Being an artist back in Fifties Hungary was a real trip, as evidenced by director and writer György Kovásznai’s own convoluted path into the animation industry. First a painter studying at the Hungarian College of Fine Arts around 1952, he left two years later saying “the teachers were untalented and the spirit was stupid.” He then worked the mines, returned to the stupid-spirited school, and got expelled. His journey from ex-art student to feature film animator remained difficult, with many of his films being banned or having rough development periods. Austin Film Society salutes this experimental animation icon, then, with a screening of his first full-length animated movie – a musical romance about a groom with cold feet, a nurse without love, and a bride in search of her hesitant soon-to-be husband. – James Scott
