Krampus: The Christmas Devil

It’s that time of year again, when everybody’s favorite Christmas celebrity makes house-calls to special children. We are, of course, not talking about St. Nick; that would be too obvious. Rather, it is time to celebrate the Krampus: Santa’s grotesque strong man. In North America, Santa leaves coal in naughty children’s stockings. In Central Europe,  St. Nick is too busy passing out gifts to bother with his ‘naughty’ list.  He  employs a devilish little character known as ‘Krampus’ to do his dirty work. Krampus, who looks something like a sooty demon, invades homes, kidnaps children who were ‘naughty’, stuffs them in his bag and steals them away to a fiery neither world below, never to be seen again. Santa’s elf, he is not.

The Krampus, while an important aspect of Christmas in Hungary, actually originates in the more Germanic climes near the Alps. He is especially popular in Austria, where many cities and towns hold yearly parades of men dressed in Krampus costume, wielding gilded switches with which to swat the behind of anybody who stands too close. Traditionally, Krampus is represented by a devil-like mask, long horns, a dangling lizard tongue, and cloven hooves.  Believed to a hold-over of the region’s Pagan past, Halloween can also be traced to the same rural tradition of animal and monster masks.

Krampus has long been a regular tradition in Central Europe (showing up on December 6th), but he is beginning to gain exposure in America as well. Recently, Krampus made an appearance on the Colbert Report, the popular political satire show, and Krampus parades have been held in more liberal cities like Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California. Given how anti-septic and commercial most American Christmas traditions have become, it is no surprise that people crave a little darkness and ill-spirit around the holidays. As you will note: December 6th has passed this year, but be sure to be good, or Krampus will have you on his list next time around.

Below find some of the sexier Krampuses (Krampi?) from last year’s Krampus Festival in Munich, Germany.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Filmed in Hollywood: Budapest!

Usually in this space you will find us harping on the fact that Budapest is used as a location to represent so many other cities. But we know of at least one film where Budapest was recreated abroad – on a Hollywood lot, no less. Starring It’s A Wonderful Life actor James Stewart, we are referring, of course, to is the 1940 comedy A Shop Around the Corner.

In the pic, Stewart plays Alfred Kralik, an employee of a Budapest gift shop who doesn’t realize that he is falling in love with his nemesis at the shop via anonymous love letters they send to one another. Why, when the screenplay was written by an American, and the film’s primary players were all American – did they choose Budapest as the setting? It’s because the film is based on the stage play Parfumerie, by Hungarian Miklós Laszló.

If the plot to A Shop Around the Corner sounds familiar, it is because Laszló’s play was used as the basis for two other subsequent films: In the Good Old Summertime, and most recently, the Tom Hanks/ Meg Ryan vehicle You’ve Got Mail. The script was also adapted for the Broadway musical She Loves Me. A contemporary of playwright Ferenc Molnar, Laszló – who was of Jewish extraction – was born in Budapest, but heeded pre-World War II warnings and moved to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. He married while there, and worked on numerous film scripts before dying in 1973 in New York City.

It is worth mentioning that the story does take place around Christmas, so it is considered a Christmas film. Though A Shop Around the Corner never had the critical or commercial impact of Stewarts’ Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life, it did make Time Magazine’s list of top 100 films.

Here’s a short clip from one of the more lively parts of A Shop Around the Corner. If you look over James Stewart’s shoulder, you can see a street sign in Hungarian: a bit of Hollywood-created Budapest.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Location Spotter: Hortobágy, Hungary's Great Plain

via Wikipedia Commons

If any publication knows about fascinating travel destinations, it’s National Geographic. The magazine recently put together a list of the places their writers most want to visit, once travel restrictions allow. And, while we can’t say it is ‘no surprise’ that Hungary’s great Hortobágy plains, in the form of the Hortobágy National Park, made the list, it does make sense, given all the area has to offer.

Part of the greater area of the Alföld, Hortobágy National Park is a World Heritage Site, covering 800 square kilometers. Seemingly unimpressive — it is flat grasslands — at first sight, it takes a closer look for the area’s true wonders to reveal themselves. For instance, the plain is on the migratory path for many types of birds. The bird watching is amongst the best in the world. According to the article: “Poor soil for farming helped keep Hortobágy’s mosaic of alkaline marshes, meadows, pastures, and loess-steppe vegetation intact. Free from plowing and significant development, this puszta (barren land) flourished. The resulting rich grassland ecosystem, protected since 1973, provides critical habitat for some 340 bird species, including tens of thousands of winged fall migration travelers, such as gray geese and common cranes, that make the park one of central Europe’s best birding locations.”

