Az ötödik pecsét

Plot synopsis:
The Fifth Seal is a study in depersonalization. Set in Budapest, 1944 towards the end of World War II, it tells the story of a group of friends hanging out in a bar owned by Béla (Ferenc Bencze), drinking, talking and having as good a time as they can, trying to stay out of trouble. Miklós (Lajos Öze) a watchmaker, László (László Márkus) a book seller and János (Sándor Horváth) a carpenter, are one night joined by a fifth man (István Dégi) who asks an innocent question:"Just imagine you are about to die, but you will be reincarnated in to one of two people; a slave or the rich master. The slave suffers under the master. He has his tongue and an eye removed and his wife and child are killed. He goes on living knowing he is a good person, as he never committed such appalling, sadistic acts on another like his master has done. The rich master has no moral qualms about it at all. He doesn't think what he did was wrong; the slave needed to be punished. You have the choice, whether to be a poor and righteous slave or be a rich and corrupt master."This hypothetical question changes their lives

Tags: philosophical

Review:
Great dialogs, great scenes and all about You....
One of the greatest newage hungarian writer Santa Ferenc's book is digging very very deep into the human being and the human nature.
Fabry, the director chose the best actors, and made one on the best hungarian movie.
You have to see it more than few times, to pick up everything.
Its all about life, about war, with amazing questions you cant even answer...You must read the book!!!egy csodálatos film..
An Intriguing and Universal Film.
What hypothetical question could be compelling enough to spawn an entire film?
I watched this movie because I wanted to know.The Good: The hypothetical is really very compelling.
Furthermore, it is discussed in a way that reveals its subtlety rather than coming back to the same sticking point over and over.
The characters in this film are vivid and well portrayed.
The setting is also surprisingly rich.
This is important because a lot of this movie takes place in the same place.
I was somewhat worried that this movie would just be people sitting around a table talking.
That is more or less the case, but it works out nicely.
The proceedings are intellectually and spatially dynamic.
I was also a bit worried that I wouldn't really be able to understand the film without having the proper cultural context.
This turned out not to be much of an issue.
I may have missed some things, but you can enjoy this film knowing only that its set in some country that is at war.
The Bad: A large part of this movie is people sitting around a table talking.
Like I said, I found this to be interesting, but it isn't particularly exciting.
It isn't inconceivable that some people might find this movie to be boring.
I should also mention that I found the final act, a drastic departure from the rest of the film, to be contrived.
Overall: This is an interesting movie.
Stark and intellectually engaging, the film is surprisingly powerful and surprisingly universal..
The Fifth Seal.
This film takes place in Budapest during the German occupation of Hungary toward the end of World War 2.
As it so happens, four men are sitting at a table in a bar when a stranger hobbles in and asks to join them.
After learning that the man was a soldier who was wounded during his service the talk subsequently takes a philosophical turn when a watchmaker named "Miklós Auricular" (Lajos Öze) tells a story and then asks a philosophical question which haunts each of these men the rest of the night.
The question, essentially, is whether it would be better to live as a slave and endure severe abuse but have a clear conscience or to live as an abusive slave owner and have no conscience at all.
Although they each reach various conclusions their beliefs and values are soon put to the test with surprising results.
Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a deep but rather dark film made even more interesting by the historical context involving the Russian offensive into Hungary.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that this film won the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival along with being nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1977.
That being said, I thought it was a good movie overall and for that reason I have rated it accordingly.
Above average..
I really can't describe the joy of discovering this movie.
A unique experience that combines art, meaning and an exceptional technique of cinematography.
The depth on the characters build up, the unbeliavable script and the absolute rhytm makes this movie a total monument in what the art of cinema stands for.
I really suggest you to watch this film.
The feelings and the tense which brings to the viewer cannot be described.
A true masterpiece from the titles of the beginning to the last scene!.
Excellent painting about the dictatorships work out.
*** In 1944 - during a WWII - a fascism regime has came into power in Budapest.
Although the hard circumstances few men come to drink and spend every evenings in a boozer together to speak about their common acquaintances and the proper and finest making of the fresh calf's meat.
They are Mr. Gyuricza, the watchmaker, Mr. Kiraly, the book agent, Mr. Kovacs, the carpenter and Bela colleague, the innkeeper.
One day an unknown photographer come to join them exactly when Gyurizca put a question in his usual satirical method to the company: what if they could rebirth and choose between the roles of the rich tyrant and the tortured slave who's still honorable.
That time they don't know yet that this theoretic question must be answered very soon in a real torture room.
