| The Annunciation (Angyali üdvözlet) | |
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A Crucifixion in Byzantium |
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| Directed by | András Jeles |
| Produced by | Unknown |
| Written by | András Jeles Imre Madách |
| Starring | Péter Bocsor Júlia Mérö Eszter Gyalog |
| Music by | István Márta |
| Cinematography | Béla Ferenczy Sándor Kardos |
| Editing by | Margit Galamb Zsuzsa Pósán |
| Distributed by | Award Films |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Running time | 100 Min |
| Language | Hungarian |
| Budget | Unknown |
The Annunciation (in Hungarian: Angyali üdvözlet) is a Hungarian film directed by András Jeles in 1984, based on The Tragedy of Man (1861) by Imre Madách.
When Adam (Péter Bocsor) and Eve (Júlia Mérő), having succumbed to Lucifer's temptation, are cast out of the Garden of Eden, Adam holds Lucifer (Eszter Gyalog) to his promise, reminding him that "You said I would know everything!". So Lucifer grants Adam a dream of the world to come. And what a bizarre dream: Adam becomes Miltiades in Athens; a knight called Tancred in Byzantium; Kepler in Prague; Danton in revolutionary Paris; and a nameless suitor in Victorian London. Guided by a deceptively sweet but ultimately contemptuous Lucifer, Adam confronts an endless procession of the horror of the human story ... rapists and concubines, betrayal and savagery, mindless cruelty and fanaticism.
The film is entirely performed by children. Superbly photographed against the breathtaking fields, forests, mesas and shores of southern Hungary, colourfully costumed and stunningly acted, The Annunciation makes Pasolini-like uses of its youthful cast to illustrate the horror and irrationality of our times.
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