via Wikipedia Commons

Not wanting for other wildlife, water buffalo roam the plain, and there is a reserve for wild endangered Przewalski horses. The steppe is also famous for its domesticated horses, and the horsemen — called csikós — who ride them. When training to ride for his film The Great Wall, Matt Damon spent time learning from Hungary’s best riders, who have practiced the art of mounted archery for centuries. Moreover, the puli, dogs that helped the csikós, are now world famous. Once near extinction, Hungarian Gray Cattle, are also at home in Hortobágy.

via By self2, CC BY 2.0 at Wikipedia Commons

Hortobágy National Park may indeed be one of the great treasures of Hungary. Due to its pristine grasslands and natural diversity, it’s only a matter of time, and the right conditions, for it to be an international travel destination. At least the people at National Geographic seem to think so.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Hungary's, and Perhaps the World's, First Celebrity Chef: Louis Szathmary

Once there was a celebrity chef who was both known for his prowess in the the kitchen, as well as foresight in utilizing modern technology to increase his brand recognition. This may sound like Gordon Ramsey or Jamie Oliver, but rather we are talking about the Central European granddaddy of celebrity chefs: Louis Szathmary.

If the name Szathmary looks suspiciously Hungarian, that’s because it is. History (or WIkipedia) tells us that he was born on a train that was traveling from the Erdély (Transylvania) to Budapest as his parents rushed to escape the growing conflict between Hungary and Romania during WWI times. Szathmary would be educated in Budapest, earning a PhD in psychology, and fight with Hungary during WWII. It wasn’t until he was in his thirties that he emigrated to the United States, with no knowledge of English and 1.10 dollars in his pocket.

Eventually finding work for food manufacturer Armour/Stouffers, he helped pioneer methods for food storage, like flash freezing, and boil-in bags. As the company was based in Chicago, that’s where Szathmary elected to open his first restaurant, once he was ready. The Bakery, a Hungarian and Continental restaurant, quickly became legendary in a city filled with restaurants, and Szathmary became a local authority, writing a food column for Chicago’s biggest paper, the Chicago Sun Times. We’re not saying Gordon Ramsey stole his famous individual Beef Wellington recipe from Szathmary, but the Hungarian chef was the one to popularize the dish at The Bakery.

A highly educated and bookish man, Szathmary was said to have a library of 45,000 books, most of them cookbooks. He went on to write five cookbooks of his own, many still considered classics in the field. But like any celebrity chef, it’s via television that he is best known. Over 150 television appearances made him famous across America, necessitating the employment of three secretaries to keep up with his fan mail.

Sadly, the chef passed away in 1996. His fame in Hungary is limited, but in the States his cookbooks are still highly regarded, and the Bakery is still remembered. Not bad for a kid whose hometown was a train compartment.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Lake Balaton Wins By Landslide as Best Lake In Europe

via Wikipedia Commons by txd - originally posted to Flickr as Landscape in Hungary, CC BY 2.0,

Much of the world has had their eyes trained on screens of laptops and televisions in recent days, waiting for the outcome of the US presidential election. With Joe Biden finally pulling out the victory, it’s time to turn our attention to other relevant news: Biden’s connection to Hungary.

While President Elect Biden has no apparent Hungarian roots, Hungary does hold a place in his and his wife’s heart. It surfaced recently that the couple spent their honeymoon at Lake Balaton, Hungary’s massive, tranquil, and beautiful lake.

The story goes that Hungarian-American politician Tom Lantos (now deceased) was working with Biden in Washington, so many years ago, when the two struck up a friendship. It was Lantos who suggested the Hungarian destination of Lake Balaton for Biden and his new wife Jill. Lantos went so far as to accompany the Bidens on their trip, acting as tour guide. According the the Hungarian Spectrum:

“Tom Lantos organized everything and to Biden’s surprise he announced that he and his wife Annette would accompany the newlyweds. And indeed they went. All four of them. Biden later recalled that Lantos presented Hungary as if he were the CEO of a tourist agency. The best fish can be found in Hungary. Lake Balaton is the nicest lake in the whole world. The bridges across the Danube are the most spectacular in the universe. The world’s most famous scientists, actors, mathematicians, composers, and poets were all Hungarians. Not only Biden but scores of American delegations went to Hungary since and they all heard the same accolades from him.”

If you’ve been to Lake Balaton, you know Lantos is only slightly exaggerating. Known for its wonderful pike/perch, nightlife-friendly south side, and the sophisticated wine regions of its volcanic north, Lake Balaton has something for everybody. The other famous American couple who made Balaton their vacation spot, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, also spoke fondly of their time on the peninsula of Tihany, and for some time, were rumored to be contemplating buying a vacation home there.

