AZ ÈLET VENDÉGE
AZ ÈLET VENDÉGE
Tibor Szemzo
Hungary / 2006 / 79'
AZ ÈLET VENDÉGE
Tibor Szemzo
Hungary / 2006 / 79'

Like many of his contemporaries, Alexander Csoma di Körös is convinced that the origins of the Hungarian people and language have to be found in the East. On 23rd December 1819, this great language expert, who can speak thirteen different languages, set off on foot to discover the roots of Hungarian culture. Eight years later, he reached the Buddhist monastery of Kanam, at the foot of the Himalayas, where he stopped for three years. Here, he read and translated the sacred Tibetan texts, wrote a Tibetan-English dictionary and a Tibetan grammar. He would die at the age of fifty-eight after having learnt seven more languages, but without having achieved his initial purpose. This film is neither a biography nor a documentary, but an experimental work translating Csoma’s feelings through evocative images and soft sounds, such as the colourful animations illustrating the folk legends around his character. The film was shot between the monasteries of India and the Himalayas. The colours are delicate, almost imperceptible, whereas the dialogue and sound follow a musical development, creating a charming and contemplative atmosphere.

Director

Tibor Szemzo