‘Torn From the Flag’ – New Doc Rips Communism
by Christian TotoDocumentary filmmakers spend plenty of time examining the Bush administration, the Iraq War and the aftermath from Hurricane Katrina. All are fair game, but few directors tackle the horrifying impact Communism had across the globe during the 20th century. Last year’s “The Singing Revolution” did just that, recalling the Soviet’s cruel occupation of Estonia and how the country kept its culture alive through several torturous decades under Communism.
Now, Hungarian filmmaker Klaudia Kovacs gives us “Torn From the Flag,” a film the Hollywood Reporter dubbed “perhaps the most comprehensive chronicle of the [1956] Hungarian uprising yet caught on film.” “Torn,” which won First Prize at the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival, will be shown at 4 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 21) at The Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.
Big Hollywood checked in with Kovacs to find out more about her documentary – and what drove her to investigate this important chapter in history.
BH: What was your main mission in creating “Flag?”
KK: I’m from the Hungarian city of Eger. In 1552 the 2,000 soldiers manning the city’s castle (this number includes the women and children) defeated the Turkish army of 80,000 soldiers. The fort is still standing; I grew up playing on its walls and hills, continuously being amazed at this underdog victory.
The 1956 revolution is a very similar story. Hungary, a nation of 10 million, defeated the Communist terror of the Soviet Union, a nation of 200 million, for 13 days. This event eventually led to the worldwide decline of Communism. When this tiny country dared to generate its own destiny, it became a moral leader.
Today, our existence still faces so many great challenges. I hope “Torn From the Flag” will inspire people to take charge, be active, and be socially – and politically – responsible.
BH: Talk about the research that went into the project … was it hard to find people who lived through the revolution? What part of their personal stories touched you the most?
KK: I was making the film for nine years; the first two were almost exclusively spent doing research. Once I realized the international effects of the revolution were never portrayed extensively enough on film, it was easy to outline what sort of interviewees I wanted.
It was really easy to find freedom fighters; however, finding a Communist was unbelievably difficult! Finally, 24 hours before the Hungarian shoot, I placed an ad in one of the biggest local newspapers saying, “Major Hollywood production looking for a Communist.”
Of course, we were no major Hollywood production by any means, but we got a Communist!
BH: Why do you think few documentary filmmakers focus on the impact of Communism? How might this situation change?
KK: The West knows practically nothing about Communism and its horrors. The image of Communism has been falsified and romanticized and it’s a challenging task to set the record straight. Many people think it was some livable democracy with many social benefits. That is NOT true!
Historians estimate that Communism had more than 90 million—I repeat, 90 million—victims worldwide! That’s like wiping out Canada three times. Many people who survived the concentration camps during WWII died in Communist labor camps not much after.
Let’s not forget that the Communist party accepted members of the Nazi party into their membership. The Communist higher-ups were criminals. People who lived in Communist countries lived in terror and constant fear. Human and civil rights were horribly abused.
Life was hopeless and unbearable. Communism was Hell!
BH: What has been the reaction to the film from audiences in the U.S. and across the globe? Anyone object to its content?
KK: The reaction to the film has been very positive and welcoming; no objection as far as I know. There have been several standing ovations since, and a flow of festival awards and positive feedback from historians, film critics, and the audience.
For many freedom fighters, coming to a screening is a family event. They bring their kids, grandkids, daughters and sons-in-law, and after seeing the film many of the younger generation realize that, unbeknownst to them, they have had a real hero in their family.
BH: Is it true your film has yet to be shown in Hungary? Can you explain why … and if it might be shown there soon?
KK: It’s true; the film has not been shown in Hungary. Currently Hungary’s Prime Minister is Ferenc Gyurcsany, a former Communist, and his party, the Hungarian Socialist Party, is a successor of the pre-’89 Communist regime’s party, the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party. Ferenc Gyurcsany and his government have been committing serious human and civil rights violations.
I don’t find it surprising that they are not welcoming an anti-Communist film, especially a film that promotes the empowerment of, and self-rule by, the individual, and could inspire social change in Hungary.
