The King Midas of director Geza Beremenyi's caustic social fable is one loathsome dude. But like many a scumbag before him, he's interesting scum. Set in the flea-market of Budapest during the years 1945-1956, the story follows the fluctuating fortunes of Sandor Monori ("Uncle Sanyi" to his minions), whose knack for making money hand over fist has won him a legion of sycophantic admirers. When Monori's daughter returns home with her husband and infant son, Monori decides he wants the boy--so he gives the father gold to go away, and sets his daughter up in a nice flat. In a strangely filmed scene, we follow the young boy some years later walking through the market making this incredible wheezing sound. Diagnosed as having diphtheria, the boy is taken to a hospital to die--but Monori shoves a bar of gold in a doctor's hands and insists the boy be cured. He gets his wish. When Communist suppression of free enterprise forces Monori to hide his gold and bide his time, he does so until the film's closing moments, when struggling through the bloody streets of Budapest with his adolescent grandson, Monori tests the power of gold one final time. Although not easily accessible to all, The Midas Touch will be appreciated by devotees of foreign cinema, and is worth watching for Karoly Eperjes complex portrayal of Monori alone. Recommended. (R. Pitman)
The Midas Touch
color. In Hungarian w/English subtitles. European Video Distributors, 2321 West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506. (1989). $79.95. Not rated Library Journal
The Midas Touch
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