Set in Hungary in the years following the end of WW2, a young boy concocts a fantasy ideal of his father who has been killed in the war. In the boy's fertile imagination, the father attains mythical and
heroic qualities.
Szabó's poignant cinematic ode, combining humour with a poetic nostalgia, relates historical events through the prism of personal experience, producing a film of extraordinary warmth, intimacy and power.
Chosen by Hungarian critics and writers as one of the best Hungarian films of all time, Father also boasts luminous monochrome cinematography by the great Sándor Sára.
The DVD is presented in a brand new director-approved digital transfer with restored picture and sound, and booklet includes a new essay by author and Hungarian cinema expert John Cunningham.
András Bálint - Takó
Miklós Gábor - Father
Dániel Erdély - Young Takó
Kati Sólyom - Anni
Klári Tolnay - Mother
Directed by István Szabó
Screenplay - István Szabó
Cinematography - Sándor Sára
Music - János Gonda
Production Design - Károly Molnár
Costume design - Erzsébet Mialkovszky
Editor - János Rózsa
1966 Hungarian Critics Prize
1967 Moscow International Film Festival / Winner: Grand Prix
1967 Locarno International Film Festival / Winner: Special Jury Prize
10 Best Hungarian Films of All Time
"Szabó's superb second feature, a major prizewinner at the time... shot and edited with all the effervescent brio of early Truffaut" Michael Brooke, MovieMail
"A beautiful study of the need for heritage... Szabó has told his story on two levels that complement each other magnificently" The New York Times