Erzsébet krt. 39 [map]
Pest Centre, VII, Király utca (T4/6), 3 min
In comparison to say, the British Film Institute's plush cinemas on London's South Bank, the Örökmozgó Filmmúzeum feels like something of a tin-pot operation.
Housed in what was once the 'Matra Mese és Ifjúsági Mozi' (which roughly translated means a 'children's picture house' specialising in 'fables'), the premises were taken over by the Hungarian National Film Archive in 1991. With its small café, narrow auditorium, and a couple of members of staff who seem to sell tickets, coffees and man the projection booth, it's clear from the outset that Örökmozgó isn't necessarily going to be a polished cinema-going experience.
At times, it's extremely ropey. In the past couple of years, I’ve seen Dustin Hoffman get sliced in half as he crossed the street during a showing of Midnight Cowboy. Only four minutes later, when the print was repositioned, were Dustin’s upper body and legs happily reunited. On another occasion, a copy of Buster Keaton's The General had four false starts before it was finally able to leave the platform. Perhaps most disappointingly of all, I turned up to a screening of Labyrinth to find that, contrary to what was advertised, the entire cast - trolls, goblins, David Bowie - would be speaking in French.
And yet, in spite of the damaged prints and occasionally misleading advertising, it’s really rather easy to ignore Örökmozgó’s flaws. Because of its connection to the archive, it has by far the most eclectic programming in the city. A single day might throw up a Claude Chabrol thriller, followed by a series of early shorts from D.W. Griffith, topped off with the film adaptation of Catch-22. And as disorganised as all that sounds, films are usually shown as part of week or month long seasons, such as 'America at War', or John Huston at 100.
As far as I'm concerned, it's the best cinema in Budapest. It isn't often you get to see films as diverse as Last Year at Marienbad, Apocalypse Now and Touch of Evil on the big screen. A monthly schedule is available here, films generally start at 4.30, 6.30 and 8.30 and tickets are inexpensive. Bring your own popcorn.
orokkmozgo film museum rock moz go orukmozgo arthouse cinema, repertory, art cinema
Get off the tram at Kiraly, and walk towards Blaha on the left hand side of the krt. Örökmozgó is on the corner of Dob utca.
Andy T.
Welcome to our occasional round-up of Hungarian music videos, freshly picked, prepared and delivered directly into your lap (top). For our initial selection, we've opted for a gypsy/balkan theme. So, to get the ball rolling...
1) Parno Graszt - Este Jrok
This excellent band plays around once a month in the city, typically in venues such as West Balkan and Gödör. They're originally from the town of Paszab, a place which their myspace page describes as being in one of the most 'underdeveloped' and 'culturally authentic' regions in the country. The highway code certainly doesn't look too important in Paszab - apparently it's perfectly acceptable for the twenty-strong group to stand around, blocking roads, bridges and other major thoroughfares. In fact, the whole town seems content to join in the madness.
2) Cigánycsárdás (Gypsy-csárdás)
The next video caused me to re-think my ideas about dancing properly to gypsy music. Before I saw this it all looked rather difficult, but obviously, I couldn't have been more wrong. What you really have to do is just watch the dancers, remember the steps, and copy them...
3) Besh O droM - Amikor én még kissrác voltam
Our final clip comes from stalwarts of the Budapest music scene Besh O droM, a band known for their breathless fusion of techniques and musical styles. The song is a cover version of a runner-up from a 1968 music contest, and this fantastic video shows that contest, slickly re-edited. You can hardly see what's new and what isn't.
parno grast, gypsy music, besh o drum, bosh a drom, folk music, hungarian music
