Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 1993 (5. évfolyam, 31-51. szám)

1993-08-27 / 33. szám

On this day, Hungarians have aditionally celebrated their first jng, Saint Stephen, for many enturies. During the years of the ommunist rule, August 20 smained a national holiday, with ireworks and all, except, the ame was changed to "the Feast >f the New Bread". Communists, if course, would not hear of :ings, let alone saints, and since he date coincided with the har­­'est of the grain, this made the :elebration acceptable. Now hat Hungary is a democratic ;ountry, the day can shine again n its old splendor. The Hungarian Consulate General threw a lavish party at :he Bel Air Crest Clubhouse for the local Hungarian community and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions, as well as the City and County of L.A. and Orange County. Mayor Richard Riordan sent a greeting to the gathering, conveyed by Ms. Lour­des Saab from City Hall. Consul General András Márton and his wife, Adrienne Nagy personally welcomed the arriving guests at the entrance, with a glass of champagne to enhance the joyous mood of the occasion. Emőke Hrotkó did an excellent job as organizer and M.C., and all other members of the consulate staff acted as pleasant hosts and hos­tesses. Mr. Márton greeted the guests first in English, than in Hungarian (the invitations were "layered" so as to accomodate the large number of invited guests). Several speeches were said, among others, by Hungarian­­born Dr. Daniel Brooks, a high­­ranking officer of the U.S. Navy, who compared today’s tasks to St. Stephen’s peace-making efforts. We shall print the full text of Mr. Márton’s speech upon receipt. Food was prepared or pur­chased by consulate employees (Transylvanian Cabbage, fried chicken and mouth-watering cold plates) - in particular, by Miklós, who did the lion’s part in ensuring the smooth running of the feast to everyone’s contentment. Other items were delivered by Csardas Restaurant: hundreds of biscuits, bread, 400 plum dumplings and trays full of mignons, plus a deli­cious chocolate cake frosted in the colors of the Hungarian flag, with an exact replica of St. Stephen’s crown, sent to him by Pope Sylvester in the year 1000 - down to the last pearl of decora­tion and the slanted cross on top, which made quite a sensation among photographers as well as guests with a sweet tooth. White and red wine was freely con­sumed, and people were min­gling, talking, greeting each other, discovering long lost friends - it was the liveliest meet­ing I’ve seen in a long time, and it stretched well into the evening. We thank the Hungarian Con­sulate General for this happy event which was worthy of its purpose: the celebration of the Hungarian National Day. tions, from the most optimistic to the extremely pessimistic. A work of art was born which can be understood and lived through without words at any part of the world. In this film, it becomes obvious that explanations - or blarney, yakking, B.S., if you will - are superfluous; without the need for words, the hopelessness of the situation comes through loud and clear. LOS ANGELES-4 MAGYAR HÁZ 1975 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Tel: (213) 737-8973 A Magyar Ház vezetősége szeretettel hívja az összmagyarságot az elkövetkezendő péntek - szombatokra! A Ház vezetőségének tagjai főznek, Péntek Rózsika irányításával Vacsora $6.­BODROGIGYULA szórakoztatja a vendégeket! Vasárnapi ebéd de. 12 órától Ára $5.-The Face of Worlds - Baraka BARAKA is an ancient Sufi word meaning blessing, breath. It’s the title of a movie being presented in Budapest by Béla Bunyik,, before its U.S. premiere. After the two hours of "The Face of Worlds - Baraka," even those moviegoers who are totally indifferent to the problems worn threadbare by the efforts of mass communication - the destruction of the environment, the popula­tion explosion, the poverty of the Third World - will probably remain glued to their seats soaked by perspiration. "A unique experience at the movies" - proclaims the not-too­­unique commercial slogan of the film. Yet, the movie directed by Ron Fricke is just that: unique. Now, when it comes to the quality of the experience, it most resembles a nightmare tending towards self-criticism, a senti­ment rarely felt in full sincerity. In fact, the movie is about us, too much about us. It shows us what the Earth could have been like before us, and how hopeless it has become since our coming. Yet the creators of the spectacular shots from the four inhabited continents of the world are not really into environmentalism. They intended no struggle and enlightenment with the brilliant camera work and directing which perpetuated the beauty of nature that serves as aesthetic measure. All they wanted was to document what was left from the biosphere, the once fruitful cooperation of man and nature. And of course also what has come to be in the wake of the destruction, and what seems to have grown beyond our control. But the formula cannot be simplified into evil man and benign nature. It has much more layers and nuances. The shock­ing sequences of millions of animals being slaughtered with brutal cruelty at the chicken fac­tory are followed by images of Auschwitz, late 20th Century Asian slave-manufactures, and hundreds of thousands of people driven to the ruthless human slaughterhouses of consumer societies through the spell of money and career. Yet, the devastating criticism about the man of modern civilization is never spelled out. The images of people rushing breathlessly and stunned after whatever business seems important to them, in their _ stinking cars on the streets of the great metropolises evoke almost as much pity as the agony of the innocent chicks... The nearly two hours of Baraka - at least in a human sense - are filled with mute silence, since no word is uttered the whole time. Instead, the monotonous music and other sounds which appear inarticulate to the listener create, in composed harmony with the spectacle and according to tem­perament, the fear, anxiety, or shock. Incidentally, the