As the film is winning awards one after another and is gaining more and more credibility, ultimately it must be shown in Hungary. Should it not, it would rob the Hungarian populace and the world at large of an opportunity to be given a valid moralistic viewpoint that states in no uncertain terms that no government can or should be allowed to oppress its population via misrepresentation or coercion.
Note: Kovacs is working on a theatrical release for “Torn” and is pursuing the movie’s educational outreach possibilities.
If you’re interested in receiving more information about Torn from the Flag, please email tornfromtheflag@hotmail.com
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42 Comments
michael moore looks like a lightweight in comparison
If you change just a couple of words in the lyrics of Pulp's "Common People," you get a song written specifically for Michael Moore and Steven Soderbergh:
You'll never live like communist people.
You'll never do what communist people do.
You'll never fail like communist people.
You'll never watch your life slide out of view,
and then dance and drink and screw
because there's nothing else to do.
Sing along with the communist people
Sing along and it might just get you through
Laugh along with the communist people
Laugh along although they're laughing at you
and the stupid things that you do
because you think that Che is cool
I would love to see more stuff like this interview on this site.
Just north of Austin, in a town called Pflugerville, is an elegant restaurant called the European Bistro. The owner is a Hungarian woman who is very engaging and conversational. She will tell you all about the rich culture and beautiful countryside of her home. This subject, of course, segues into the subject of what the Soviets did to her, her family, and her country. She uses the word "rape" in its most severe expression. She can't help but describe it to people. It's an involuntary mission for her to inform others of what happened, no matter how uncomfortable it could make her patrons. But no one could blame her. It's human nature to take the trauma you suffer and try to use it to educate people, especially in town with so many colleges, professors, and students who think Che is admirable, or that the Soviets were only guilty of no more than a flawed execution of the Communist experiment.
Speaking as a child of one of those Freedom Fighters I can tell you that those 13 days changed lives for many generations. My Father would not say much about it when I was a child, but when he did it was pretty grim. I for one am glad to see the light of truth showing those who think it's cool, what an atrosity communisim realy is. Thank you Klaudia Kovacs for showing the world!
Just north of Austin, in a town called Pflugerville, is an elegant restaurant with amazing food called the European Bistro. The owner is a Hungarian woman who is very engaging and conversational. She loves speaking with her patrons, and she will tell them all about the rich culture and beautiful countryside of her home. This subject, of course, segues into the subject of what the Soviets did to her, her family, and her country. She uses the word "rape" both literally and in its most severe figurative expression. She can't help but describe the atrocities. It's an involuntary mission for her to inform others of what happened, no matter how uncomfortable it could make her patrons. But no one could blame her. It's human nature to take the trauma you suffer and try to use it to make the world better, especially in town with so many colleges, professors, and students who think Che is admirable, or that the Soviets were only guilty of no more than a flawed execution of the Communist experiment.
Just north of Austin, in a town called Pflugerville, is an elegant restaurant with amazing food called the European Bistro. The owner is a Hungarian woman who is very engaging and conversational. She loves speaking with her patrons, and she will tell them all about the rich culture and beautiful countryside of her home. This subject, of course, segues into the subject of what the Soviets did to her, her family, and her country. She uses the word "rape" both literally and in its most severe figurative expression. She can't help mentioning the atrocities. It's an involuntary mission for her to inform others of what happened, no matter how uncomfortable it could make her patrons. But no one could blame her. It's human nature to take the trauma you suffer and try to use it to make the world better, especially in town with so many colleges, professors, and students who think Che is admirable, or that the Soviets were only guilty of no more than a flawed execution of the Communist experiment.
Just north of Austin, Texas, in a town called Pflugerville, is an elegant restaurant with amazing food called the European Bistro. The owner is a Hungarian woman who is very engaging and conversational. She loves speaking with her patrons, and she will tell them all about the rich culture and beautiful countryside of her home. This subject, of course, segues into the subject of what the Soviets did to her, her family, and her country. She uses the word "rape" both literally and in its most severe figurative expression. She can't help mentioning the atrocities. It's an involuntary mission for her to inform others of what happened, no matter how uncomfortable it could make her patrons. But no one could blame her. It's human nature to take the trauma you suffer and try to use it to make the world better, especially in town like Austin with so many colleges, professors, and students who think Che is admirable, or that the Soviets were only guilty of no more than a flawed execution of the Communist experiment.
