Underplayed Gems

Hyppolit, the Butler (1931)

Hyppolit, the Butler poster
Original title
Hyppolit a lakáj
Directed by
Steve Sekely
Genre
comedy film, romantic comedy
Country
Hungary
Runtime
1h 17m
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 18 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

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How it feels

An upwardly mobile Hungarian family hires a butler who used to work for aristocrats. The butler's formal manners and old-fashioned ways clash with the family's modern middle-class habits, leading to humorous situations.

lightheartedwittywhimsicalbriskcharmingold-fashionedcomedicobservational

What happens

Hyppolit, the Butler (Hungarian: Hyppolit, a lakáj) is a 1931 black-and-white Hungarian film comedy of manners about an upwardly mobile family hiring a butler who previously worked for aristocratic families. It was the second full sound film produced in Hungary, and at first it generated little interest (due to the flop of the first sound movie The Blue Idol, also in 1931) but later became a favorite and is still a beloved oldie. The film was chosen to be part of the New Budapest Twelve, a list of Hungarian films considered the best in 2000. The film was shot at the Hunnia Film Studios in Budapest. The screenplay was written by prolific Hungarian screenwriter Károly Nóti AKA Karl Noti, based on a stage play by István Zágon. It was directed by Székely István AKA Steve Sekely, who earlier worked in Germany and later worked in Hollywood and Great Britain. The music was composed by Mihály Eisemann. It was remade in 1999 as Hippolyt, a lakáj (with the y and the i interchanged). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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