lack of human speech in the film can ac­comodate a wide range of reac-Dr. FRIEDMAN ANDREW üfyvéd Válás • Child Custody * Autó­baleset * Personal Injuries Szerződések * Bűnügyek Drunk Driving * Real Estate Végrendelet * Probate 124 No. La Brea Ave. % Los Angeles, CA 90036 * (213) 931-2476 (213) 656-5847 MAGYAR BIBLIAI GYÜLEKEZET Posta cím: P.O.Box 329 Snntn Monica, CA 90406 Összejövetel helye: Westsiile Baptist Cbnrcli 1430 Centinda Ave. (Közel a Santa Monica ntvd-boz) West Los Angeles Istentisztelet magyar nyelven minden vasárnap 12JO-kor Lelkipásztor: SMITH HENRIK l elt r.m: (818) 335-0695 (ionilnok: OlAll IMRE Telefon: (213) 828-5309 Kedv-s Olvasó! Hallgass« meg a Magyar Bibliai Gyülekezet rádióadását minden vasárnap dóItilAn a KTYM A.M adón az. l-'.OO-ns hullámsávon 4:00-4í30-ig IN THE SPIRIT OF SAINT STEPHEN Hungary - a Strong Presence in Central Europe Mr. András Márton, Consul General of the Republic of Hungary, delivered this speech at the August 20th festivities in Los Angeles: August 20th is the foremost celebrated Hungarian national holiday of the year. It was elevated to this status by a new, freely elected Parliament after an interval of 45 years. On this day, we remember our King, Saint Stephen, founder of the Hungarian state, who converted his people to Christianity, and whose country achieved unity, by having established the Hungarian government almost one thousand years ago. In the previous regime, this day was observed as the Constitution Day. Hungarians had no choice then, but to celebrate a copy of the Soviet Constitution. However, in the heart of every person, this holiday always remained a symbol. Not just a symbol of power, but a symbol of our Christian values, as well as our strong presence in Central Europe. St. Stephen stood mainly for modernization. He wanted Hun­garians to fall in line with the most advanced ideas then prevailing in the West, both in government, military methods, and in morals. We have had an uninterrupted parliamentary system since the 13th Century, on the basis of the traditions created by St. Stephen. Protecting the rights of his citizens, he had passed municipal laws regulating all aspects of civil life. St. Stephen, as a king, was a wise ruler, but he also showed no mercy to his pagan enemies. In the lessons he wrote for his son Emeric, he is seen as a true democratic statesman, a defender of Hungary, who invited foreigners to settle there. His decision to open up the country to admit foreigners resulted in a predominantly Hungarian, but an integrated, multinational state that survived for almost a thousand years. Now that Hungary is once again a free country, we are celebrating it with a great revival of joy. It should not be forgotten, however, that we had many new beginnings in our history. And this time, I think, we need to form a new state once again, but first it all has to start in our hearts and in our minds. Today, Hungarians live scattered all over the world, and this new spiritual foundation would mean that we have to re-create a viable state, supported by all Hungarians living outside of the Country. How do I see Hungary’s role in the nex* ntury in Europe? The ground is ready for having a politically ana economically united Europe, where Hungary plays an integral part as a valuable member of the European community. In conclusion, I would like to say that our main goal in today’s Democracy is to attain a peaceful coexistence with our neighbors and with the minorities living within our borders and beyond. Because of St. Stephen’s age-long philosophy, August 20th can be a celebra­tion of a nation that was established on these principles of strong moral values and a respect for all people. Such values time will never fade away. And it is this very same commitment that we, here at the Consu­late in Los Angeles, have adopted as our mission, and will faithfully and tirelessly work - together with the local Hungarian community - to accomplish, according to this tradition. Thank you for coming, I look forward to seeing you all next year, as I hope you will join me again, to celebrate St. Stephen’s Day. Blessing on the Square The fact that an American film is shown in Budapest before it premiers in New York is remarkable in itself. What’s more, Baraka is not "a" film, but "the" FILM. Yes, like that. All caps. Like The Cruiser Potemkin, or Indiana Jones are "the" FTLMs. Of course, it’s a matter of tastes and styles. The musts of genre dictated by fashion are not easy on thought-evoking creations such as Baraka. They favor horrors, thrillers and sex instead. The same recurring props. Broad-shouldered heroes-on-duty (Schwarzenegger/Stallione). Old-fashioned archive tear-jerkers. No romance, please. Glorified effect-enhancing die-cast bloody scenes. From (A)utomatic weapons to ba(Z)ookas, the most sophisticated inventory of armamemt. War machines to be deployed on earth, water and in the air. Wait a minute! What water? What air? And in fact, what is the earth? The substance that wears out the heels of our shoes... Could that be all? The answer is Baraka. This ancient word means blessing, breath, the essence of life. Director Ron Fricke does not go for old worn-out dialogues, theses turned into stone-hard dogma. He creates the film with images and music. The lens of his camera encompasses the whole world, from the archaic culture of Egypt through the habits of natural peoples to the discreet elegance of Frenchmen, while our senses register New York, the throbbing of the inhuman metropolis, the pressure of time, the desires of Brasilian street urchins, the destruction of the virgin Cambodian countryside. A cry for help in each frame. A ninety-minute, no-frills, wonderful teaching. Like a wise man, Baraka speaks little (in fact, nothing at all), yet tells everything. To us, about us, for two days on Vörösmarty Square, from September in the theaters. 1993. augusztus 27. AMERIKAI Hfagyar Ifírlap 0 This page written by ATA accredited translator SUSAN JANCSO AUGUST 20 - HUNGARIAN NATIONAL DAY AMERICAN Hungarian Journal

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