The Fifth Seal (1976) User Reviews

Excellent painting about the dictatorships work out

[lmortin · 10/10 · 25 October 2008]

*** In 1944 - during a WWII - a fascism regime has came into power in Budapest. Although the hard circumstances few men come to drink and spend every evenings in a boozer together to speak about their common acquaintances and the proper and finest making of the fresh calf's meat. They are Mr. Gyuricza, the watchmaker, Mr. Kiraly, the book agent, Mr. Kovacs, the carpenter and Bela colleague, the innkeeper. One day an unknown photographer come to join them exactly when Gyurizca put a question in his usual satirical method to the company: what if they could rebirth and choose between the roles of the rich tyrant and the tortured slave who's still honorable. What would be? That time they don't know yet that this theoretic question must be answered very soon in a real torture room. ***

This movie paints excellent picture how the dictatorship has worked in deed and how the regime has caught and changed the common people into something they never would became. It's not a 1984 like we've seen that in Orwell's powerful but mostly utopian vision, neither it's not really a V for Vendetta which is Hollywood's romantic Zorro-like dream about a totalitarian society. It's the story of the nameless people, the nobody who has the power at will, but no will to use their power. The director, Zoltan Fabri handles the characters properly. The dialogs are great and the filming is amazing. Some people may say it's dark but I think it has more then bright light to show how the regime has manipulated the common people who lived in the country. They didn't print any handout against the regime. They wouldn't explode anything. They just would live in the country. Still. They were hazardous for the regime. Once they got their accordance and reason, they got the power and could not be stopped anymore. Or almost not. This is what the regime never let to happen.

I think that the main oppressor character (formed by Zoltan Latinovics - in my opinion he was the one of the greatest actors who has ever lived) has right.

'It's tiny issue when somebody drop a bomb to a party house. Some paints things to the walls. It's also tiny issue. Some shoot few friend of ours that's also a tiny issue. Why? Because we are going to catch them and hang up or shoot them. Before or after but finally they will be all dead for sure. So they are all tiny issues. The remaining ones matter! Whose don't explode bomb, don't paint or anything. They live among us. They are the mass. We may have some real problem with them.'

Fascism or communism. Doesn't matter. Both has followed the same overwhelming cliché what Ferenc Santa (the writer) put so effectively into his characters' mouth.

'These four men have to learn that you really have the right to tell them that their wife is a whore or beat them as you wish. They must memorize that they can do nothing but you can do anything! Keep them in doubts. Let them fear, including the innocents and criminals... so you will beat them on a pedagogic basis.'

I'm wondering that this movie could be created during the 70s of Hungary (for the readers are not native Hungarians, we have a communist regime until 1989). But I'm quite sure that the oppressors of that time didn't recognize themselves in this mirror as they acted right after 1956 in the darkest years of the communism. Maybe Mr. Gyuricza, the watchmaker said properly. 'The tyrant was sure that he is the best ruler in world because he acts according to the morality of the age and he has right reason.'

One more thing: in my opinion this movie precisely open up the sad fact that almost all dictatorships have left shame in the nameless survivors' soul for something, to hardly let them speak and trust again to each other. It's one of the oppressors' well crafted advantage.

In total: Excellent movie. Deep and touching. Good acting. Honorable question. What is your choice would be?

I can recommend this anyone who wish to know more about that psychology of the theme. Unfortunately the DVD release I got has got only Hungarian language. I hope that some dubs or subtitles are available somewhere for other languages to show this great movie for a greater audience.

Great dialogs, great scenes and all about You...

[pudli · 10/10 · 30 May 2003]

One of the greatest newage hungarian writer Santa Ferenc's book is digging very very deep into the human being and the human nature. Fabry, the director chose the best actors, and made one on the best hungarian movie. You have to see it more than few times, to pick up everything. Its all about life, about war, with amazing questions you cant even answer...

You must read the book!!!

egy csodálatos film.

what a masterpiece this is!

