Films

The Bishop's Garden

Private Hungary 14

An old man walks in his garden. The house and the garden are home to retired Calvinist church bishop László Ravasz. This is where the great orator has lived for many years, ever since 1950 when Communist dictator Rákosi sent him into inner exile, to break the independence and backbone of the church.

Earlier Ravasz always spent the summers with his family here, since acquiring the house in 1929. Between 1921 and 1948, he was one of Hungary's most influential and powerful clergymen. His archconservative personality, controversial ambivalence toward Jews left its mark on history of the Hungarian Holocaust. As the first of Bishop the Calvinist church was a member of the Upper House of Parliament, in from 1927, and later of the Royal Gubernatorial Council of Miklós Horthy. In his garden he only walks amongst the strands of his memories.

• Credits

Credits

2002 - 57 minutes - Video

Director • Péter Forgács
Music • Tibor Szemzõ
Editor • Kati Juhász
Sound mix • Zoltán Vadon
Music performed by • The Gordian Knot Company
Research • Ágnes Ravasz
Amateur films made by • László Ravasz Jr.
Film restoration • Márton Kurutz
Producer • Péter Forgács replika klockor