János Edélenyi and his international crew (Hungarian-Bulgarian-English-Dutch co-production) have created what is a true rarity these days: a film that is subtle, sensitive, lyrical, yet at the same time optimistic, and sometimes charmingly grotesque.
[….]
I hereby present my own personal critic's award to Andor Lukáts, who gives the subtlest possible portrayal of a little boy trapped in the body of an old man, the grandchild trapped inside an adult, a love unfulfilled due to his simple nature, and the wisdom that can be found even in his immaturity. His performance is stunning – a noble, intricate yet unlaboured performance offering a rare experience free of loudness, harshness and nonsense.[….]
Personally, I would also have presented the award for best actress at the [Budapest Film Festival] to the Bulgarian Vesela Kazakova, who despite not speaking a word of Hungarian, plays the leading female role – superbly – in this language. She learned the entire script line by line, but the viewer detects nothing of her heroic struggle with the language – her performance is natural, honest and entrancing.[….]
Well-known Djoko Rosic is wonderful and distinctive, and so are the other actors, Hungarian and Bulgarian.[….]
János Edelényi’s name may have a familiar ring to it, but nevertheless he can still be regarded as a first-timer. Although this really is his first cinema feature film, he directed and shot numerous TV films in Hungary up until 1976, when he left the country. Abroad he made several great documentaries, and, following the change of political regime, visited his home country frequently, marking each trip with a documentary film. It is indeed fortunate that he also embarked on this feature film. A "prima” idea. “Príma primavera.” A second chance for the director too.
Éva Mikes,
CULTURE
What enchanted me (and my wife) most was the wonderfully beautiful, lyrical film, a fairy tale entitled Prima Primavera, a masterwork by the director János Edelényi, who was born in 1948.[….]
Prima Primavera is a film with true audience appeal, proving that it is possible to discuss life pleasantly and credibly in a way that everyone can understand.[….]
The main character, Gábor - played by Andor Lukáts in one of his most beautiful performances - is a deeply religious older Jewish man, an artist with a childishly pure Hasidic and Franciscan soul, raised by his mother (Erzsi Máthé) who has shielded him from all the horrors of the world.
Zoltán PósaMagyar Nemzet
In the formal sense, the over sixty year old distinguished photographer and documentarist, János Edelényi is also a debutant appearing with a sentimental road movie, the gently old-fashioned Prima Primavera, which could be regarded as a unique "thus I've come". [an allusion to Miklós Jancsó's second film and the title of the article.] His sixtysomething hero suddenly loses his tyrannical-protector mother, and must now stand on his own feet. The young girl with whom he must flee, and with whom he finds love is played by the unforgettable heroine of Mila From Mars, Bulgarian Vesela Kazakova who creates an enjoyable duet with Andor Lukáts.
György Báron,
ÉLET ÉS IRODALOM
The film starts off on a melancholy note, but later blossoms into a carefree, optimistic and charming story, carried along by the performances of the two lead characters. Andor Lukáts is sensational in the role of Gábor: he never gives even the slightest hint of affectation I found his performance so convincing that he appeared strangely odd to me when I saw him playing an everyday character in another film that same day. He is so natural, and gives such a charming rendition of the comical artist, that he deserves all credit for his performance. Joli is played by the Bulgarian actress Vesela Kazakova, who doesn’t speak a word of Hungarian, but learned the entire script by rote for the film, which is what gives rise to her accent - first seeming forced but later becoming natural – which adds a little extra something to the film that only native speakers of Hungarian will truly appreciate... The speech, gestures and quirks of the character she plays make for an enchanting, kind, humorous - and lovable figure. But it is together that they are really superb, as both the roles and the actors complement each other perfectly.[….]
Another strength of the film is the visual spectacle: the landscapes, camera shots and sets – the natural and built environment blend into a harmonious whole through Tibor Máthé’s camera work, and in a way that never seems kitsch, but manages to remain simply beautiful.[….]
János Edelényi’s many years of works have borne fruit: a charming, lovable film, entertaining and humorous – a cautionary tale of destinies and people. And what does Príma Primavéra mean? Well, not “spring has sprung”, that’s for sure.
Linda Katona
Prima primavera doesn’t belie its title, it is a real spring piece - besides pain and hardship – it really is about love. Its makers believe in having a second chance in life. And within lies its beauty, even a sixty-year-old man and a prostitute who has been through much could be happy.[….]