Just north of Austin, Texas, in a town called Pflugerville, is an elegant restaurant with amazing food called the European Bistro. The owner is a Hungarian woman who is very engaging and conversational. She loves speaking with her patrons, and she will tell them all about the rich culture and beautiful countryside of her home. This subject, of course, segues into the subject of what the Soviets did to her, her family, and her country. She uses the word "rape" both literally and in its most severe figurative expression. She can't help mentioning the atrocities. It's an involuntary mission for her to inform others of what happened, no matter how uncomfortable it could make her patrons. But no one could blame her. It's human nature to take the trauma you suffer and try to use it to educate the world, especially in town like Austin with so many colleges, professors, and students who think Che is admirable, or that the Soviets were only guilty of no more than a flawed execution of the Communist experiment.
Just north of Austin, Texas, in a town called Pflugerville, is an elegant restaurant with amazing food called the European Bistro. The owner is a Hungarian woman who is very engaging and conversational. She loves speaking with her patrons, and she will tell them all about the rich culture and beautiful countryside of her home. This subject, of course, segues into the subject of what the Soviets did to her, her family, and her country. She uses the word "rape" both literally and in its most severe figurative expression. She can't help mentioning the atrocities. It's an involuntary mission for her to inform others of what happened, no matter how uncomfortable it could make her patrons. And no one could blame her. It's human nature to take the trauma you suffer and try to use it to educate the world, especially in a town like Austin with so many colleges, professors, and students who think Che is admirable, or that the Soviets were only guilty of no more than a flawed execution of the Communist experiment.
I have never met anyone who had lived under Communist or Soviet oppression who championed it.
Me either, Bev.
To me, the epitome of a morally, spiritually blind person is a leftist who can look at people swimming through shark infested waters to get out of Cuba, Russian corpses filling the Gulags, and Germans dangling dead from the Berlin Wall – and still call it the worker's 'paradise'.
Someone needs to make a film about European/Canadian/Soviet ex-pats talking about the parallels between what's going on here and what made them leave their countries. It would only take a small amount financially. Easier yet, post these on YouTube and promote them through conservative radio and this site etc. These stories are a thousand times better than anything we can come up with. And they are a presentation of our ideals with a so-called multicultural twist. Something we've seeded to the left.
"The West knows practically nothing about Communism and its horrors. The image of Communism has been falsified and romanticized and it’s a challenging task to set the record straight. Many people think it was some livable democracy with many social benefits. That is NOT true!"
It's about time we got a film that didn't glorfy Communism. This quote from above is interesting in light of Alexandra Pelosi's Salon interview where she said she thought McCain supporters didn't know what socialism was and that they were far older than Obama's supporters. It's true the West doesn't know much of the reality, especially the current crop of college kids. Older people actually lived through some of the Cold War, though I guess they're dying off.
If it makes any of you feel better, I'm part of the young college generation (19) and I am thoroughly interested in the reality of Communism. I have read some of the horror stories about the Gulags, the Khmer Rouge, Che Guevara, the U.S.S.R.'s war on Afghanistan, and I will tell you that I was thoroughly repulsed by it.
It saddens me that nearly everyone in my generation does not have a clue about this terrible evil, yet they can parrot every jab about the Crusades and the Inquisition.
I spent some time in Hungary a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Great place with kind, hard working people.
My father was born in Hungary and I am very upset to learn that its government is now Socialist. It hasn't been THAT long since Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain. Why the heck are people voting them back in????
Ben, may I recommend "We the Living" by Ayn Rand, if you haven't read it. It's about the early years of Communist Russia. Although it is fiction, I believe it pretty much represents the every-day lives of those who lived it.
Suzanne, please note that there's a very serious difference between democratic socialism and totalitarian communism. Communism wasn't evil because it idealized the notion of redistributing wealth — it was evil because of the methods it used to redistribute wealth, and the fact that the leaders of Communist governments were always more interested in their own power than actually making everyone equal. During the Cold War, many of America's allies against the Soviet Union were in fact led by socialist governments, but democratic socialists who respected human rights. Comparing a democratic socialist to Stalin would be a bit like comparing any capitalist to Pinochet.
