Formations of masculinity in post-communist Hungarian cinema : labyrinthian men

This book investigates the formations of masculinity in Hungarian cinema after the fall of communism and explores some of the cultural phenomena of the years following the 1989 regime change. The films explored offer a unique perspective encompassing two entirely different worlds: state socialism and neoliberal capitalism. The films suggest that Eastern Europe is somehow different than its western counterpart and that its subjects are marked by what they went through before and after 1989. These films are all remembering, interpreting, picturing, marketing and trying to come to terms with this difference—with the memory and effects of state-socialism. In looking closely at the films’ male figures, one may not only get a glimpse of the dramatic changes Eastern European societies went through after the fall of communism but also see the brave new world of global neoliberal capitalism through the eyes of the Eastern European newcomers. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiv The Labyrinth Principle: Figures of Entrapment in Hungarian Art House Cinema (György Kalmár)....Pages 1-20 Historical Ruptures and Ironic Masculinities (Moscow Square. Ferenc Török, 2001) (György Kalmár)....Pages 21-47 Men on the Margins of History (Hukkle. György Pálfi, 2002) (György Kalmár)....Pages 49-66 Inhabiting the Post-Communist (Kontroll. Nimród Antal, 2003) (György Kalmár)....Pages 67-91 Masculinity Outside Victory Narratives (White Palms. Szabolcs Hajdu, 2006) (György Kalmár)....Pages 93-114 Fathers and Their Monsters (Tender Son: The Frankenstein Project. Kornél Mundruczó, 2010) (György Kalmár)....Pages 115-132 Little Black Boys (Just the Wind. Benedek Fliegauf, 2012) (György Kalmár)....Pages 133-149 Back Matter ....Pages 151-164 Annotation This text investigates the formations of masculinity in Hungarian cinema after the fall of communism and explores some of the cultural phenomena of the years following the 1989 regime change. The films explored offer a unique perspective encompassing two entirely different worlds: state socialism and neoliberal capitalism. The films suggest that Eastern Europe is somehow different than its western counterpart and that its subjects are marked by what they went through before and after 1989