Lake Balaton has long been a favorite holiday destination with folks from abroad, from Germans to Russians. For those living locally, no summer is complete without a trip to Balaton. So, should President Biden care to return to revisit his romantic memories, Balaton, while a bit more developed, is still Best Lake for Life, no recount needed.

via Wikipedia Commons By Oldmumus at Hungarian Wikipedia

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Filmed in Budapest: Radioactive

This is the time of year when we’d normally write a horror/pagan/spooky type post. But this year, we’ll leave that for the news. Instead, we’ll take this opportunity to promote a film about internal strength and fortitude, that was, of course, filmed for the most part in Hungary. Radioactive, which was scheduled to be released last summer in theatres, but due to circumstances, was put out digitally, is a film about French scientist Marie Curie, who among other accomplishments, discovered radioactivity, helping to revolutionise physics and chemistry. One wants to paint Curie as an underdog, and indeed she did suffer for being a woman in a male-dominated field, but she also has the distinction of being one of the very few people to win a Nobel Prize twice.

Staring Rosamund Pike as Marie Curie, the production summoned Budapest’s pre-war feel as a stand-in for Curie’s hometown of Paris. The production also traveled to Esztergom to make use of the quaint, romantic exteriors that small city offers. Radioactive was directed by Marjane Satrapi, whose international smash graphic novel Persepolis helped her launch a career in film. The source material for Radioactive was also a graphic novel: Radioactive by Lauren Redniss. The New York Times called the film “thoughtful,” and “very watchable.”

CNN Traveler had a word with Pike about her experience in Budapest, and she had nothing but glowing things to report: “We filmed on Zoltán Utca and transformed it into the most beautiful Parisian street scene, with cafes, flower sellers, horses, and carriages. It is the first time we see the young Marie [in the film] and she is so absorbed in her book that she bumps into Pierre [Curie]. This is their first meeting. We also used the Ethnographic Museum as the Sorbonne University lecture hall where Marie first announces her discovery of radioactivity and the two new elements she and Pierre discovered and named: Radium and Polonium (named after her native Poland). And we shot inside the same building that houses Brody House, which is a bit like Budapest’s answer to Soho House. Like you get in Europe, it’s this wonderful, old building with beautiful apartments with very, very high ceilings. It’s very Parisian. So, we used part of that house to be Marie and Pierre’s apartment.”

Once again, Budapest becomes a master of disguises. Pike went on in the interview to praise the city’s cultural riches, and even found what she called some of the ‘best vegetarian’ food of her life.

As Amazon Studios was in part behind the production (along with StudioCanal UK), it is no surprise that you can stream Radioactive on Amazon. Meanwhile, here’s the trailer.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Hárslevelű : Hungary's complex hidden grape gem

photo by András Kovács, via Wikipedia Commons

As the leaves fall from the trees, and drizzle falls from the sky, poetic minds turn to things of beautiful decay. And there is no better way to rhapsodize about a pretty autumn day than with a glass of Hungarian Hárslevelű in hand. Hárslevelű , for those who don’t know, is one of the varietals that originate in Hungary, like its more famous cousin, Furmint. While it can be found in Germany, where it goes by the name of Lindenblättriger, or in France, where it is known as Feuille de Tilleul , it’s in Hungary where the grape is most warmly embraced.

There is no doubt that the wine it produces has a distinctive flavour: deep, crisp, and botanic. Despite its complexity, it is frequently used as table wine in Hungary, but is also mixed with Furmint grapes to create the famous dessert wines of Tokaj. The connoisseurs of Wikipedia describe the flavour of Hárslevelű as such: “Vinified as a pure varietal dry wine, Hárslevelű is capable of yielding a dense, full-bodied, green-gold wine with an intense aroma of spice, pollen and elderflowers.”

Named for the Linden tree leaf that its own leaves resemble, Hárslevelű is centuries old in these parts. Despite its age, it has yet to earn the respect of a grape like Furmint, or even Olaszrizling, Hungary’s Italian Riesling. Taste Hungary, a wine-tour and purveyor in Hungary, explains why: “Unfortunately, Hárslevelű is also tarred with a brush from Hungary’s socialist past, which doesn’t do anything to further its case. Many people still see the off-dry Debrői Hárslevelű as a reference for the variety. Debrői Hárslevelű is a brand assigned to Debrő in the Eger wine region during the planned economy and synonymous with high yields, poor quality and often added sweetness. To add insult to injury, 15 percent of other varieties, even aromatic ones such as Tramini, can be added to the brew, thus giving Hárslevelű the image of sweet, aromatic plonk.”

All that said, Hárslevelű is hitting a sweet spot, where it is becoming more sought after by wine lovers, taken more seriously by wine-makers, but still has the image of a budget grape, keeping the price reasonable. And, like Furmint, you can practically taste the autumn sun in every sip, even if its a bit clouded over.

Hárslevelű grapes via Monika at Wikipedia Commons

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Location Spotter: Continental Europe's Oldest Metro: the M1

via Wikipedia Commons

With the highly Instagramable new metro line in Budapest — the M4 — the city’s fourth metro line, it is easy to forget that Budapest also has one of the oldest continually functioning metro lines in Europe: the M1, locally known as the Kisföldalatti, or ‘ little underground’. It has the distinction of being the first metro line constructed on continental Europe.