According to Kovacs:
"Currently Hungary’s Prime Minister is Ferenc Gyurcsany, a former Communist, and his party, the Hungarian Socialist Party, is a successor of the pre-’89 Communist regime’s party, the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party. Ferenc Gyurcsany and his government have been committing serious human and civil rights violations."
According to you:
"Communism wasn't evil because it idealized the notion of redistributing wealth — it was evil because of the methods it used to redistribute wealth, and the fact that the leaders of Communist governments were always more interested in their own power than actually making everyone equal."
I don't think Kovacs would agree with you. Redistibution of wealth is evil in and of itself, however it may be applied. Just try to "make everyone equal" in the workplace or among your own family & see how far you get.
I will have to check it out.
A good book that really opened my eyes to it was "Koba the Dread" by Martin Amis. It's an account on Stalin and the Gulags.
Communists are bad?
I'll drink TWO shots of Unicum to that!
Another story that should've been shown on the big screen a long time ago, although I'd rather see an actual feature film as well as a documentary be made about the Hungarian Revolution. In fact, I could see the film based on James Michener's book The Bridge At Andau.
The only people who think Communism is cool or "has some good ideas" are people who will never in their lives have to live under it.
Pro-Communists (even those who don't know they are) always laugh and say Communism doesn't exist anymore. And many times they will deny it's existence in a tirade of hate & disgust for the person who believes it does. Very telling.
My family emmigrated from Canada to the US when I was 9. My father, who grew up in Canada, said his reasons were the high taxes and the government health care which was by no means "free" (duh the high taxes).
To hear my parents talk, Canada is not a worker's paradise. It is a haven of mediocrity, a view that I have internalized and have seen little evidence to dispute. When I see the libs running our government talk about Canada like it's some type of model, it makes my stomach turn and I have to wonder: where would families like mine move to in a couple of years, if Obama "succeeds" and wrenches our country right (err….left) into socialism?
Communism was so wonderful that smart people left Eastern Europe in droves (the "Brain Drain") before the Warsaw Pact decided it was necessary to build a big fence with guard towers, dogs, minefields and machine guns (the Berlin Wall) to keep the rest in!
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Ronald Reagan said that a mere 21 years ago (June 21, 1987).
While I could bemoan how soon some forget, I feel sad that so many today have never known the truth.
[...] TORN FROM the flag. [...]
[...] Big Hollywood alerted me to a new documentary about the uprising, Torn From the Flag, which has no qualms about denouncing the unmitigated evil of communism. BH: Why do you think few documentary filmmakers focus on the impact of Communism? How might this situation change? [...]
Very true. Though I think the people that think Communism or Socialism are good ideas want to be taken care of by the State anyway and are generally low achievers anyway.
My dad was a teenager during the 56 Revolution and we know many freedom fighters. I am so glad a film was made about it and the horrors of Communism.
Ben, try to find "The New Class" by Milovan Djilas, 1957. It's a scathing expose of communism, by a communist.
The left is just way way way better at propaganda than the right; always has been and probably always will be.
So future generations are doomed … to learn the same f'n lessons over and over and over and over again.
Tragedy, farce, etc.
A buddy of mine grew up in 1960s Romania (which made Hungary look like Las Vegas). When he finally got to the US, the most shocking thing he found was that stores here sold dog food. He was amazed that the West was so wealthy that we could actually manufacture food… for dogs.
Klaudia Kovacs sounds kind of delusional. I don't know where all these hippies are who have parties celebrating the joys of living under Soviet Russia, where people wear fur coats and drink vodka to toast the KGB and plan vacations in Siberia. How romantic!
[...] of the “Evil Empire.” Obviously, it was with particular interest, then, that I read Christian Toto’s interview with filmmaker Klaudia Kovács a few days ago, which alerted me to the only local showing of her 2007 documentary, “Torn [...]
Emmanuel, where, exactly, does Klaudia Kovacs make any sort of assertion like "…where all these hippies are who have parties celebrating the joys of living under Soviet Russia, where people wear fur coats and drink vodka to toast the KGB and plan vacations in Siberia."!?
In a predictable fashion, you dismiss the importance of her and her film by asserting they are both making hysterical claims.
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