Miklós Jancsó Collection (Blu-ray)

Four-disc set includes: The Round-Up (1966)Hungary, the late 19th century: In a prison camp still holding dissidents from the failed 1848 revolution, the staff sought to determine the truth of the rumor that notorious bandit chieftain Sándor Rózsa was among the detained. The pressure on Rózsa guerilla János Gajdar (János Görbe) and his fellows to turn on one another leads to stunning results, in Miklós Jancsó's name-making historical drama. 90 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR The Red And The White (1967)Miklós Jancsó helmed this critically applauded look at the 1918 Russian Revolution through Hungary's point of view. The Hungarian Army and the Red Army battle the counter-revolutionary Whites in this brilliantly photographed drama. 92 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR The Confrontation (1969)After Hungary's Communist Party came to power in 1947, a group of adherent college students wanted to cap off their political rally by engaging local seminarians for a debate. Between their internecine rivalry and their party handlers' exploitation, however, the peaceful discourse is fated to end badly, in Miklós Jancsó's parable. Andrea Drahota, Lajos Balázsovits star. 80 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR Winter Wind (1969)Told with only thirteen sustained shots, Miklós Jancsó's compelling mid '30s-set drama follows a gaggle of Hungarian-backed Croatian anarchists in their disruptive guerilla toils against the Yugoslavian establishment, and shows how their mutual distrust proves their ultimate undoing. Jacques Charrier, Marina Vlady, Ewa Swann star. 80 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR Red Psalm (1971)In the agrarian fields of 1890s Hungary, the laboring peasants staged an uprising against the landowners over compensation for their crops. While their revolution was marked with revelry, the confrontation would have an inevitably tragic conclusion. Miklós Jancsó's striking, color- and music-splashed effort stars Andrea Drahota, Gyöngyi Bürös. 87 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR Electra, My Love (1974)Shot in nine long takes, Miklós Jancsó's spin on the classic Greek play is set on a barren Hungarian plain where the titular heroine partakes in an ancient ritual while awaiting her brother's return before avenging their father's murder. With Mari Töröcsik, György Cserhalmi, József Madaras. 75 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR Standard and Widescreen; Soundtrack: Hungarian; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; bonus shorts "Harvest in Orosháza" (1953), "Autumn in Badacsony" (1954), "Red Indian Story" (1961), "Presence" (1965), "With a Camera in Kostroma" (1967). "Second Presence" (1978), "Third Presence" (1986).

Starring: Janos Gorbe

Rating: NR