Andor Lukáts’s performance is uncontrived, natural, and humane. We feel compelled to get to know this character. Vesela Kazakova plays the Ukrainian prostitute. She learned her lines in Hungarian – but it was worth it. She sublimely portrays the emotional development of this girl gone astray. Visually the film is very strong it operates with unforgettable compositions, the masterwork of Tibor Máthé, who could easily be the best contemporary Hungarian photographer.[….]
Summary: Wonderfully photographed, gently rolling, stoically naïve love story, a film about starting anew, one that we rarely see these days.
B.B.CINEMA
This is a film for those who are beginners or beginning again for lone travelers or those wandering in pairs for everyone searching for their own path, who either haven’t found it yet, or realized that they had lost their way but it is not to late to search once again.[….]
The film has a bit of Adrenalin, since they are pursued tense expectation, whether they’ll reach their destination and what will await them there and there is a bit of a giggle, a charming humor of sorts - all ingredients just in the right proportion. We can expect a well-constructed film without excesses that could only have succeeded to becoming the touching and thought-provoking piece it is with the superb acting of its protagonists.[…]
Andor Lukáts is brilliant in the role of Gábor, evoking of a man well in his middle age, with the soul of a boy, living in his dreams as a defender of others. Even when the maternal „womb” that had been protecting him crumbles, he still regards the world with the curiosity and the irresponsibility of a child. Vesela Kazakova the popular Bulgarian actress appears in the role of Joli, the other protagonist. Her performance is excellent despite the fact that in the film she speaks in Hungarian, a language strange to her.[….]
The film is a co-production without our contemporary Hungarian film stars, spiked with young foreign talent. Another way of making a „prima” film.
Dóra Dunai
The adventures of a slightly dull man in the company of a girl forced to flee due to a bank robbery.[…]
Yet the film is not really about this, but about humanity, love, trust, friendship, the joy of sacrifice and, of course about evil and revenge, as well – with two exquisitely ingenious performances. Andor Lukáts presents the dull man without any extraneous effort with such authenticity that, when I hugged him after the film, I was half-watching his eyes – was it really just a performance?[….]
Edelényi has found a startlingly talented Bulgarian actress for the leading role. How did he find her, it should remain his secret. Her name is VESELA KAZAKOVA with all capital letters, as she is Europe’s future star. Unbelievable strength and passion, deep poetic emotion, bitterness and childish joy, hard female resistance and snuggling affection – she is a worthy partner of Andor Lukáts. They are as natural as the flowing water.[….]
Tibor Máthé is an excellent, multi-award winning cinematographer. In this film, his beautiful images also radiate warmth and love.
József Böjte
It is unbelievable with how much reluctance we go to see a „new Hungarian film,” and how many prejudices press forward as the main titles come on. The same happened at “Prima” and we grew to regret it.[….]
It would be hard to bring two more incompatible characters together as the slow, older guy (Andor Lukáts is a genius, no two ways about it) and the lively young girl (Vesela Kazakova, excellent Bulgarian actress/producer), yet the combination works well. The girl’s lovely accent wins us over and she is so lovely and original that it is a pleasure to watch her.[….]
“Prima Primavera” means something like “Super-duper.” This film is a restrained tale brought to the screen by an almost-first-time-director with such feeling and sensitivity that deserves our buying a movie ticket. “Super-duper!”
-lido-
Prima Primavera is a phylosophical tale about love conquering death about childishly stubborn courage and goodness finally reaping its reward. The actors perform a miracle making a fable-like roughly hewn story come to life. Andor Lukáts is a wise and silly child, at the same time a cranky old coot and exuberant boyscout. His rendition in the bank robbery scene of a gentleman stepping forward with naïve detrmination to defend his mother from a disrespectful robber, and failing to realize the consequences of his actions – is shattering. Bulgarian actress,Vesela Kazakova, with her large clear eyes, jerky, angular movement and her broken Hungarian (although she speaks no Hungarian, she has learned her lines by rote) is a memorable persona. She changes shade by shade from the bitter, crafty prostitute to a young women whose heart is open to joy and love. Lukáts and Kazakova play flawlessly as the pair slowly comes together from widely divergent socio-economic backgrounds. It was a joy to see the return of co-stars Erzsi Máthé, Éva Schubert and Djoko Rosic whose classic performances fit perfectly into this old-fashioned humanist fairy tale.
Lóránt Stőhr
Élet és Irodalom
