Péter Bacsó (6 January 1928 – 11 March 2009) was a Hungarian

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. After high school graduation Bacsó wanted to become an actor and later a theatre director, but ultimately decided to try filmmaking. His first job in a film was as an assistant in Géza Radványi's ''Valahol Európában'' (''Somewhere in Europe'') at the age of 19. He continued as a script editor and screenwriter. He graduated at the Hungarian School of Theatrical and Film Arts in 1950. At the time he was already a familiar face in studios. He was a successful screenwriter during the 1950s before beginning to direct films a decade later. He made his first feature film, ''Nyáron egyszerű'' in 1963. He made his most famous film, '' A tanú'' (''The Witness'') in 1969, but it was banned at the time and wasn't released until 1979. The film became a cult classic in Hungary; it is a political satire about the early-1950s

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

regime. Bacsó later continued to make mostly political and satirical films, for a wider audience. He made various genre films, trying his hand in musicals, comedies, etc. He continued filmmaking up to his later years, however his last two films were generally dismissed by critics and the public alike as badly written and low quality works. His 2001 film ''Hamvadó cigarettavég'' (''Smouldering Cigarette'') was a biopic of Hungarian actress and singer

Katalin Karády Katalin Karády (8 December 1910 – 8 February 1990) was a Hungary, Hungarian actress and singer. A leading actress in Hungarian movies made between 1939–1945, she is best known outside Hungary as an awardee of the Righteous among the Nati ...

. His 2008 film ''

Virtually a Virgin ''Virtually a Virgin'' () is a 2008 Hungarian drama film written and directed by Péter Bacsó. It was entered into the 30th Moscow International Film Festival. Cast * Júlia Ubrankovics as Boróka * Attila Tóth as Móric * Gergely Kaszás a ...

'' was entered into the

30th Moscow International Film Festival The 30th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 19 to 28 June 2008. The Golden George was awarded to the Iranian film '' As Simple as That'' directed by Reza Mirkarimi. Jury * Liv Ullmann (Norway – Chairman of the Jury) * Michael ...

Selected filmography

* '' West Zone'' (1952) * ''

Keep Your Chin Up ''Keep Your Chin Up'' (Hungarian: ''Fel a fejjel'') is a 1954 Hungarian comedy film directed by Márton Keleti and starring Kálmán Latabár, Violetta Ferrari and Gyula Benkö. It was one of the most popular Hungarian films released during the ...

'' (1954) * ''

Tale on the Twelve Points ''Tale on the Twelve Points'' (Hungarian: ''Mese a 12 találatról'') is a 1957 Hungarian sports film, sports comedy film directed by Károly Makk and starring Klári Tolnay, Ferenc Zenthe and István Somló. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in ...

'' (1957) * ''

Crime at Dawn ''Crime at Dawn'' or ''Assassination Attempt'' (Hungarian: ''Merénylet'') is a 1960 Hungarian drama film directed by Zoltán Várkonyi and starring Lajos Básti, Irén Psota and Antal Páger.Rîpeanu p.61 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in ...

'' (1960) * '' The Witness'' (1969) * '' Present Indicative'' (1972) * ''Let Go of My Beard!'' reszd el a szakállam(1975) * ''

Oh, Bloody Life Oh, Bloody Life () is a 1984 Hungarian comedy film directed by Péter Bacsó. It was inspired by the actress Sári Déry. Cast * Dorottya Udvaros - Sziráky Lucy * Zoltán Bezerédi - Matura Sándor rendõrszázados * András Kern - Guthy R� ...

'' (1984) * ''

'' (2008)

References

External links

* 1928 births 2009 deaths Hungarian film directors Hungarian male screenwriters Place of death missing Dramaturges 20th-century Hungarian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Hungarian male writers Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery Hungarian Jews Hungarian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Hungarian screenwriters Film directors from Košice {{Hungary-film-director-stub