Somewhereintheremoteregion,thewarends.Inthemidstofruinedcitiesandhousesinthestreets,inruralhamlets,everywherewherepeoplestilllive,arechildrenwhohavelosttheirhomesandparents.Abandoned,hungry,andinrags,defenselessandhumiliated,theywanderthroughtheworld.Hungerdrivesthem.Littlestreamsoforphansmergeintoariverwhichrushesforwardandsubmergeseverythinginitspath.Thechildrendonotknowanyfeeling;theyknowonlytheworldoftheirenemies.Theyfight,steal,struggleforamouthfuloffood,andviolenceismerelyameanstogetit.AgangledbyCahounfindsarefugeinanabandonedcastleandencountersanoldcomposerwhohasvoluntarilyretiredintosolitudefromaworldofhatred,treason,andcrime.Howcantheyfindacommonground,howcantheybecomemutualfriendsThecastlebecomestheirhidingplacebutpossiblyitwillalsobetheirfirsthomewhichtheymayorganizeandmustdefend.Butevenforthis,thepricewillbeveryhigh. Tothissimplestory,thejournalist,writer,poet,scriptwriter,moviedirector,andfilmtheoreticianBélaBalázsappliedmanyyearsofexperience.HeandthedirectorGézaRadványicreatedaworkwhichopenedanewpostwarchapterinHungarianfilm.Surprisingly,thisfilmhasnotlostanyofitsimpactovertheyears,especiallyonaprofoundphilosophicallevel.Thatistosay,itisnotmerelyamovieaboutwar;itisnotimportantinwhatlocationandinwhatperiodoftimeittakesplace.Itisastoryoutsideoftimeaboutthejoylessfateofchildrenwhopaydearlyforthecruelwargamesofadults. Atthetimeitwaspremiered,themoviewasenthusiasticallyreceivedbythecritics.Themainrolesweretakenbystreetwiseboysofachildren'sgroupwhocreatedtheirrolesimprovisationallyinclosecontactwithafewprofessionalactors,andinthechildren'sactingtheirownfreshexperienceofwar'sturmoilappearstobereflected.Atthesametime,theirperformancefitsadmirablyintothemosaicofaverycomplexmovielanguage.Balázs'sinfluencerevealeditself,aboveall,intheintroductorysequencesanairraidonanamusementpark,seeninamontageofdramaticsituationsevokingthelastspasmsofwar,where,undoubtedly,wediscerntheinfluenceofclassicalSovietcinematography.Shooting,theboy'sescape,thelocomotive'swheels,theshadowsofsoldierswithsubmachineguns,thesoundofawhistle—theimagesarelinkedtogetherinabruptsequencesinwhichvaryingshotsandexpressivesharpsoundsareemphasized.Aperfectlyplannedscreenplayavoidedallelementsofsentimentality,time-wornstereotypesofwrongedchildren,romanticismandcheapsimplification.Theauthorssucceededinbridgingtheperilousdramaticabyssofthemetamorphosisofachildren'scommunity.Theirtellingofthestory(thesceneofpillaging,theassaultonthecastle,etc)independentlyintroducedsomeneorealistelementswhich,atthattime,werebeingpropagatedinItalybyDeSica,Rossellini,andotherfilmartists.Therebukesofcontemporarycritics,whocalledattentiontoformalismforitsownsakehavebeenforgotten.ThemasterlyartofcameramanBarnabásHegyigivesvitalitytothepoeticimages.Hisangleshotsofthechildren,hiscompositionofscenesinthecastleinterior,arealivingdocumentofthetimes,andunderlinetheatmosphereandthecharactersoftheprotagonists.ThesuccessofthepicturewasalsoenhancedbythemusicalartofcomposerDénesBudaywho,intensesituations,insertedthethemeoftheMarseilaiseintothemovie'sstructure,asamotiveofcommunityunification,asanexpressionoffriendshipandthepossibilityofunderstanding. ValaholEuropabanisthefirstsignificantpostwarHungarianfilm.Itoriginatedinarelaxedatmosphere,repletewithjoyandeuphoria,anditincludestheseelementsinordertodemonstratethestrengthofhumanism,tolerance,andfriendship.Itrepresentsageneralcondemnationofwaranywhereintheworld,inanyform.
