Son of the White Mare (1981)

Such a frustrating disappointment

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

It was a pleasant surprise seeing folk tales I grew up with come to life. I guess Hungarian folk tales influenced Romanian folk tales, or maybe they share the same source. It's not just the same numerology symbolism, storytelling and dialogues; the Romanian folk tales I used to read when I was a kid are virtually identical with everything depicted in this animation. Brilliant psychedelic imagery (nice experiments with shapes and colors), brilliant storytelling and even some subtle humor moments. This animation should be sent in space as radio signals or something, because I pretty much consider it the essence of the human spirit, an excellent depiction of primordial human philosophy.

You will never see anything like this, anywhere. Based on the tales the ancient horse-lords told their children before they went off to wage bloody war across the steppes with one another, this dreamlike and beautifully-crafted amalgamation of old legends and modern allegory is simple enough for children to follow its basic narrative (provided they can either speak Hungarian or read subtitles), and an absolute treasure of a find for any adults interested in animation, art, mythology, surrealism, etc. Though it favors simple solid colors, the animator's style is unique and clearly the labor of love - the hand of a master is evident. There aren't many Hungarian animated films, but the ones that I've seen were all quite good - with this one clearly being the best.

Alright! We're talking about high-quality movie-making here! Its experimental way is the films strongest feature. Or its keenness about traditionalism? Its up to you, to decide which pars you like better: the funky, vibrant colors, and wacky-trippy movement, or the heavy use of traditional, middle-European folk ornaments?The white mare give gives birth to a son once again, who grows to be strong enough, to defeat the evil ones, who keep the three beautiful princess' as captives... and even, to find his long lost, and just as powerful brothers on his journey.The plot for this one has been mixed together, from folktales all around the globe (but mostly, they're from middle-Europe, and eastern, nomad tribes), which makes the story familiar for almost everyone, from everywhere. It reaches back into our most ancient collective memories, and bring up something, that might even be forgotten.The new-age look of some aspects of this movie, and the respect for folk traditions, surprisingly makes a totally coherent, and unbelievably powerful whole. Which makes it Marcell Jankovics's best directional work ever. This film earned his righteous place, amongst the "world's best fifty animated-films ever", at Los Angeles' animation Olympic.Anyone, who likes animation, experimental film-making, or just GOOD MOVIES, simply must see this one. No exceptions!