[miner-23176 · 10/10 · 21 February 2019]

I really can't describe the joy of discovering this movie. A unique experience that combines art, meaning and an exceptional technique of cinematography. The depth on the characters build up, the unbeliavable script and the absolute rhytm makes this movie a total monument in what the art of cinema stands for. I really suggest you to watch this film. The feelings and the tense which brings to the viewer cannot be described. A true masterpiece from the titles of the beginning to the last scene!

Amazing

[schleicher-filip · 10/10 · 11 October 2016]

Would you rather be a tyrant or his victim? Accidentally, characters start this conversation. Soon, they will have to choose their roles for real.

Seemingly boring typical evening in a bar turns wrong with the sudden arrival of the Arrow Cross (Hungarian gestapo). Our heroes are a typical mix of ordinary people with no interest in big (war) events. But someone's overheard their apparent antipathy for the regime and now they will have to prove on which side they are.

Perfect play, almost a piece de theatre. Forces you to think from the first time the difficult question is asked. Then, scene-by-scene gets better and better until the end. Stays in your head for long. Could be easily interpreted as a hidden criticism of the communist regime back in 70's. Absolutely timeless and always actual. A masterpiece.

Big question about morality

[szelcsillag · 10/10 · 7 January 2016]

Who would you like to be: Tomóceusz Katatiki (slave-holder) or Gyugyu (slave)? This question pops up at a casual meeting between regulars in a bar. Everybody tries to figure out his own answer. Meanwhile, the historical events unfold and the characters has to make their real choice in real life.

A slow-paced, dialogue driven movie based on a book. Characters played by top actors under good director. Őze Lajos, playing one of the main character, has a really memorable acting here. Music also matches the mood, a little bit grotesque made by a mechanical device, which we can observe at the beginning of the movie. The visuals are usually dark, there are some references and symbols. One of the most noteworthy visual reference is when a Hieronymus Bosch painting (The Garden of Earthly Delights) comes to life.

It's a must see movie from Hungary.

8.3/10. Recommended

[athanasiosze · 8/10 · 3 October 2023]

I don't know anything about Hungarian cinema except from Bela Tarr. This came to my attention by chance and these ecstatic reviews made me curious to watch it. I am glad i did. This is an amazing movie that makes you think a lot. This is pure Art and not pretentious or "artsy" at all. A movie with deep meanings. I can't say it amazed me from the start, but as it progressed, things fell into place and i realized that every word here had a purpose.

Last 40 minutes are heartbreaking and devastating. This monologue (y'all understand when you watch it) was bone chilling. It's true, every authoritarian regime has exactly the same goal: To make people losing their self respect. That's the key.

Some times, even "democracies" have the same goal. You can see it everywhere in the world right now.

There is no question, the best Hungarian movie of all time!

[TomiMaster14 · 10/10 · 17 November 2021]

Definitely "The Fifth Seal" (1976) the very best hungarian movie ever made!

The director Fábri Zoltán did an excellent job in this movie, and the cast, oh boy.., unbeatable: Latinovits Zoltán, Oze Lajos, Márkus László are the three giants in this movie, but in general everybody was perfect in this movie!

The narrative, and the messege is timless, that's why I can call this movie a masterpiece!

Best Hungarian movie of the 20th century

[Csiki911 · 8/10 · 11 February 2017]

When i first watched this movie, i was 16, and i was very impressed. In my opinion this movie is the best Hungarian movie which was made in the 20th century. I saw this movie a couple of times and i read the book as well. It is strange, i enjoyed the book as well, but i enjoyed the movie a bit more. If you didn't saw this movie yet, and you like slower philosophical movies, go and watch it, you wont regret... I think i like this movie the most because i think the same way as the author of the book did. In my opinion, if you would be able to choose between a life of an emperor and a slave, no one would choose the slave. No matter how hard his/her life was before. And as Gyuricza said in the movie, if you tell that you would choose the slave, you are a liar...

Masterpiece

[siradamn · 10/10 · 1 August 2019]

There is really hard to find words to describe this MASTERPIECE! The top of hungarian movie making for sure! An absolute must to watch!

