Two halves in hell
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Two halves in hell |
| Original title | Két félidő a pokolban |
| Country of production | Hungary |
| original language |
Hungarian , German |
| Publishing year | 1961 |
| length | 95 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Zoltán Fábri |
| script | Zoltán Fábri, Péter Bacsó |
| music | Ferenc Farkas |
| camera | Ferenc Szécsényi |
| cut | Ferenc Szécsényi |
| occupation | |
| |
Two halves in hell (original title: Két félidő a pokolban ) is a Hungarian film drama by director Zoltán Fábri from 1961. The film is set at the time of the Second World War and is based on the circumstances of the so-called Death Game of 1944.
action
On the birthday of Adolf Hitler on April 20, 1944, a football game between German soldiers and prisoners is to be held in a Hungarian prison camp in the Ukraine. The former national player Ónódi is supposed to form a team from the prisoners in his barracks. In return, Ónódi demands extra rations and a ball for training. In addition, his players should be exempted from labor service. The German commander accepts the demands, but demands that Ónódi renounce Jewish players on his team. Ónódi sees himself unable to form a team from the men in his barracks. Of the 98 inmates, only eight can play football. So he has to look for players in other barracks as well.
Steiner reports from a barrack, but he is Jewish and cannot play football. Nevertheless, he came forward out of fear of death. During a practice session, players can overwhelm a guard. You try to escape, but it fails. They face the death penalty but are asked to play the game.
At the beginning of the game the prisoners are discouraged and are quickly 3-0 down. But their fighting spirit will soon be awakened. Before half-time they cut it to 1: 3. During the break, players are told that they will not be executed if they lose the game. However, the prisoners did not believe the announcements. In the second half they manage to score three goals and thus put the prisoner team in the lead. They will all be executed during the game.
Reviews
The lexicon of international film describes the work as “an equally impressive film in terms of both content and form”. Sandro Forte on Cinetalk praised the patient and efficient structure of the story by the author duo Fábri / Bacsó. The artistic camera work and the portrayals of the main actors Sinkovits and Garas are also praised. In conclusion, he describes the film as a wonderful sports and war drama.
background
The world premiere took place on November 2, 1961. The original Hungarian version is 140 minutes long. In Germany, the film was shown on German television on June 21, 1965 in a 45-minute shortened version.
The 1981 US film Escape or Victory by John Huston tells a similar story, but with a happy ending.
Awards
The film was nominated for best film at the Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata . At the Thessaloniki International Film Festival he received a nomination for the honorary award. He won the Critics' Prize at the Boston Film Festival.
Web links
- Two halves in hell in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Two halves in hell. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 12, 2017 .
- ↑ Sandro Forte on Cinetalk (Engl.)
- ↑ Article in The Guardian of March 23, 2010 (Eng.)