With the construction of Budapest’s most elegant street, Andrássy Avenue around 1872, local politicians saw an opportunity to modernize transportation in the city without damaging the pristine architecture of the streetscape. It would take twenty years for construction of the project to commence in 1894. Two-thousand workers were employed for two years on the project, allowing the M4 to be inaugurated on May 2, 1896 by emperor Franz Joseph. In its initial years, it carried around 35,000 people a year from the head of Andrássy Avenue up to and under the City Park to the City Zoo. Today it transports over 100,000 people annually over the eleven stations, which run a total of 4.1 kilometers.

via Wikipedia Commons

While the trollies have been updated, the platforms have an ‘old world’ pre-war feeling. The exterior entrances are done in ceramic and metal work that echoes the secessionist style of the State Opera House, which it passes along its route. Though the M4 may be the newer and flashier addition to public transport in Budapest (media hog!) it is the M1 that remains a favorite with metro enthusiasts, and an ideal location to convey the ‘modern’ aspirations of old world Europe.

via Wikipedia Commons

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Rainy Sunday: Budapest in the Fall

by By Osvát A, via Wikipedia Commons

After a long, extremely temperate, and well-used summer, autumn again has snuck up on the city, covering us with radiant foliage, gusts of wind, and some chilly, if refreshingly bracing rain. We Love Budapest, the long running news and culture blog, have capably captured the spirit of the city in the rain as part of their video series, Three Minute Budapest. As you can see in the video below, they manage to artfully include shots of the in-between spots in Budapest (tram stops, puddles on the sidewalk) along with blue-chip locations like Parliament, the Danube, and the Vajdahunyad Castle in City Park. Indeed, Budapest is just one of those cites that benefits from being veiled in nature’s offerings, and is just as beautiful covered in snow or rain as it is dappled by the sun. So have a look as see if you don’t agree that damp Budapest can be eerie, romantic, nostalgic, elegant, but never dull.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Meme Streets: A Bucket List for Nicolas Cage in Budapest

photo by Nicolas Gegin, via Wikipedia

Iconic, ironic, and sometimes bionic, actor and Oscar winner Nicolas Cage has been spotted around Budapest, where he is currently shooting his latest film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he plays and actor named Nic Cage. Since he has so much time with himself, we thought we would make a list of things Nicolas, or ‘Nic,’ can do in his off hours. Based on his previous films, here is Nicolas Cage’s Budapest Bucket List.

One of Cage’s early roles was in Francis Ford Coppola’s ill-fated gangster/jazz film The Cotton Club, which centres on the 1930’s Harlem jazz scene. In the film, Cage plays Vincent Dwyer, based on Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll, a NYC mafia hitman. While guns are highly regulated in Hungary, jazz isn’t. You won’t see ‘Bird’ or Chet Baker at the The Budapest Jazz Club—the city’s premier jazz house—but Hungary has a thriving jazz scene, due to the strong tradition of music education in the country. The Budapest Jazz Club a classy joint, and currently still open in the sexiest part of the inner 13th district.

In Gone in Sixty Seconds, Cage plays a street savvy car thief. He only deals in the fastest of cars, thrilling audiences with lengthy chase scenes. While racing in the streets is difficult on the tight, clogged Budapest streets, he can make his way out of town to the Hungaroring, Hungry’s annual Formula One event. Though he missed this year’s race, we are sure he could procure the track for private use. If he wants to lift a Trabant or souped-up Lada to race in, that’s up to him.

Cage won his Best Actor Academy Award for his role as an alcoholic ex film-producer who falls in love with a similarly damaged Vegas hooker, in Leaving Las Vegas. We don’t know much about prostitution, but if he’s looking for a place to down a few drinks, he is in the right city. We recommend he start off easy, at one of Budapest’s classy wine bars, to try some to the best, and best-kept secret, wines on the planet. Personal favourites would be Kadarka, in what was once the ‘Party District’ of the inner 7th, and the hipper, more local wine bar Cintányéros, in the rough and tumble outer 8th district.

In Adaptation, Cage plays a Charlie Kaufman-like screenwriter struggling with the adaptation of The Orchid Thief, Susan Orlean’s best-selling novel. Budapest doesn’t have many orchids, but is loaded with enough literary locations to satisfy any writer. Foremost, he may want to contemplate his word choices at The New York Cafe, the famous hangout from the Golden Era of Hungarian writers, in the early 20th century. Ornate and kitschy, one can brood of their next sentence for hours, provided they have the money to pay the bill.