The Fifth Seal

[Uriah43 · 7/10 · 17 November 2018]

This film takes place in Budapest during the German occupation of Hungary toward the end of World War 2. As it so happens, four men are sitting at a table in a bar when a stranger hobbles in and asks to join them. After learning that the man was a soldier who was wounded during his service the talk subsequently takes a philosophical turn when a watchmaker named "Miklós Auricular" (Lajos Öze) tells a story and then asks a philosophical question which haunts each of these men the rest of the night. The question, essentially, is whether it would be better to live as a slave and endure severe abuse but have a clear conscience or to live as an abusive slave owner and have no conscience at all. Although they each reach various conclusions their beliefs and values are soon put to the test with surprising results. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a deep but rather dark film made even more interesting by the historical context involving the Russian offensive into Hungary. Also worth mentioning is the fact that this film won the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival along with being nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1977. That being said, I thought it was a good movie overall and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

Amazing provocative cinema

[troplicanty · 9/10 · 28 June 2023]

Wow, I really enjoyed this film. What starts as a close and interesting character study escalates dramatically in the second and third segment. The question it presents is one anyone would struggle to answer, but one the characters are forced to answer. As per the time period tyrants, come and tyrants invariably fall, that is the one solace for poor Gyugyu.

The question might also be if the characters had not been asked the question the night before, would they have reacted the same way in the final scenes.

The other aspect of this film which I loved seeing is Budapest itself and the characters and life in its streets.

Not the seal errr. real deal

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 13 December 2022]

"Az ötödik pecsét" or "The Fifth Seal" is a Hungarian movie from 1976, which means that this movie had its 45th anniversary last year and this also means that the time when it is set is much closer to the time when this got made than the now is to when the film got made. Only to put things into perspective. I think it is a given to say that this film is in color and the days of (unintentional) black-and-white in movies were already gone by then. People today consider this one of Hungary's finest films from the 1970s. Some even think it is among the best films ever from this little Eastern European country. I cannot really agree as you can see from my rating. But first things first: The film runs for under two hours in any case and if you ignore the closing credits, then it is not much longer than 100 minutes. The writer and director was Zoltán Fábri, today long after his death probably still considered among Hungary's most known filmmakers, even if István Szábo is mentioned before him. Fábri has been in charge of over 20 films though, some of these considered classics in Hungary. This one here was picked as Hungary's official Oscar submission back then, but did not achieve the nomination. No huge surprise, but if you look at how films set against a similar background won Hungary the Oscar twice, it maybe can be called a small surprise, especially because Hungary had a solid record before that and the country's films were nominated twice in the slightly over a decade before this one. As for the cast, due to the film's age, you will not find too many people in here alive anymore in 2022. This includes the director who at least reached a decent age, but if you look at the actors at the center of it all, almost all of them went far too early. One who is still alive is Gabriella Kiss though, but she was also really young back then. She plays the stunning young woman with dark hair at one of the protagonist's homes. This is pretty much the middle part when the protagonists do not share the screen, but we see them return home and also see how they have this riddle in the head that one of them brought up at the pub right before that. This almost felt like an intermission that comes up after the long sequence inside said pub and what happens immediately afterwards when they reunite in the pub, but are taken away then not much later.

There is almost no comedy at all to this movie. One minor inclusion where some people laughed a bit in the pretty full room (it surprised me how many came to see this one and it was not even the only screening) was when we have one character bring home a big piece of meat and he really wants to tell the woman there that it is not for her. That is all though. Other than that, it is a serious film and especially towards the end it is all about survival. I guess the depiction there was the reason why many people gave this film such a high rating. Maybe I would also give it a higher rating on rewatch, but what I saw yesterday makes it pretty clear for me that I have almost no intention to watch this film again anytime soon. Maybe ever. May sound harsh, but I just did not find it any good or convincing. It was not too credible what the riddle from early on did with the men and how it stayed in their heads for such a long time apparently. That it almost changed their lives. If in a good or bad way, everybody must decide for themselves. I almost found the scenes more interesting that had this young rising officer with light hair together with the more experienced general and the latter teaches the former a lesson about how to deal with political prisoners. That murdering them right away is not always the best solution. You could think that through this he was not as evil as the young one, but with what happened in the end, you can say that he was obviously just a different kind of evil.

