The Conquest (1996) User Reviews

I had high hopes of this movie, but it's a disappointment

[vikcy · 2/10 · 27 May 2001]

Maybe it's not so bad after all,but I expected so much... I think the non-Hungarian viewers will like it better, because after all it's not a bad movie, music is cool, costumes are too, and they can get known the origin and ancient history of Magyars (Hungarians).Story is also very good, because its pure history :) To make a long story short, it was a total disappointment ,not only for me,but for everyone I was spoken to. Why? Answer is simple I think. Too few battle scenes made it a little bit boring. And when finally a battle occurs what can we see? The attacking enemy horde consists of 3-4 !! horsemen...And choreography is far worse than for example in Braveheart or V. Henry.Yah,the main weakness is the choreography of all the battles I think. But the acting is good. But the biggest problem in our opinion, that in our imaginations our ancestors are not the same as in the movie. They were hotheaded,reckless,bellicose warriors, and whole Europe was seized by fear cause of their Excellent horse-archer skills. And the movie doesn't shows this. We can see only a bunch of miserable fugitive, who ask for the inhabitants: - Please let me live here in the Carpathian basin.

No matter however what have I said, because of the subject, this is the movie that all Hungarian (living here or anywhere in the world) MUST view at least once.

The very worst I have seen in a long-long time...

[eloedl · 25 November 2007]

I agree with the other commentators, it is bad. Actually, worse then that. It is harmful, since it portrays history in a completely slanted and erroneous way. Even as a joke it is bad. There are historical errors and impossibilities in this nonsense.

However, it has a redeeming quality, however not as a movie, but as an audio-CD. The music is superb, and highly enjoyable. This music should have been used in a far more valuable film-production.

Well, this is what happens, if one writes-produces a movie without his heart, mind and soul in it.

The producers would have, or could have been successful if their judgment is correct, their choice of adaptation accurate and their expectation more realistic.

So, don't look at it, just listen.

You Don't Want To See This "movie"

[jester-c · 1/10 · 1 August 2005]

This is the most terrible historical movie i'd ever seen. I don't know why Franco Nero is playing the one of the greatest Hungarian leaders? There are so many actor in Hungarian who can play better this role. It would be a national movie isn't it? I think the directing is ridiculous. For example, when then Hungarians crossing over the 'endless wetland', you can see the dry grass near the track with knee-deep smash :( I had to laugh when i saw the great enemy. There was about five horsemen, who attacks the Hungarian people! And the choreography... it is more than annoying. The acting wouldn't be too bad, but the director gives the actors bad instructions. In the most of the movie the actors are just put their eyes int the far, and the cameras watching their motionless faces... But, the music is great. The music writer gives his best in this production. So, if you want to laugh with your friends, call them, get popcorn, beer, watch this film. But for an national historical film... it's terrible.

One of the wirst movie ever seen

[zsofi-sebok · 1/10 · 23 October 2020]

I think there is no need to say more. Really disappointing.

this film is history

[siposaron · 14 February 2004]

I think this is the most boring film I've ever seen, even though I'm a Hungarian, I say that I've wasted more than 2 hours of my life, and I've waited the end of it, was curios of it. That's all. The soundtrack is marvelous, written by Koltay Gergely, the founder of Kormoran, which is one of the purest Hungarian folk and roll band ever.

It is not about action!

[juliette-kiss · 5 March 2008]

Today morning I have listened the music from the film. It is marvellous indeed! Suddenly I have realised that I do not know the English word for "honfoglalas", so I opened the dictionary. The result: "Settlement of the Magyars in Hungary". There is no English word for it! It is something unique we have as the whole process of settlement is unique. Maybe the film is not the best presentation for the beginning of the Hungarian history, maybe the plots are not perfectly directed, maybe we miss some more battle and bloody fights, but I do not think the film should be purely about territorial fight. I think it is more about a spiritual search to find a place in the world, to find an identity. If one can understand this deep background and is capable to know it as his/her own search, then the film will not be boring any more. It will not be dull, because then we could feel the unique Hungarian spirit behind it rather than we would expect for more and more action and surprisingly palatial scenes. Remember, this film is not about action!