In the National Treasure franchise, Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian charged with tracking down historical artifacts stockpiled by the cultish Freemasons. Hungary is home to few American national treasures, hidden or not. It does, however, have its own—foremost, the ‘Holy Right,’ the mummified hand of king Saint Stephen. For just a few hundred forints, in Budapest’s Basilica, you can activate a light that illuminates the disembodied hand of the saint, canonised in 1083, long before America was colonised.

That should be enough to keep the actor busy, though if he needs more recommendations, we are here, re-watching Wild at Heart, and other Cage-led treasures.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Hungarians in Hollywood: Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre is an actor immediately recognizable to anybody with even the most cursory interest in film history. You know him as the slippery underworld figure in Casablanca who provokes one of the film’s most famous lines by Humphrey Bogart: “I stick my neck out for nobody.” He is equally known for his portrayal as a killer of children in the German in Fritz Lang’s M. In Hollywood, he was again paired up with Humphrey Bogart in the enduring film noir classic The Maltese Falcon. Known for his diabolically reptilian looks and suspicious accent, he was sought after throughout his long career as a character actor ideal for the role of the colorful villain, particularly in war movies. One of his final roles also brought one of his greatest distinctions: Lorre was the first villain in a James Bond film, playing opposite Peter Nelson in Casino Royale.

But, Lorre is on this blog for a reason: and that is because he was born László Löwenstein on 26 June 1904 in Rózsahegy, then part of the Hungo-Austrian Empire, now part of Slovenia. He got his start in German-speaking parts of Europe: Vienna and Berlin, working with both Fritz Lang and Bertolt Brecht. Like many Hungarian Jews who eventually made it big in Hollywood, he fled Europe due to the outbreak of World War II. His first credit is actually as a Japanese in the series Mr. Moto. Typecast as a creepy villain, Lorre was never fully able to break into leading-man roles. Towards the end of his life his career took a downturn and he sustained himself on television parts and guest appearances. Suffering life-long health problems, he became addictid to morphine, which was believed to have brought about his early death in 1964. Actor Vincent Price – whose career took a similar path – read the eulogy at his funeral. All in all, Peter Lorre has over a hundred acting credits, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Not bad for a kid from Rózsahegy.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Filmed in Hungary: Dune's Trailer is Released

via Warner Bros.

We are not the only ones awaiting the remake of Dune, originally shot in 1984 and directed by David Lynch. The eighteen million or so people who viewed the just-released trailer, are all obviously among those curious about the buzz around Dune. It looks to be tapping into the original science fiction series enormous popularity, unlike the original, which was a flop of such colossal proportions that it closed off possibilities of filming the rest of the books in the series by writer Frank Herbert.

But with a lot of talent, enthusiasm, and professional acumen, Dune is back. As we reported before, the remake by Blade Runner 2049 (also shot in Hungary) director Denis Villeneuve was in part shot on sound stages in Hungary. The results, which can be seen in the just released official trailer, are compelling. From this brief but thrilling glimpse, it is apparent that the director is bringing his sleek, noirish style to the film. Where the first Dune was bright as the desert sun, this one is darker, more apocalyptic.

Stars like Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, and Charlotte Rampling were seen about Budapest during the filming, which was clearly a successful endeavour despite being interrupted by the lockdown in the spring, and then wrapping up in July. Hungary Today reports that additional filming had been undertaken as late as August, only a few weeks ago. Insider film site Deadliner.com is speculating that the film will be ‘epic’. If the trailer is any indication, they are right. It is all promising enough that the second part of Dune is already being planned.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Gábor Szabó: Hungary's Cult/Mainstream Guitarist

Via Wikipedia Commons By © David Redfern

There aren’t many guitarists that virtuoso Carlos Santana takes cues from, but on that short list, perhaps even near to the top, is Hungarian-born Gábor Szabó. Szabó, while held in great esteem by jazz musicians and learned rock guitarists, never really found his way to the mainstream. Despite this, his influence has been deeply felt throughout the decades since his death in 1982.

Born in Budapest in 1936, he would move to the United States twenty years later due to the Hungarian revolution. There, he studied at Boston’s famous Berklee College of Music. It wasn’t long before he started making a name for himself on the US jazz scene with his style, which is described as ‘moderate avant-gardism.’

His rock influenced style found many fans in the counter-culture and rock community of the 1960s. It was Carlos Santana who first covered Szabó, making his tune “Gypsy Queen” a hit in the States, and in the process winning the Santana a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the song was combined with “Black Magic Woman” by Peter Green). The mix of Hungarian folk, jazz, and Latin rhythms was a staple at Santana concerts.

According to the Budapest Business Journal: “Santana adored Szabó’s work, calling it “fantastic, spellbinding music.” It symbolized for Santana what was happening in the mid-1960s. The Beatles were, as Santana put it, “starting to interject a deeper thought” into pop. By then, Szabó was already experimenting with playing intelligent pop songs like Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” so, Santana said, “it was all merging without becoming confusion, fusing, all coming together very naturally.” Santana saw Szabó as being on a par with Jimi Hendrix, high praise indeed, especially in his innovative use of feedback. The difference was that, where Hendrix deployed feedback in a wild, psychedelic fashion, Szabó used it like a drone, because he was more into Indian music.”

