Boys from Paulstrasse

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Movie
German title Boys from Paulstrasse
Original title A Pál utcai fiúk
Country of production Hungary
original language Hungarian , English
Publishing year 1968
length 105 minutes
Rod
Director Zoltán Fábri
script Noel Langley
Endre Bohem
production Endre Bohem
music Emil Petrovics
camera György Illés
cut Ferencné Szécsényi
occupation

Boys from Paulstrasse is a Hungarian film from 1968 by Zoltán Fábri . The story is based on the novel The Boys from Paulstraße (1906) by Ferenc Molnar .

Original author Franz (Ferenc) Molnár (photo from 1918)

action

Monument to “The Boys from Paul Street” in Práter utca, Budapest

Budapest, at the beginning of the 20th century. At the center of the plot are two rival youth gangs. On one side there are the students of St. Paul, on the other the so-called Red Shirts, led by the aggressive, brutal and terrifying Feri Áts. After two of the red shirt members did violence to little Ernõ Nemecsek, the members of the Paulstrasse gang under Janós Boka's leadership decide that it is time to put an end to the red shirt provocations and to decide who is around The building site on Paulstrasse has the say to seek a “final battle”. The red shirts have the firm intention of taking the boys from Paulstrasse away from their playground, known as the “reason”, and they are not exactly squeamish about their weapons. It also relies on treason (namely the Gerébs) and mutual spying.

Now it is up to little Nemecsek, who is often neither taken seriously by his own people nor by opposing bullies, to prove his courage and loyalty to his own comrades. He brings back the flag captured by the red shirts from his own youth gang and suddenly is the hero. The final fight finally takes place on the “ground” by all means, including fights from “man” to “man”. Janós' boys from Paulstrasse win the decision, but little Nemecsek, who is "sunk" in the adjacent pond, gets pneumonia and ultimately dies in his mother's arms. Both sides pay their respects to the brave Ernõ. In the bitter realization that the fight for the "reason" was completely in vain, because the undeveloped piece of land is to be given a new purpose by the city and none of the children will ever serve as a playground anymore, everyone remains affected.

Production notes

The film was made in 1968 and premiered in Hungary at the end of the same year. The Hungarian mass start was on April 5, 1969. In Germany, the film did not go into cinemas, but was first broadcast on ZDF on November 1, 1978 .

The buildings were created by József Romvári, and Tilda Gáti was responsible for the furnishings. Judit Schäffer designed the costumes.

Boys from Paulstrasse was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Non-English Language Film in 1969.

Reviews

In March 1969, the trade magazine Variety read: “It is a warm story of the pre-battle ritualized events, with the main focus on the youngest and smallest member of how they respond to the coming conflict. The Endre Bohem production is typically European in terms of feel, and Zoltan Fabri's directing his and Bohem's script are sufficiently fluid to keep the interest going… ”

The Movie & Video Guide saw here an "eloquent statement against the war in an effective film".

Hal Erickson located in the strip an "anti-war allegory in the streets of Budapest".

Film adaptations

Other film versions of this material were

  • A Pál utcai fiúk (Hungary 1919), directed by Bela Balogh
  • No Greater Glory (USA 1934), directed by Frank Borzage
  • I Ragazzi della via Paal (Italy 1935), directed by Alberto Mondadori and Mario Monicelli
  • I Ragazzi della via Pál (Italy 2003, with Mario Adorf ), directed by Maurizio Zaccaro

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In the original: “It is a warm story of the ritualistic events prior to the battle, with principal interest focused on the youngest and smallest member as he reacts to the coming conflict. The Endre Bohem production is typically European in feeling and Zoltan Fabri's direction of his and Bohem's script is sufficiently fluid to maintain interest… ”
  2. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 157
  3. ↑ The Boys of Paul Street on allemovie.com

Web links