Hanna Honthy

It rarely happens that a parent is not happy that their son is serious, hardworking and interested in nothing but work and the land. Well, our Péter Tamássy is like that. Péter's son is only interested in farming, so the father, who was a playboy in his youth, decides that before Péter gets married, he will introduce him to society a little. And to make sure that the child gets into good company, he entrusts him to his old love, the prima donna Ria. (Honthy Hanna in a wonderful movie role.)

This concert film stages a never-realized gala at Budapest’s Opera House, stringing together eleven diverse numbers - from operetta and folk dance to popular songs - introduced by Vera Sennyei’s tongue-in-cheek on-stage announcements. Though framed as a live opening night, most performances were in fact shot in television studios, creating a playful pastiche of televised spectacle rather than a traditional concert film.

The story, which takes place in the reform era, centres around Mrs. Déry, a legendary actress, who, along with her fellow actors and actresses, travels around the country to become the herald of the Hungarian language, performing in villages and towns up and down the land as strolling players, a woman who is not put off by the prospect of starvation and the dearth of a home to return to and security to live in.