Fraternity-Testvériség, 2005 (83. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2005-10-01 / 4. szám
Page 9 Fraternity- Testvériség “Torn from the Flag” By Kathy A. Megyeri At last, a film documentary about Hungary’s 1956 Revolution is about to be made, and my husband and I are going help, if only in a small way. Recently, the Embassy of Hungary hosted Producer Klaudia Kovács and her Associate Producer George Adams in their kickoff celebration for the documentary movie, “Torn from the Flag.” This feature-length, English-language documentary about the global effects and international participants in the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956 will be unique because the events will be examined using the material of archives and recently opened files. Hungarian freedom fighters, former political prisoners, secret police, and foreign citizens who participated and witnessed the events will also have a chance to tell their side of the story. Russian soldiers, Marine guards at the U.S. Embassy, United Nations officials, CIA agents, foreign students, Mikhail Gorbachev, a protégé of Yuri Andropov (the main Soviet liaison in Hungary in 1956), and Henry Kisssinger (who has written extensively about President Dwight Eisenhower’s role in the events of 1956), all lend their credibility to this project. One of the reasons for my enthusiasm for this project stems from my 34-year career as a secondary teacher. I know the impact that documentaries make upon students, and thus far, the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 has not received its due in the scope of Modern History classes. It needs to stand alongside the study of both World Wars because this event is so remarkable in that it began as a spontaneous uprising that quickly developed into an organized movement that eventually toppled the undemocratic government. Those 12 “days of freedom” nearly 50 years ago are still felt today because they have an uncanny relevance to this current administration’s emphasis on freedom-loving nations everywhere. When ordinary citizens take up arms for freedom, the complacency of the international community is shaken. Thus, students today need to appreciate the impact of the Hungarian youth who were so involved in the uprising and its subsequent brutal repression that eventually, the first crack in the “invincible” Communist order occurred. Those Hungarian teens helped reveal the profound hypocrisy of the “People’s State” and initiated a process that culminated three decades later in the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dismantling of the Warsaw Pact, and the demise of the Soviet Union. Thus, the film has multiple teaching possibilities in America’s high school history classes while providing an accurate history for future generations to study. It is my hope that all HRFA members find some means to support the project as it will truly make the 50th Anniversary Celebration a memorable event. For further information, contact Klaudia Kovács at Homage to 1956, LLC, 1626 N. Wilcox Ave., #393, Hollywood, CA 90028; Telephone: 323-528-8771 or email: klaudiakovacs@msn.com. ä >*k ä <p< Áldott Karácsonyt és Sikeres Boldog Új Esztendőt Kívánunk! A vezetőség és a központi iroda dolgozói We Wish You a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Successful New Year! The Officers and the Home Office Staff