Szabó first returned to Hungary in 1974, where he played with local jazz luminaries. Unfortunately the guitarist died young, at age 45, in 1982, from internal organ ailments. If there is any consolation here, it is that he died back home, in Budapest.

But the musician’s influence is still felt. For instance, the Hungarian Jazz Association honoured Szabó by naming a prize after him. In terms of all-time great jazz guitarists, Discovermusic.com has Szabó listed as the 14th greatest.

Below is Gábor Szabó’s peppy, “Gypsy Queen”. While informed by his American schooling, we think the Hungarian folk influences are easy to spot, and one of the reasons this guitarist and his music are so beloved.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Auto-Recall: Vauxhall Plays Hide and Seek in Budapest

Via Wikipedia Commons, photo by Christo

Turbulent times evoke different feeling in different people. While most go about their daily business, others fall back into creature comforts like food, libations, and Netflix. Some read. And still others retreat into nostalgia: give in to the media of less complicated times.

So, if this old advert for Vauxhall’s compact auto called the Corsa tugs at your heartstrings, you may be in the later category. Here we can indulge in nostalgia with so many layers it could be a cake. Foremost, the car is a niche favorite with drivers. But for those who are more familiar with local scenery, it provides a small nostalgic thrill to see that the ad revels in Budapest’s decrepit side. This was 2001, before EU and money from real estate developers overtook the city-wide renovation the facades of the elegant apartment blocks of Pest. The graffiti, the crumbling exposed brick, the colorlessness — despite how all this sounds — did give the city a certain romantic charm, the way a bouquet of dried roses can be as alluring as fresh-cut flowers. Fans of Brutalist architecture know what we are talking about. Of course, half the point of the monochrome scenery is to make the colorful little cars pop as they navigate portions of Budapest cars don’t normally go, in their game of ‘hide and seek’ (including a trash removal container and, the Danube).

Keen connoisseurs of culture will also note that the soundtrack is the song “Sensitive Touch” by English indie icons The Fall. This was from the era when advertising found pop and punk music to be the most effective soundtrack to car adverts, most memorably exemplified by Sting’s song “Desert Rose” in Jaguar ads.

We’d love to find a connection the Fall have to Budapest, but outside of their sense of pride in being different, there might just not be one. But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this old advert and basking in the warm golden rays of the past. The cars are hidden, but enjoyment is where you find it.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Martin Scorsese Joins Kornél Mundruczó in Pieces of a Woman

Hungarian film-maker Kornél Mundruczó has gotten some space in this blog before, and with good reason. As a director, his films have increasingly attracted international attention, including winning the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes for White God. Having recently completed his first English language film, Pieces of a Woman, the director is now set to attract an even larger audience.

Martin Scorsese also knows a thing or two about film. By taking an interest in the director and Pieces of a Woman, coming aboard as an executive producer, as was announced in the trade papers, it can only bode well for the film’s international success.

The screenplay was written by Hungarian playwright Kata Weber, based on her stage play by the same title. Starring Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, and Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn, the film is summarized by Rotten Tomatoes as such: “When a home birth goes tragically awry, a grieving woman is thrust into an emotional inner journey by trying to come to terms with her loss while also dealing with the ramifications in her interpersonal relationships with her husband and estranged mother.”

Of Pieces of A Woman, Scorsese commented: “It’s lucky to see a movie that takes you by surprise. It’s a privilege to help it find the wide audience it deserves. Pieces Of A Woman for me was a deep and uniquely moving experience. I was emotionally invested in it from the first scene, and the experience only intensified as I watched, spellbound by the filmmaking and the work of a splendid cast that includes my old colleague Ellen Burstyn. You feel as if you’ve been dropped into the vortex of a family crisis and moral conflict with all its nuances, drawn out with care and compassion but without judgement. Kornél Mundruczó has a fluid, immersive style with the camera that makes it hard to look away, and impossible not to care.”

Mundruczó replied: “When I first was contacted by Martin Scorsese after he saw Pieces Of A Woman, time stopped for a second. It is an utter privilege that someone, who has seen and experienced filmmaking inside and out appreciates what we’ve created. One always feels more vulnerable with intimate and “close to your heart” materials, but Martin Scorsese joining Pieces Of A Woman, on top of an already fantastic cast and crew, is a deeply appreciated validation of the risks one takes when going forward to make something truly personal.”

