The Corporal and the Others


The Corporal and the Others is a 1965 Hungarian comedy film directed by Márton Keleti. The film was chosen to be part of the Budapest Twelve, a list of Hungarian films considered the best in 1968.

Cast

Plot

Somewhere in Hungary, in the last days of World War II, Corporal Ferenc Molnár is on the run on a motorbike. He has deserted his unit and taken its money with him. On his journey, he gathers around him a socially and politically diverse group of men whose aim is the same as his: Surviving the war.

Background

As a satirical comedy about the war - a novelty at the time - the film became an immediate commercial and critical sensation in mid-1960s Hungary and was seen by 2.2 million viewers. By putting a cunning everyman into the center of the plot, not heroical partisans, and satirizing all sides, this new type of war film spoke to many everyday Hungarians.
The quote Az oroszok már a spájzban vannak! immediately entered the spoken Hungarian language and has been used in many variations since then.

Accolades

Hungarian Film Festival 1966:
Awards of the Hungarian Film Critics 1965:
  • Special Award
  • Best male actor