A gyáva (Imre Mihályfi, Hungary, 1971)

Teri Tordai

The Coward is a Hungarian drama starring Teri Tordai as the young wife of a prosperous sculptor. A critique of the decadent self-indulgent modern woman, it comes to the unsurprising conclusion that she'd be happier if she showed more commitment.

Living a surprisingly pampered lifestyle (for a citizen of a Communist country) amongst the arty set and beautiful people Teri wants for nothing, not least the attentions of men to whom she is not married. Teri spends her days in wholesome frolics with young lovers, heart-to-hearts with sympathetic girlfriends, and occasionally dropping in on family and even her own husband. A couple of pieces of tasteful nudity add a little spice.

The production is elegantly mounted with impressive monochrome photography. Stylistically it's of its time, or perhaps a couple of years late compared to Western European films. It would take a subtle understanding of the language to tell if it still has value as other than a period piece.

PORT.hu link