The Lady from Constantinople (1969)

Original title

Sziget a szárazföldön

Directed by

Judit Elek

Genre

drama film

Country

Hungary

Runtime

1h 19m

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 7 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A widowed elderly woman navigates daily life in Budapest. She interacts with strangers on the street in improvised scenes. The film blends comedy and drama to show her solitude and small joys.

bittersweetobservationalgentlequirkygroundedwarmlightheartedintimate

What happens

The Lady from Constantinople is a 1969 Hungarian comedy-drama film directed by Judit Elek in her feature film debut. The film is a dramedy centering around a widowed elderly woman played by Manyi Kiss. The film was partially shot guerilla style in the streets of Budapest, with the lead actress interacting with bemused passersby on camera. The film has played in retrospective at Cannes Film Festival and Rotterdam Film Festival; it also played Out of Competition at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival and 1969 New York Film Festival. The restored film was screened again at 2023 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes Classics section. The 35mm restoration was undertaken by National Film Institute Hungary. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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