Film

Sleepless Years

Name: Sleepless Years
Director: Félix Máriássy
Released: 1959
Cast: Éva Ruttkai, Géza Tordy, Éva Vass, Gábor Agárdi, István Avar

1959 · 107 min · Dir. Félix Máriássy

The "sleepless years" in this propaganda piece by director Felix Marlassy occur on Csepel Island, an island south of Budapest that is home to an armaments factory. The factory workers are shown being exploited by imperialists, capitalists gone berserk, and fascists, more or less in that exact chronological sequence. The heavy-handed approach does much to undercut the belief that when socialism finally takes over, the lives of the workers are brought up to a human level. In this instance, audiences might prefer a more nuanced and subtle statement, no matter what the message.