Ezt meg kellene filmesíteni – még egyszer

Or a film should be made out of it – again

 

Whenever I find a fun, cute, meaningful or heart-warming story – so a story worthy to made into a film –, I am always a little bit bitter. Why are they never made into a film? Meaningless or silly love stories, the n+1^st comic adaptation or superhero movie – these are made and distributed in unlimited quantities, again and again, almost every second or fifth year. And then there are the less known stories with real meaning or artistic value, out if which films were made, yes, but the theme would deserve and adaptation again and again, and not only on television screen, but on cinema screen.

So here are some books/stories I consider a really good film material.

Ida regénye (Ida’s Novel) by Gárdonyi Géza

A TV movie was already made, but this book really deserves a better adaptation. The story is about an arranged marriage between the ex-nun Ida and a young painter, Csaba. They agree to behave as strangers at home and to divorce after one year of marriage, but during that one year they are slowly falling in love. The story itself is nothing new, but the way Gárdonyi depicted their relationship is amazing: short, very detailed scenes, with almost no mention to the thoughts or feelings of the characters. Actually, the novel could be a Hungarian Pride and Prejudice of the turn of the century. Or something like that.

VII. Olivér (Oliver VII) by Szerb Antal

It’s hilarious. Due to a revolution, the young King Oliver VII has to escape from his country – how fortunate, as he does not want to be a king, anyway. But, while pretending to be an artist and living happily in Italy, he becomes involved in a gang, and has to play the role of – well, of himself, the King Oliver VII. And by being “himself” he realises what it means to be responsible and to be a king.

(And, by the way, the king is really handsome, at least on the cover photo of the book.)

 

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Demanding a big budget film – but with a good director and perfect actors, because in my opinion the story itself is sometimes a little bit weak. What is great about Neverwhere is the whole conception – London Below and Above, floating markets, monks, angels and assassins. (To be honest, Neverwhere originally was a TV series, which I have never seen, and which was later novelised by Gaiman. The novel itself is heavily revised, so it is not the same as the series.)

Az istenhegyi székely leány (The Székely girl of Istenhegy) by Jókai Mór

This one should be made into a television drama like Japanese and Korean dramas, and it would be the Hungarian, historical version of Hana kimi, with a plot twist. The “Székely girl” in the title refers to the only daughter of a warlord who, because her father has no male heir, has to pretend to be – oh, no, not a boy, but a “warlady” and a filial princess at the same time. So, basically she plays her own role and her own twin sister. If this would be not enough, there is an Ottoman invasion and two men competing for the girl(s) hand(s).

And a bonus:

Engeyum eppothum

A Hungarian version! Seriously, this film deserves to be remade a hundred times, in every culture of the world. […]

Well, I tried to shortly write about the film, but it turned out to be an essay rather than a few sentences every time. I guess I will just write its own post – somewhere, sometimes.

by Alla