Though filmed in Canada, Pieces of A Woman is a joint American-Hungarian production. Pieces of a Woman will have its world premier at the Venice Film Festival in early September.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Alien-list: Luke Evans' Tour of his Favorite Places in Budapest

The Alienist, the series based on the blockbuster novel by Caleb Carr, was one of the many productions to pull an amazing slight-of-hand and use Budapest as a stand-in for a far away location. In The Alienist’s case, Budapest became turn-of-the-century (the last century, that is) New York. The collaboration was successful enough that a sequel was ordered, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, which was also shot here in Hungary.

So, it’s fair to say that Alienist star Luke Evans has been around Budapest for long enough have an informed opinion on its merits. In a recent video (below), which promotes both the show and the city, Evans takes the viewer around Budapest, and even dishes some local secrets.

While Evans begins his tour with some of the tried and true choices: the Castle, and the Chain Bridge, he quickly moves on to more personal favorites, like the Liberty Bridge (Budapest’s smaller, more elegant bridge) and while introducing us to the Gellért thermal baths, he is quick to point out that you can have a DIY bath in the famous bath’s spill-off that gathers in a rogue hand-constructed pool by the Danube, for free.

The legality of bathing in that pool — it’s a popular thing for local young people to do — is questionable. But as Will Smith showed us with his stunt of shooting video footage of him dancing atop the Chain Bridge, stars in Budapest are often given the benefit of the doubt.

Evans also reveals himself to be a fan of the electric scooters that now buzz around town, through the company Lime. In particular, he enjoyed the open greenery of Margaret Island, which he calls, ‘a secret garden’ in the middle of the city. He is right, though perhaps it is not such a secret.

That Budapest became one of the favorite cities of a star who passed through is no surprise. Actors like Matt Damon and Brad Pitt also fell under the city’s spell while working here. But it’s also nice to see an endorsement that gets more personal and informed (and comes with a video!)

The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, is currently running on TNT. Below find Luke Evans’ tour of Budapest.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Kempelen Farkas and the Hoax of the Century

If you have ever spent any time in Hungary, you know that native Hungarians are proud of the numerous inventors who have originated from their country. From the ball-point pen to the atom bomb, Hungarians can take credit for inventions both practical and revolutionary. But not all famous Hungarian inventors were so pragmatic. Take, for instance, Kempelen Farkas (better known by his German name, Wolfgang von Kempelen), a lifelong inventor and creator of the ‘chess robot’ known as ‘The Turk’.

These days, you can play chess against a computer, and, unless you are a grandmaster, it is likely the computer could beat you. The Turk, however, used no software. In fact, there was no such thing as software when The Turk was invented, back in 1770. Yet the life-sized metal ‘chess robot’ defeated challengers drawn from esteemed ranks of world leaders like Napoleon Bonaparte and great thinkers like Benjamin Franklin. The Turk was unveiled by Kempelen in an effort to impress Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa. She was impressed, and fooled, as were spectators for a full thirty years, until it was revealed that The Turk was a hoax: hidden inside a wooden box beneath the chess board sat various chess masters, operating The Turk’s hands. The Turk will go down as one of the greatest all-time hoaxes, and was made all the more believable due to Kempelen’s reputation as an esteemed man of science.

Other inventions of Kempelen were less frivolous, and indeed, at least one was ground-breaking. His ‘Speaking Machine’ was constructed of such curious parts as a reed from a bagpipe, a bellows (used to blow a fire), and the bell of a clarinet, all constructed to imitate a human voice. Kempelen would spend much of his life attempting to perfect the machine, making several different versions. Ultimately, the machine was not able to fully replicate natural speech, though it was able to utter phrases in English and French. Its one huge limitation was that the speech was delivered in a wheezy monotone. But at the time it was as close as any inventor had come to mechanically imitating the human voice. And no, there was not a tiny man inside the Speaking Machine doing the talking. This one was legitimate.

Like many great Hungarian inventors before and after him, Kempelen died penniless, having fallen out of favor with the Monarchy. His great automaton The Turk also suffered a tragic fate: it was destroyed in a fire. Kempelen’s name lives on, however, and is oft uttered by automaton-obsessed writers and fans of ‘Steampunk’ literature. His legitimate contributions are also remembered in the form of The Wolfgang von Kempelen Science History Prize.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Location Spotter: Jahn Ferenc Hospital

Photo by By Herzi Pinki via Wiki Commons. (Not Jan Ferenc, but Town Hall in Vienna, Austria)

While the Jahn Ferenc Hospital, or any hospital for that matter, is no place to make casual visit to in these times, in the future there is good reason to have a look in Budapest’s Jahn Ferenc Hospital, as it has the distinction of having one of two actively used paternoster elevators in Hungary.

