''Song of the Cornfields'' (Hungarian: ''Ének a búzamezőkről'') is a 1947 Hungarian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, based on a novel by

Ferenc Móra Ferenc Móra (19 July 1879 – 8 February 1934) was a Hungarian novelist, journalist, and museologist. Life Ferenc Móra was born in Kiskunfélegyháza, into a financially poor family. His father Márton Móra was a tailor, and his mother ...

, directed by

István Szőts István Szőts (June 30, 1912 – November 6, 1998) was a Hungarian screenwriter and film director. He was born in Szentgyörgyválya (now Valea Sângeorgiului, Călan, Romania), and later moved with his father to Hungary. Szőts studied fine ...

and starring Alice Szellay,

János Görbe János Görbe born as Görbe János (November 12, 1912, Jászárokszállás - September 5, 1968, Budapest) was a prominent Hungarian actor of film and theater. He was the father of actress Nóra Görbe, star of the popular 80's TV series, "Lind ...

and

József Bihari József Bihari (1901–1981) was a Hungarian actor. Selected filmography * '' St. Peter's Umbrella'' (1935) * '' My Daughter Is Different'' (1937) * '' All Men Are Crazy'' (1937) * '' The Golden Man'' (1936) * '' The Village Rogue'' (1938) * ' ...

. A Hungarian soldier returning from fighting in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

marries the woman he believes to be the widow of a former comrade who he thinks died in the

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

camp in which they were held. ''Song of the Cornfields'' was one of only three Hungarian films to be made in 1947, as the film industry struggled to recover from the destruction of the final war years. It was the second film directed by Szőts, following up his well-received 1942 debut ''

People of the Mountains ''People of the Mountains'' (Hungarian: ''Emberek a havason'') is a 1942 Hungarian drama film directed by István Szőts and starring Alice Szellay, János Görbe, Péterke Ferency. The film is set in the Székely woodcutting community of Tran ...

'' which featured several of the same cast members. The film was banned in Hungary because of its depiction of the controversial issue of Hungarian prisoners held by the

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in th ...

. The Hungarian Communist leader

Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892
– 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian

walked out of a screening in protest, and the film was not shown again in Hungary until 1979.Cunningham p.62 Szőts' next scheduled film ''

Treasured Earth ''Treasured Earth'' ( Hungarian: ''Talpalatnyi föld'') is a 1948 Hungarian drama film directed by Frigyes Bán and starring Ági Mészáros, Ádám Szirtes and Tibor Molnár. It is based on a novel by Pál Szabó. It is also known by the alter ...

'' was taken away from him and given to

Frigyes Bán Frigyes Bán (19 June 1902 – 30 September 1969) was a Hungary, Hungarian film director. His wife was the actresÉva Vass (1933-2019) Selected filmography * ''One Night in Transylvania'' (1941) * ''Háry János (1941 film), Háry János'' (1941 ...

to direct.

Cast

* Alice Szellay as Etel *

as Ferenc *

as Mátyás *

Marcsa Simon Marcsa Simon (born Mária Cecília Simon 21 November 1882 – 8 January 1954) was a Hungarian actress. She was born in Tápiószele and died in Budapest. Selected filmography * '' Miska the Magnate'' (1916) * '' St. Peter's Umbrella'' (1917) * ...

László Bánhidi László Bánhidi (1906–1984) was a Hungarian actor. Selected filmography * '' Song of the Cornfields'' (1947) * ''Treasured Earth'' (1948) * ''Iron Flower'' (1958) * ''The Smugglers'' (1958) * '' Yesterday'' (1959) * '' I'll Go to the Min ...

* Lajos Gárday *

Jenö Danis Jenö Danis (1888–1963) was a Hungarian stage and film actor. Székely & Gajdó p.602 He appeared in more than forty films. Selected filmography * ''Landslide'' (1940) * '' On the Way Home'' (1940) * '' Entry Forbidden'' (1941) * '' Prince B ...

* László Joó * Erzsi Kõmíves * Viola Orbán * Károly Rácz * Eszter Sándor * Gyöngyi Váradi

References

Bibliography

* Cunningham, John. ''Hungarian Cinema: From Coffee House to Multiplex''. Wallflower Press, 2004.

External links

* 1947 films 1947 drama films Hungarian drama films 1940s Hungarian-language films Films directed by István Szőts Films based on Hungarian novels Films set in Hungary Hungarian black-and-white films Film controversies in Hungary Hungarian World War I films {{Hungary-film-stub