''Cats' Play'' () is a 1972 Hungarian drama film directed by

Károly Makk Károly Makk (December 22, 1925 – August 30, 2017) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Five of his films were nominated for the ''Palme d'Or'' at the Cannes Film Festival; however, he won lesser awards at Cannes and elsewhere. He w ...

and based on the novel by István Örkény. It was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. It was also entered into the

1974 Cannes Film Festival The 27th Cannes Film Festival took place from 9 to 24 May 1974. French filmmaker René Clair served as jury president for the main competition. The ''Grand Prix'', then the festival's main prize, was awarded to American filmmaker Francis Ford C ...

Plot

Giza resides not far from

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

with her son Michael, his wife, and their two grandchildren. Having migrated from Hungary to the

Federal Republic A federal republic is a federation of Federated state, states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means a country that is governed by elected re ...

, she now finds herself in retirement. Her health, though not perfect, is manageable. She maintains lively correspondence with her younger sister Erzsi, who remains in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, working as a music teacher. Additionally, Giza cooks for a younger married doctor couple. Despite being widowed, she enjoys occasional dinner invitations from her daughter. However, her daughter, Ilona, married to the doctor Joseph, has yet to have children. Erzsi, feeling somewhat redundant, rarely engages in phone conversations with her sister. Erzsi is on a quest for a specific photo depicting both sisters during their youth. Unfortunately, Giza does not possess the photo and suspects it may have been lost. Erzsi shares tales of Paula in her letters to Giza, whom she has recently reunited with. In the past, Paula had saved Erzsi and her husband Béla from starvation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Presently, Paula wields a significant influence over Erzsi, persuading her to dye her hair and gifting her a dress. Giza, observing from a distance, feels pangs of jealousy but later apologises in a subsequent letter. On the other hand, Erzsi discloses to Paula in one of their meetings her affection for opera singer Viktor Csermlényi and her deep-rooted passion for music. Erzsi and Viktor have been romantically involved since their youth, maintaining their affair even after Erzsi's marriage to Béla. Only after Béla underwent a complicated surgery did Erzsi sever ties with Viktor. However, they continue to meet every Thursday, where Erzsi prepares meals for him. Their love endures, albeit unspoken. Accompanied by her music class, Erzsi attends a performance of ''Boris Godunov''. However, she abruptly leaves shortly after the performance commences, unable to endure the music—Viktor had once portrayed the role, delivering one of his finest performances. Upon returning home, she encounters Viktor, who presents her with roses and sings for her. Despite Viktor's insistence that, at 71, he no longer possesses the same vocal prowess, Erzsi finds it disheartening to witness his decline. Soon thereafter, her professional life faces upheaval. Incensed by Erzsi's absence during the opera, her students intentionally perform poorly during a recital in front of the school principal. Consequently, the principal suggests Erzsi consider retirement in the fall. Shortly after, Erzsi accompanies Paula to Viktor's concert. Paula expresses a desire to meet the renowned singer. Later, Erzsi learns from Viktor himself that he escorted Paula home via taxi. They engaged in a lengthy conversation. Jealous and hurt, Erzsi initially contemplates canceling a planned dinner on Thursday but ultimately relents. However, she is informed by Viktor that a rehearsal unexpectedly prolonged, preventing his attendance. Enraged, Erzsi discards the meal. Subsequently, her maid Mousey expresses concern to Giza, suspecting Erzsi may be on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Despite Giza's attempts to persuade her to relocate, Erzsi adamantly refuses, preferring to spend her final days in Budapest. In receipt of a prescription for new sleeping pills from her brother-in-law, Erzsi ceases correspondence and disconnects the phone. Giza pens a letter to Mousey, informing her of an upcoming surgical procedure in two days' time. Meanwhile, Erzsi initiates numerous letters to Giza, none of which are dispatched. In these missives, she recounts an encounter with Viktor and Paula during a meal, during which she succumbed to rage, overturning the tableware, and leaving abruptly. Viktor remained unresponsive to subsequent calls, and attempts to converse with him at his concerts proved futile. Erzsi confesses her love for Viktor to Giza, entreating assistance in organizing a concert tour for him across the Federal Republic. Following days of lethargy spent in bed, composing unfinished letters, Erzsi consumes an overdose of sleeping pills. Though she collapses, she miraculously survives. A

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

from her nephew delivers the somber news of Giza's passing. Shortly thereafter, Paula dispatches a letter to Erzsi containing the long-sought photo, discovered amongst Viktor's belongings. Erzsi, in a gesture of closure, addresses the photo to Giza before dispatching it at the post office.

Cast

* Margit Dajka as Orbánné, Erzsi (as Dayka Margit) * Ildikó Piros as Orbánné at young age * Elma Bulla as Giza * Éva Dombrádi as Giza at young age *

Mari Törőcsik Mari Törőcsik (born Marián Törőcsik; 23 November 1935 – 16 April 2021) was a Hungarian stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 170 films from 1956 to 2020. She won the award for Best Actress at the 1976 Cannes Film Festiva ...

as Maid *

Margit Makay Margit Makay (4 August 1891 – 6 November 1989) was a Hungarian film actress. She appeared in 30 films between 1912 and 1989. Selected filmography * '' Man of Gold'' (1919) * '' The Five-Forty'' (1939) * '' The Bercsenyi Hussars'' (1940) ...

as Paula * Samu Balázs as Csermlényi Viktor * Gyöngyi Bürös as Ilus, Orbánné's daughter * Attila Tyll as Józsi, Ilus's husband * Sári Kürthy as Viktor's mother * Tibor Szilágyi as Iskolaigazgató (School director) * Erzsi Orsolya as Házmesterné (janitor's wife)

Production

''Cats' Play'' is based on the short novel ''Katzenspiel'' by István Örkény from 1964, which was also adapted into a play in 1971. Originally, the role of Giza was intended for Mária Mezei, but she withdrew shortly before filming began. She was replaced by Elma Bulla, who had previously portrayed Giza in the theater. The costumes were designed by Nelly Vágó, and the film sets were created by József Romvári. The film made its premiere at the

Cannes International Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around t ...

on May 10, 1974.

Recognition

''Cats' Play'' competed for the ''

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

'' at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1974. In 1975, the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

References

External links