes)
  • 1983: Daliás idők
  • 1989: Willi, the Sparrow (Vili, a veréb)
  • 1991: Princess Aline and the Groblins (The Princess and the Goblin)
  • 1994: Új Iliász
  • 1997: Bobo and the Rabbits 2 - Adventure in the forest
  • 2010: A walesi bárdok (short film)

animator

  • 1970–1973: Archibald, the space trotter ( A Mézga család különös kalandjai , TV series, 14 episodes)
  • 1975: The hippopotamus Hugo (Hugó, a víziló)
  • 1980: Vakáción a Mézga-család (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1985: The Great Christmas Race ( Lollipop Dragon: The Great Christmas Race , TV movie)
  • 1986: Cat City (Macskafogó)
  • 1989: Willi, the Sparrow (Vili, a veréb)
  • 1991: Princess Aline and the Groblins (The Princess and the Goblin)
  • 2002: Ének a csodaszarvasról

script

  • 1966: Gusztáv (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1983: Daliás idők
  • 1989: Willi, the Sparrow (Vili, a veréb)

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Meghalt Gémes József rajzfilmrendező. válasz.hu, May 21, 2013, accessed March 14, 2019 (Hungarian).
  2. ↑ a b Meghalt a Vili, a veréb alkotója. HVG Kiadó Zrt., May 16, 2013, accessed on March 14, 2019 (Hungarian).
  3. ↑ a b c Zalán Vince: “Tán őszi fáknak hulló levelére? ...” FilmVilág, July 2013, accessed on March 14, 2019 (Hungarian).
personal data
SURNAME Gémes, József
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian animator, film director and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH November 9, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Budapest
DATE OF DEATH April 13, 2013
Place of death Budapest