Somewhereintheremoteregion,thewarends.Inthemidstofruinedcitiesandhousesinthestreets,inruralhamlets,everywherewherepeoplestilllive,arechildrenwhohavelosttheirhomesandparents.Abandoned,hungry,andinrags,defenselessandhumiliated,theywanderthroughtheworld.Hungerdrivesthem.Littlestreamsoforphansmergeintoariverwhichrushesforwardandsubmergeseverythinginitspath.Thechildrendonotknowanyfeelingtheyknowonlytheworldoftheirenemies.Theyfight,steal,struggleforamouthfuloffood,andviolenceismerelyameanstogetit.AgangledbyCahounfindsarefugeinanabandonedcastleandencountersanoldcomposerwhohasvoluntarilyretiredintosolitudefromaworldofhatred,treason,andcrime.Howcantheyfindacommonground,howcantheybecomemutualfriends?Thecastlebecomestheirhidingplacebutpossiblyitwillalsobetheirfirsthomewhichtheymayorganizeandmustdefend.Butevenforthis,thepricewillbeveryhigh.
Tothissimplestory,thejournalist,writer,poet,scriptwriter,moviedirector,andfilmtheoreticianBélaBalázsappliedmanyyearsofexperience.HeandthedirectorGézaRadványicreatedaworkwhichopenedanewpostwarchapterinHungarianfilm.Surprisingly,thisfilmhasnotlostanyofitsimpactovertheyears,especiallyonaprofoundphilosophicallevel.Thatistosay,itisnotmerelyamovieaboutwaritisnotimportantinwhatlocationandinwhatperiodoftimeittakesplace.Itisastoryoutsideoftimeaboutthejoylessfateofchildrenwhopaydearlyforthecruelwargamesofadults.
Atthetimeitwaspremiered,themoviewasenthusiasticallyreceivedbythecritics.Themainrolesweretakenbystreetwiseboysofachildren'sgroupwhocreatedtheirrolesimprovisationallyinclosecontactwithafewprofessionalactors,andinthechildren'sactingtheirownfreshexperienceofwar'sturmoilappearstobereflected.Atthesametime,theirperformancefitsadmirablyintothemosaicofaverycomplexmovielanguage.Balázs'sinfluencerevealeditself,aboveall,intheintroductorysequences:anairraidonanamusementpark,seeninamontageofdramaticsituationsevokingthelastspasmsofwar,where,undoubtedly,wediscerntheinfluenceofclassicalSovietcinematography.Shooting,theboy'sescape,thelocomotive'swheels,theshadowsofsoldierswithsubmachineguns,thesoundofawhistle—theimagesarelinkedtogetherinabruptsequencesinwhichvaryingshotsandexpressivesharpsoundsareemphasized.Aperfectlyplannedscreenplayavoidedallelementsofsentimentality,time-wornstereotypesofwrongedchildren,romanticismandcheapsimplification.Theauthorssucceededinbridgingtheperilousdramaticabyssofthemetamorphosisofachildren'scommunity.Theirtellingofthestory(thesceneofpillaging,theassaultonthecastle,etc)independentlyintroducedsomeneorealistelementswhich,atthattime,werebeingpropagatedinItalybyDeSica,Rossellini,andotherfilmartists.Therebukesofcontemporarycritics,whocalledattentionto"formalismforitsownsake"havebeenforgotten.ThemasterlyartofcameramanBarnabásHegyigivesvitalitytothepoeticimages.Hisangleshotsofthechildren,hiscompositionofscenesinthecastleinterior,arealivingdocumentofthetimes,andunderlinetheatmosphereandthecharactersoftheprotagonists.ThesuccessofthepicturewasalsoenhancedbythemusicalartofcomposerDénesBudaywho,intensesituations,insertedthethemeoftheMarseilaiseintothemovie'sstructure,asamotiveofcommunityunification,asanexpressionoffriendshipandthepossibilityofunderstanding.
ValaholEuropabanisthefirstsignificantpostwarHungarianfilm.Itoriginatedinarelaxedatmosphere,repletewithjoyandeuphoria,anditincludestheseelementsinordertodemonstratethestrengthofhumanism,tolerance,andfriendship.Itrepresentsageneralcondemnationofwaranywhereintheworld,inanyform.