Sleepless Years (1959)

9.0/10 • 107 min • Drama

Overview

The "sleepless years" in this propaganda piece by director Felix Marlassy occur on Csepel Island, an island south of Budapest that is home to an armaments factory. The factory workers are shown being exploited by imperialists, capitalists gone berserk, and fascists, more or less in that exact chronological sequence. The heavy-handed approach does much to undercut the belief that when socialism finally takes over, the lives of the workers are brought up to a human level. In this instance, audiences might prefer a more nuanced and subtle statement, no matter what the message.

Cast

Éva Ruttkai

Vilma

Géza Tordy

Karesz

Éva Vass

Irén

Gábor Agárdy

Tóth

Mari Törőcsik

Kató

István Avar

Tutó

Hilda Gobbi

Volone

Zoltán Makláry

Knézits, factory porter

Gyula Bakos

Béla Barsi

Mihalik

Gyula Bodrogi

Cserna

Elma Bulla

Csótiné

Sándor Deák

Zoltán Gera

Recommendations

My Neighbor Adolf
The Nest
Hardball
F.I.S.T.
Vanya on 42nd Street
Holy Lands
Come Sunday
Mindwalk
Guilty by Suspicion
Goodbye June
The Young One
Skin
Three Christs
Hands of Stone
Hurry Sundown
A Dry White Season
Farming
The Visit
The Safety of Objects
The River