The Despairing People

This film (drama)Also known asSzegénylegények，is aHungaryProducerwomen sex，At1966Released in year 。The dialogue language isHungarian，Current Douban rating7.8(For reference only)。

In 1848, Hungary erupted in a national movement against Austrian Habsburg rule, led by Kossuth. Unfortunately, the revolution failed, and Austrian hegemony was reestablished. To completely eradicate the legendary Sandor Rozsa guerrilla band, the army concentrated suspects in a remote fortress in the wilderness. The authorities did not know what the guerrilla leader looked like, but they knew he was among these prisoners. Thus, they subjected the prisoners to a deliberately designed psychological torture that was difficult to discern as real or fake. They recruited some captured individuals who had killed during the peasant uprisings and intimidated and bribed them. Whoever could identify a prisoner who had killed more than they had or point out the guerrilla leader would be pardoned. The protagonist, who has a cowardly face, was one of them. He did not know who had killed more than he had, so he seized every opportunity to learn about others, acting like a spy sent in by the army among the prisoners. He was not entirely random in his accusations; once, through conversation, he learned that another prisoner had killed one more person than he had, and he immediately reported this to the army. That prisoner was executed. However, this behavior was eventually noticed by the other prisoners, and he naturally could not escape his fate. Later, due to changes in the war situation, the army urgently needed to recruit more men. As a result, the prisoners' "crimes" were temporarily overlooked, and they enlisted, some even going directly from the execution ground to the barracks. Capable individuals were even appointed as minor leaders, forming cavalry units made up of prisoners. Training was in full swing. However, suddenly news arrived from the front that the situation had changed again, and war had been averted. The prisoners were overjoyed because they no longer had to face death on the front lines. Yet the officers' eyes remained cruel; they remembered the prisoners' "crimes" and ordered the prisoners to be re-captured for interrogation. Those people fell back into despair. This is Miklós Jancsó's first feature film, imbued with distinct Hungarian characteristics. It has a realistic tone, peaceful and simple, yet silently integrates formalism. Due to the special social environment at the time, it shares a clear intention with many Eastern European films—its depiction of the army's coercive methods against prisoners closely resembles the actions of the Hungarian regime in the 1960s. Of course, as a debut work, "The Despairing People" demonstrates Jancsó's unique characteristics compared to others. For instance, the camera's Jancsó-style movements between characters effectively enhance the film's fluidity and spatial sense, a technique he regularly used in his later works. Thematically, several of Jancsó's subsequent films, like "The Despairing People," also chosen turbulent historical periods of Hungarian society from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. However, this frequently leads to interpretational barriers for those unfamiliar with Hungarian history (likely a majority of the audience).