Three Nights of Love is the 1967 film version of the musical of the same name, which was awarded the cinematography award to Tamás Somló by the Hungarian film critics. At international festivals – Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata – the film received the award for best direction. It was directed by György Révész, the screenplay was written by Miklós Hubay and István Vas, and the film’s composer was György Ránki.
Gyula Bodrogi in the program “Szélesvásznú history”. Source: Hír TV
The play Three Nights of Love premiered in 1961 with Ági Margittai and Gyula Bodrogi.
This was a very special situation, because the word musical was not yet an everyday expression. Until then, we only played musical comedies. It was the first play that was already called a musical, born from the fusion of prose, poetry and music.
Gyula Bodrogi points out in the show. He adds: he considers Miklós Szinetár, who directed the play, to be the smartest theater person in the country, who was ahead of his time by realizing that the genre of the musical is needed here as well.
Bence Csatári points out in the conversation that the play was a huge success, to which Gyula Bodrogi responds:
“The audience loves the theater. If we do something from the soul, from a pure heart, the audience will happily accept it.”
In the second half of the conversation, Kossuth Prize-winning writer Gábor Szigethy is asked, among other things, why this play was a revelation in 1961.
We are after ’45. We are after ’56. This play is about what Vera Sennyei sang simply brilliantly in the third act: «God be with you, our sweet life! God bless you, Budapest, sweetie!» That is, saying goodbye hurts, and it hurts even if it wasn’t perfect. A level of civilian life appears in the play, which was systematically eradicated in the country after ’49.
– points out Gábor Szigethy, who also talks about contemporary criticism.
Gábor Szigethy: This is still the world when actors play from each other’s eyes. Source: Hír TV
He says that Péter Rényi mentions in Népszabadság that it is a shame that Vera Sennyei sings this song a little sweetly and not ironically. So he doesn’t ask himself what kind of life he’s crying about. The theater historian also mentions that there was someone who wrote that the play was a critique of fascism.
– There is no mention of this in the play. It is precisely about how the Horthy era was, with all its contradictions, still more livable than the Rákosi era.
– points out Gábor Szigethy, adding that a theater performance is always exciting when it is heard.
Many characters in the film are transformed (for example, Melitta) compared to the original play, and, as Szigethy says, they discussed this with Miklós Hubay. – I told him that you put all your ideas into the film, even though everything becomes different, everything sounds different. In the program, the theater historian also talks about how the film is not kept alive by the story, but by the fact that György Révész put together an amazing set of actors.
– Darvas, Latinovits, Sinkovits – this is still the world when the actors play from each other’s eyes. It’s not that everyone plays their own game, but they throw the balls to each other
– says Szigethy, and notes that, unfortunately, this can be seen less and less in today’s acting.
It will therefore be worthwhile to sit in front of the TV screens on Saturday afternoon, the current episode of “Szélesvásznú history” can be seen from 5.30 p.m., and the film Three Nights of Love from 7.10 p.m. News TV on his show.
Cover photo: Gyula Bodrogi and the two presenters of Szélesvásznú history (Photo: Hír TV)