***This movie paints excellent picture how the dictatorship has worked in deed and how the regime has caught and changed the common people into something they never would became.
It's not a 1984 like we've seen that in Orwell's powerful but mostly utopian vision, neither it's not really a V for Vendetta which is Hollywood's romantic Zorro-like dream about a totalitarian society.
It's the story of the nameless people, the nobody who has the power at will, but no will to use their power.
The director, Zoltan Fabri handles the characters properly.
The dialogs are great and the filming is amazing.
Some people may say it's dark but I think it has more then bright light to show how the regime has manipulated the common people who lived in the country.
They didn't print any handout against the regime.
They wouldn't explode anything.
They just would live in the country.
They were hazardous for the regime.
Once they got their accordance and reason, they got the power and could not be stopped anymore.
This is what the regime never let to happen.I think that the main oppressor character (formed by Zoltan Latinovics - in my opinion he was the one of the greatest actors who has ever lived) has right.'It's tiny issue when somebody drop a bomb to a party house.
Some paints things to the walls.
Some shoot few friend of ours that's also a tiny issue.
Because we are going to catch them and hang up or shoot them.
Before or after but finally they will be all dead for sure.
So they are all tiny issues.
So they are all tiny issues.
The remaining ones matter!
Whose don't explode bomb, don't paint or anything.
They live among us.
They are the mass.
We may have some real problem with them.'Fascism or communism.
Doesn't matter.
Both has followed the same overwhelming cliché what Ferenc Santa (the writer) put so effectively into his characters' mouth.
'These four men have to learn that you really have the right to tell them that their wife is a whore or beat them as you wish.
They must memorize that they can do nothing but you can do anything!
Keep them in doubts.
Let them fear, including the innocents and criminals...
so you will beat them on a pedagogic basis.'I'm wondering that this movie could be created during the 70s of Hungary (for the readers are not native Hungarians, we have a communist regime until 1989).
But I'm quite sure that the oppressors of that time didn't recognize themselves in this mirror as they acted right after 1956 in the darkest years of the communism.
Maybe Mr. Gyuricza, the watchmaker said properly.
'The tyrant was sure that he is the best ruler in world because he acts according to the morality of the age and he has right reason.'One more thing: in my opinion this movie precisely open up the sad fact that almost all dictatorships have left shame in the nameless survivors' soul for something, to hardly let them speak and trust again to each other.
It's one of the oppressors' well crafted advantage.In total: Excellent movie.
Deep and touching.
Good acting.
Honorable question.
What is your choice would be?I can recommend this anyone who wish to know more about that psychology of the theme.
Unfortunately the DVD release I got has got only Hungarian language.
I hope that some dubs or subtitles are available somewhere for other languages to show this great movie for a greater audience..
Amazing.
Would you rather be a tyrant or his victim?
Accidentally, characters start this conversation.
Soon, they will have to choose their roles for real.Seemingly boring typical evening in a bar turns wrong with the sudden arrival of the Arrow Cross (Hungarian gestapo).
Our heroes are a typical mix of ordinary people with no interest in big (war) events.
But someone's overheard their apparent antipathy for the regime and now they will have to prove on which side they are.Perfect play, almost a piece de theatre.
Forces you to think from the first time the difficult question is asked.
Then, scene-by-scene gets better and better until the end.
Stays in your head for long.
Could be easily interpreted as a hidden criticism of the communist regime back in 70's.
Absolutely timeless and always actual.
A masterpiece..
A masterpiece..
Best Hungarian movie of the 20th century.
When i first watched this movie, i was 16, and i was very impressed.
In my opinion this movie is the best Hungarian movie which was made in the 20th century.
I saw this movie a couple of times and i read the book as well.
It is strange, i enjoyed the book as well, but i enjoyed the movie a bit more.
If you didn't saw this movie yet, and you like slower philosophical movies, go and watch it, you wont regret...
I think i like this movie the most because i think the same way as the author of the book did.
In my opinion, if you would be able to choose between a life of an emperor and a slave, no one would choose the slave.
No matter how hard his/her life was before.
And as Gyuricza said in the movie, if you tell that you would choose the slave, you are a liar....
Big question about morality.
Who would you like to be: Tomóceusz Katatiki (slave-holder) or Gyugyu (slave)?
This question pops up at a casual meeting between regulars in a bar.
Everybody tries to figure out his own answer.
Meanwhile, the historical events unfold and the characters has to make their real choice in real life.A slow-paced, dialogue driven movie based on a book.
Characters played by top actors under good director.
Őze Lajos, playing one of the main character, has a really memorable acting here.
Music also matches the mood, a little bit grotesque made by a mechanical device, which we can observe at the beginning of the movie.
The visuals are usually dark, there are some references and symbols.
One of the most noteworthy visual reference is when a Hieronymus Bosch painting (The Garden of Earthly Delights) comes to life.It's a must see movie from Hungary.