HUNGARY: Hollywood producer Andrew Vajna shoots film in Budapest about the 1956 revolution

Record ID: 174117

  • Title: HUNGARY: Hollywood producer Andrew Vajna shoots film in Budapest about the 1956 revolution
  • Date: 11th April 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE)(English) VIC ARMSTRONG, SECOND UNIT DIRECTOR, SAYING: "It's a good example of how resistance can fight bullies and eventually overcome them, and it's a good testimonial to courage of people to keep fighting and not be bullied by bigger nations, we're seeing it today in the world everywhere so it's sad that history does repeat itself but I think people can watch this and get hope that you can maybe change your future."
  • Embargoed: 26th April 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Hungary
  • Country: Hungary
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABRTJP4QK2RDKCIS4T8V7WNK4F
  • Story Text: The streets of the eighth district in Budapest were once again scenes of loud fighting just like back in 1956, but this time it is only for fiction.
    A new motion picture about the 1956 Revolution is currently being filmed in Budapest by a Hungarian-English co-production.
    The film, entitled in English "Children Of Glory," is being produced by the Hungarian-born Hollywood producer Andrew Vajna, who is well known for films such as the 'Rambo' series, 'Evita', 'Terminator 3', and both 'Basic Instinct' films.
    The movie will commemorate Hungary's Revolution of 1956 and takes place in Budapest at the time of the Melbourne Olympics in October and November of that year.
    For Vajna, the movie is a very personal affair.
    "Well, I left Hungary in 1956 during the revolution and I think it was a very important time in history for the country, maybe one of their most important moments. And I've always felt that I owed something for the country and I wanted to do something in return. I wanna try and recreate that situation where it's a very amazing story that a country rose without any organisation overnight and it developed a revolution towards freedom and that's such a strong and powerful story that I think it needs to be told," he told Reuters.
    In 1956. while the Russian tanks destroyed Hungary, the Russian water polo team was getting beaten by the Hungarians in the Olympic pool in Melbourne, in what has been described as the bloodiest water polo match in history.
    These events are reconstructed in 'Children of Glory' which revolves around a love story between a revolutionary student portrayed by Kata Dobo and a water polo player, star of the national team, played by Ivan Fenyo.
    Other members of the cast include Sandor Csanyi as their friend and member of the water polo team. Csanyi won the Fringe Report Best Actor award in 2005.
    The Hungarian-English co-production is directed by Krisztina Goda, known for directing one of the most successful Hungarian comedies called 'Just Sex and Nothing Else' and the script writers include Geza Beremenyi, Reka Divinyi, Joe Eszterhas and Eva Gardos.
    All the action sequences are directed by second unit director Vic Armstrong who is no stranger to Hollywood blockbusters and has worked in films such as 'Die Another Day', 'War of the Worlds' and 'M:I 3' as well as performed thousands of dangerous stunts gaining the Guinness Book of Records, for the busiest stunt man in the world.
    As an old friend of Vajna's, Armstrong offered to help direct the action scenes in 'Children of Glory'.
    "It's a good example of how resistance can fight bullies and eventually overcome them, and it's a good testimonial to courage of people to keep fighting and not be bullied by bigger nations, we're seeing it today in the world everywhere so it's sad that history does repeat itself but I think people can watch this and get hope that you can maybe change your future," he said.
    For authenticity, to recreate the feel of the war torn city of 1956, the impressive action scenes and big explosions were set in building which were due to be demolished and the on screen water polo team, were trained for their role by two time Olympic gold medalist Tibor Benedek,
    The film will be opening in Hungary on October 23, 2006 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Revolution.
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