A paternoster lift, is basically an elevator that features open compartments that run on a continuous loop, meaning the passenger needs to step into and out of the moving contraption, looking like a toy for human sized gerbils. While paternosters have been largely discontinued around the world due to safety reasons, they are greatly sought out by a certain type of steam-punk, or even hipster, traveler. Smithsonian Magazine and Atlas Obscura have both written about paternoster lift tourism. If that’s your thing too, Europe is the place to be. Germany is Europe’s epicentre of paternosters with over 200, with Czech Republic is in second place with 68, Hungary has but two, the second in the city of Miskolc at a university.

According to Wikipedia, “The name paternoster ("Our Father", the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin) was originally applied to the device because the elevator is in the form of a loop and is thus similar to rosary beads used as an aid in reciting prayers.” The first paternoster was built by architect Peter Ellis, in 1868 in Liverpool, England.

While paternosters are still in use, they are being phased out. In Germany, before the general public was barred from riding them, there was an average of one death a year from paternoster accidents. So if you happen to have an accident on the Jahn Ferenc paternoster, count yourself as lucky: you are already in a hospital, and won’t have to travel far for assistance.

GIF via Wikipedia Commons: RokerHRO - A feltöltő saját munkája, CC BY-SA 3.0,

So, while we could go on about the renovated autopsy room the Jahn Ferenc hospital, or the social modernist (we think) design, it’s more ‘uplifting’ shall we say, to focus on the oddity that is the paternoster, and feel lucky Budapest still has a working example of this technological curia.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Han Su-Yeon : Portrait of a Korean Artist in Budapest

Han Su-Yeon via Asian Wiki.com

Despite our difficult language and sometimes complicated bureaucracy, Budapest and Hungary are home to any number of expats, long-term visitors, and foreign students. People come here from all over the world to make their careers, to explore history, or as tourists who got seduced into staying. Like most great cities, there is a healthy amount of diversity in Budapest. So while it may surprise some to hear South Korean actor Han Su-Yeon  speaking Hungarian in a recent South Korean documentary about Hungary, such surprises are becoming less unusual.

Having spent a good portion of her youth here, Su-Yeon  actually speaks the language fluently, and is something of a local expert. In a recent interview with local news site Index, Su-Yeon  recalled some of her memories good and bad of being a long-term foreigner in Budapest.

Having moved to Budapest at a young age with her mother, who studied classical piano at the illustrious Liszt Ferenc Academy, Su-Yeon learned to speak Hungarian in school, and sometimes with the ‘help’ of classmates who teased her. But eventually Su-Yeon  found acceptance in the public school she attended, making many friends. It was there that she found an appreciation for the language that expressed itself in reading Hungarian literature like Ferenc Molnár’s Paul Street Boys, and through learning choice curse words.

Her love of acting perhaps sprang in part from the habit of going to films alone at a now defunct cinema near Móricz Zsigmond Circle. It wasn’t until she returned to South Korea, graduating with a degree in acting from Shongjungvan University in Seoul, that her career took off, appearing in several movies as well as the Korean soap opera True Love.

As a youth she began writing a diary in Hungarian, a habit she continues to this day. Moreover, she keeps current with her favorite Hungarian bands, like the Animal Cannibals (who have appeared on this blog before) and practicing the language with her sister, also a Hungarian speaker. It will come in useful if her plans of buying a second home in Hungary come true.

With her love of Hungarian language and culture, we only hope she will return soon.

This article is based on an interview with Han Su-Yeon  published in Index.hu

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Location Spotter: Szentendre

via Wikipedia Commons

Need a location that conveys small-town Central Europe while staying near to the film studios of Budapest? Then Szentendre is your next stop. The village lies just 20 kilometers from Budapest and is known for its quint, cobblestone streets and pristinely preserved city center. Not exactly a well-kept secret, Szentendre is routinely listed as the number one day trip in travel guides to Hungary.

via Wikipedia Commons

Inhabited since the days of the Roman Empire, there is no shortage of historical sites and influences in the architecture. Though Hungarians currently make up over 90 percent of the population, Saxons, Slovakians, Greeks, Bulgarian, Turkish, and Serbians have all left their mark on the village, which remains somewhat multi-cultural. Named for Saint Andrew, there are any number of Orthodox (particularly Serbian) details to churches and public spaces alike. The prevailing Baroque architecture that characterizes the city center gives the town a universally European feeling, and would be an appropriate stand-in for towns from most European countries.

Don’t mistake the classic feeling for stodginess, though. Szentendre has long been a cultural center and arts hub. In past and present, it has been a location for artists’ retreats and home to a number of fine arts museums (including one dedicated to the beloved Hungarian sculptress Margit Kovács).

Via Wikipedia Commons

It is worth mentioning that Hungary’s largest film studios – Korda Studios, Raleigh Studios, and Origo Film Group – are all but a stone’s throw from Szentendre. The village has direct access from Budapest and its international airport.

With both wide streets and narrow cause-ways, classical churches, and scenic Danube views, Szentendre has been discovered by tourists, and it is only a matter of time before this unique location captures the attention of international film-makers.

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.