As I stated earlier, the depiction of this final scene and everybody from the protagonists suffering there was surely what made many people give this a high rating, but honestly I cannot do the same and ignore all the mediocrity before that. This long closing sequence was memorable somehow, but also I would not even say it was particularly good, let alone great. What is wrong with a man slapping the captured one from the resistance or wherever he was from? I mean it may sound harsh, but the slap would not kill him and apart from that the men are even told that the captured will die not much later, so it surprises me to see the others show such hesitation when it comes to slapping the other guy when it is about saving your own life. It is just a slap. I was really surprised that only one did it and also I found it pretty shocking that one character tries to hold another back when the latter is seemingly ready to go and slap the man. I mean the dying one in this scene may very well be innocent, but he is no saint or anything and we also do not know what he may have done or if he would slap our "heroes" if the situation was the other way around. By the way, I thought that the guy hanging there was the one who came to the pub and joined the other ones relatively early in the movie. Okay, what else can I say about this one? One aspect I liked and that keeps me from calling the film total failure was how the director managed to give us a claustrophobic depiction almost during the scenes in the pub, how they are locked in there in a way or not really locked in there, but they do their best to not attract any attention from everybody who is outside. Not with a lot success to be honest. Another interesting inclusion is the element of how, with the exception of the two who seem like main antagonists in the end, you can never be really sure who is good and who is maybe not so good from the main characters we meet already at the film's beginning. The shades are decent here and I can see why some maybe like this film, but for me it still did not do a lot. One example in terms of shades is also the guy who has the teenage girl at his home and all these other kids and you can never really be sure what is on his mind there. Why he does what he does and what his motivation there is. Dark or caring?

For me it is a somewhat close call between calling this a weak or calling it an okay movie, but taking everything into account, I would rather have to go with the former unfortunately. Another element I liked here was the music and with that I am not really talking about the score or soundtrack, but rather about the scenes of the film in which music was a slightly crucial part of the story, namely when one character wants to listen to it in the pub and then proceeds on to the billiard table immediately afterwards before giving it another try a little later. So I think there are individually good scenes and inclusions and here and there we also get some okay attention to detail, but in terms of a well-structured film as a whole, it was just not enough for me. The depiction of the group mentality between the men also did not really win me over. They could have done a lot more there with the characters, especially as they (or Fábri) I should say threw us immediately into the middle of the action with no introduction at all. This introduction then came in a delayed fashion an hour later when they showed us where the men went after leaving the pub. By the way, this film was based on a novel originally by Ferenc Sánta and he was not even 50 when this was made, so you can surely say that he got to witness how this film grew on people over the years. He was also the only person almost from everybody attached to this film who managed to reach the age of 80. I have not read the novel, so I cannot say if the problems I had with the theatrical outcome here are already to be found in the literary work or if they happened in the transition to the screen.

Overall, even if I did not like the outcome here too much and I think it is absurd to compare this film in any way to "Reservoir Dogs", let alone call it superior, I am still glad films like this are shown on the big screen here and there, especially in countries outside of Hungary. Classics returning to movie theaters has been such a positive trend in recent months, almost years and I genuinely hope that this tendency will go on and on for a long, long time. I keep reading that viewer numbers at movie theaters are still very low compared to where they were before the pandemic, but (almost) all the old films I watched on the big screen in recent months had rooms that were maybe not always packed to the last seat, but the viewer numbers were indeed pretty high. So yeah, "The Fifth Seal" gets a thumbs-down and negative recommendation from me in total and I think that there are many, many other movies dealing with the subject of military and prosecution during the days of World War II that should be seen before this underwhelming outcome we have here. Skip it.

So what?

[canerbaskurt · 4/10 · 24 October 2021]

All I can say is "so what?" for this movie. There's no conclusion, and no proper ending. What did you guys want to tell the audience by making this movie?