Angyali üdvözlet (1984)

Cast

Péter Bocsor
Playing: Ádám
Age: 11 years old
Screen Time: 90%

Eszter Gyalog
Playing: Lucifer
Age: 12 years old
Screen Time: 85%

Júlia Mérö
Playing: Éva
Age: 12 years old
Screen Time: 85%

Summery

A bizarre biblical fantasy, acted entirely by children between 8 and 14 years of age. An adolescent Adam is cast out of the garden of Eden, becomes a general in Athens, a crusader in Byzantium, and a witness to mankind's depravity through the ages.

Review

A downbeat, hypnotic retelling of Mankind's story from Adam and Eve to the present, played entirely by children. But don't expect a romp -- these kids are deadly serious as they tackle issues of mortality, religion, and the struggle of class against class. Brilliant photography enhances the deliberate pacing, yet the film is never boring. Literary sources include Emily Dickinson and William Blake, and every line is delivered with full conscious intention. Especially effective is the Byzantium sequence, where a single syllable (homousios, or homoiousios) means the difference between life and death. Seldom has the narcotic influence of religious power been so effectively portrayed. The use of a cast composed entirely of children is a conceit that lends itself to preciousness, but here it succeeds without the least trace of "cuteness". In sum, a daring, challenging, and ultimately worthwhile experiment.

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