Sixty years ago, a spontaneous uprising against the communist government of Hungary shook the world. This insurgency, lasting between 23 October and 10 November 1956, was the first major challenge to Soviet authority behind the Iron Curtain. The epicentre was Budapest where the violence was greatest and where signs of the revolution are still visible. […]
In memory of Hector Babenco
RIP Hector Babenco, my favourite South American film director (Pixote, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Carandiru). I was lucky enough to hear him talk in the London Film Festival when he presented Carandiru in 2003. Most people – including myself – first came across Brazilian cinema with the 1981 film Pixote, a Cannes Festival stunner. […]
Hom Strom
Deep in the Engadine valley of Switzerland where Romansch is widely spoken, there is a village called Scuol, where a pagan tradition survives to this day: the burning of a straw man (Hom Strom) dating from ancient fertility festivals and possibly human sacrifices. Click on an image to enlarge.