THE DOOR

Hungary, 2012, 97 minutes. Colour.
Helen Mirren, Martina Gedek, Karoly Eperjes.
Directed by Istvan Szabo.

It would be great to be able to recommend this film more eagerly than I can. Not that audiences won’t enjoy it or find it interesting, especially the performances. But, it is a Hungarian production (based on a celebrated Hungarian novel), directed by one of Hungary’s outstanding directors, so admired for his films like Mephisto, Colonel Redl and Sunshine, but it has been made in English. Whatever happened between the original screenplay writing in Hungarian and the English translation, it is often quite studied, artificial or unreal, and much of it is delivered as if the film were being dubbed (which, probably, some of the performances have been).

So, that is the major problem.

The other problem is the development of the characters and their motivations and behaviour. The Door is not a particularly long film, but might have benefited by the inclusion of some more sequences that would have illuminated the characters.

That being said, what is that we actually have?

This is a story of the 1960s-1970s, people living under strict Communist rule, with memories of World War II (and anti-Semitic behaviour of the times). And the door itself? It is the door to a dwelling where an older woman lives by herself, not letting anyone in, with neighbours suspicious of what she might have taken from a Jewish exiled family during the war. In point of fact, they are both wrong and right.

The woman, Emerenc, is a servant, a dedicated, hardworking servant whose washing, cleaning, cooking, are valued by her employers – though she is something of an inverted snob, committed to working class values, and discriminating as to whom she will work for – ‘I don’t work just for anyone, you know’.

She does accept the approach of a former teacher, Magda, who wants time to write a novel. She and her husband appreciate Emerenc’s work and meals but finds that she will enter their home at will, quite commanding in her manner, while always referring to the husband as ‘the master’.

The two women develop a strong friendship, bewildering much of the time to Magda, a relationship that Emerenc would never define as friendship. Here is the strength of the film, the relationship between the two women, especially when the husband is hospitalized. However, there are times of crisis, anger and apologies. Gradually, Emerenc does reveal so much of her story to Magda, even allowing her to come into her house.

Emerenc, sweeping snow from the footpaths constantly and diligently becomes ill. This precipitates a crisis for Emerenc and how Magda will deal with it, especially as she wins a government award for her novel, goes to a reception to receive he prize and praises Emerenc on national television (much to Emerenc’s disgust).

There are other emotional sub-plots, especially when Emerenc waits for a visit from someone from her past – and is angry when this does not eventuate. Magda also visits the town where Emerenc came from, learning more about her servant.

The key advertising point for The Door is that it stars Helen Mirren. Mirren can be Queen Elizabeth, giving an Oscar-winning performance as the Queen. Mirren can be a hard-headed, more tender-hearted than she communicates hard working rather drab looking servant. She embodies her roles and she makes Emerenc one of those strangely unforgettable characters. Martina Gedek, prominent in many German films like The Lives of Others, also gives a strong performance but also serves as a sounding board for Helen Mirren.

Allowing for the limitations for the sometimes stolid dialogue, stolidly delivered (but not by the two women), The Door is still an arresting cinema experience.

1. A Hungarian story? Production? Setting? With Helen Mirren?

2. Shot in the English language, the nature of the dialogue, some stilted, some sounding dubbed? The effect for the drama?

3. Budapest in the 1960s and 70s, the focus on the street, the area of the two houses, the wealthy home, Emerenc’s house? The contrast with the parliament, the social evening? The hospital? The score – and the use of Robert Schumann’s music?

4. The title, Emerenc’s house, the rumours about what was behind the door, her privacy, the protection of the cats? Legislation against more than two animals in a house?

5. Emerenc as the focus, Helen Mirren’s presence and performance? Cleaning, sweeping, washing? Her friendship with Polett, the lieutenant-colonel, the women with the store? Her life as a servant?

6. Her character, age, direct approach to life? The initial encounter with Magda? Calling the shots – the letters of reference? Her agreeing to work for Magda and the master? Calling Tibor the master? Her attitude towards men, especially when he was against her? Her key, entering the house when she liked, bringing the food (and resenting any tipping)? Her experience of gratitude, her reaction about the kitsch statues and decorations? The stories told about her, the Grossmans and their being Jewish, the anti-Jewish laws, their being shipped away? Her inheriting their possessions and safe? The truth, her helping the Grossmans, the baby daughter, bringing it home as her own, her grandfather’s hostility yet his looking after the baby, sad when it went? Her fear of storms, the story of her running away, the twins, the lightning strike, her mother’s grief, her mother’s killing herself in the well? The calf, the pet, its being slaughtered after the injury? Its name Viola? Taking the puppy, it growing into a huge dog, calling it Viola? Her love for the dog, walking it? Its coexistence with her cats? Her not allowing any visitors inside the house? Her hoping for the visit from the young Grossman girl, the preparation of the food, asking to give the impression that she lived in Magda’s house? Her anger when she didn’t turn up, the destruction of the food?

7. Her work, the payment, irregular hours, her inverted snobbery, talking about the workers? Magda going to church? Her approval of Jesus and his carpenter father, his being a victim of politicians and lies, their contriving his death, her feeling sorry for the mother? The arguments, the apologies, Magda breaking the dish, Emerenc smiling? Her breaking the kitsch dog? The snow, continued sweeping it away, her health, the plan to get her out of the house? Magda and her taking the cat away? The group seizing Emerenc, taking her to the hospital, Magda and Tibor waiting for her to come, her covering her face, her anger, the arguments? Magda’s lies about the cleaning of the house?

8. Emerenc and death, Polett and her hanging herself, the discussion between the two women about death, friendship, allowing a person to die when life had finished? Emerenc’s own ideas about death, no life after death, yet wanting a Taj Mahal at the mausoleum for herself and her family, respecting the dead?

9. Magda and Tibor, Magda teaching, retiring to write, her work in the house, the nature of the house, the decision to ask Emerenc for help? The lifestyle? Meals? Emerenc intruding into the bedroom? Tabor and his anger? The kitsch issue? Tabor ill, the collapse, the lungs and the blood? Emerenc saying no dog had howled? The hospital, Emerenc forbidding Magda to go to hospital, controlling her? The discussions with Magda, allowing Magda into her house, the photo of herself with the baby, explanation of the cats, her asking Magda to walk the platform in her home town?

10. Magda, the book, the bad reviews, the minister and the praise, the award, the social, her mentioning Emerenc in gratitude in the television interview? Emerenc’s negative response?

11. Magda, her learning from Emerenc, trying to gauge her moods, understand her? Emerenc’s regard for Magda, love and affection? Magda feeling she had betrayed Emerenc with getting her to hospital?

12. The end, the visit of the young girl, her never having met Emerenc, unable to remember her face? The visit to the cemetery, the fierce storm – and the memory of Emerenc and the clouds clearing? A nice – perhaps sentimental ending?