Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Son of the White Mare Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 15, 2021

Marcell Jankovics' "Son of the White Mare" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arbelos. The supplemental features on the disc include a recent interview with the director; archival promotional materials; new U.S. trailer for the recent restoration of the film; and more. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The strongest one

My first experience with Marcell Jankovics’ film Son of the White Mare occurred a couple of nights ago and it was a rather peculiar one. I would like to quickly address a few aspects of it because I am quite certain that it will be replicated by other viewers as well.

I did not know anything about Son of the White Mare other than it was produced in Hungary during the early ‘80s. In the former Soviet Bloc, this was a fascinating period during which a lot of talented and not-so-talented directors produced all sorts of different films that had to be approved by the local state censors before they can be seen by the masses. However, by the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the state censors were no longer as strict as they were during the ‘60s and ‘70s, so plenty of illuminating ‘chameleons’ managed to sneak through and enter the state-run film distribution system. I was unsure if Son of the White Mare was one such ‘chameleon’ and was eager to find out.

Approximately thirty or so minutes into the film I already had my definitive answer, plus I knew exactly where its story was heading and how it would end. This surprised me a lot because, as I mentioned earlier, I had never seen the film before. So, how could this be? Well, the story that the film tells is a fairy tale that is very popular in Central and Eastern Europe, and quite possibly in other parts of the world as well. I was introduced to it by my late grandfather many years ago but under a completely different title. Also, the three main characters in it were again brothers that battle the same dragons but had completely different names. (In the film they are given Hungarian names, but on this release, the names are translated into English, which makes things even more confusing). Finally, Jankovics and a man named Laszlo Gyorgy are credited as the creators of the fairy tale, but at best they ought to be considered ‘embellishers’ because obviously there are many variations of it and as far as I know its origin is unknown.

In the version of the fairy tale that I learned from my grandfather, the main protagonist is a young man who appears doomed to spend his entire life in extreme poverty and he has two older brothers whose prospects seem only slightly better. (There are some quite interesting details about their relationship that are not replicated in Jancovics’ film, but I am intentionally leaving them out because they don’t alter the progression of the story). In the film, the youngest brother, Treeshaker, is the son of a horse goddess that raises him in a mysterious place of unparalleled beauty. She teaches him how to become strong and when he grows big enough to take care of himself quietly dies. Shortly after, Treeshaker heads to the Underworld, where his estranged brothers, Stonecrumbler and Irontemperer, are awaiting his arrival. They meet before a giant mountain, test each other’s strength, and after Treeshaker easily overpowers them agree that he was meant to be their leader. The three brothers then head to a distant land to free three beautiful princesses, each married to a giant dragon with extraordinary powers.

There are two aspects of Jancovics’ take on the fairy tale that essentially make it unique. The first one is the obvious Hungarization of the fairy tale. The introduction of the Hungarian names and very particular manner in which the narration and dialog are scripted make it quite easy to assume that the fairy tale does indeed have Hungarian roots. The second is the imaginative visualization of the brothers’ journey into the Underworld. It often looks and feels like a psychedelic dream of the kind that would have been impossible to get approved for mass screening by the state censors without the above-mentioned Hungarization. Also, it is not just the choice of colors that creates the illusion that Jancovics has brought to life a spectacular psychedelic dream, but the unconventional forms and objects that begin to emerge immediately after the opening credits.

*Interestingly, quite a few of the drawings have a slightly subversive nature, though even the more obvious ones can be quite easy to miss if you allow the lush colors to overwhelm your mind. So, perhaps Jancovics did indeed produce a minor ‘chameleon’.

Son of the White Mare Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Son of the White Mare arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arbelos.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful exclusive new 4K restoration. While I have never owned a copy of this film in my library, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is the best it has ever looked. Why? Because the visuals have a very particular, very strong organic appearance that can be accomplished only if a project of this magnitude is handled properly. For example, there is a great deal of color play and quite interesting overlapping that looks so authentic that at times it actually becomes easy to see some of the native limitations of the production. Also, all of the visuals have very convincing filmic qualities that older animated projects convey. If there were any age-related imperfections before the restoration was initiated, it is impossible to tell now as well. My only minor criticism pertains to the encoding, which could have been optimized a bit to keep the visuals appear even tighter. Still, this is a very fine presentation of Son of the White Mare. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Son of the White Mare Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The narration and dialog are clear and stable. There are a few interesting audio effects, but dynamic intensity is quite limited. However, this isn't a weakness of the new 4K restoration. The lossless track simply reproduces the native qualities of the original soundtrack. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Son of the White Mare Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Early Works - a selection of early films directed by Marcell Jankovics.
  
  1. Johnny Concob (1973). Newly restored in 4K. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (79 min).
  
  2. Sisphys (1974). In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).
  
  3. The Struggle (1977). In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).
  
  4. Dreams of Wings (1968). Air India commercial. (9 min).

• Trailer - U.S. promotional trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Son of the White Mare. (2 min).

• Brighter Colors - in this recent interview, director Marcell Jankovics recalls his early days as a filmmaker in communist Hungary and discusses the conception of Son of the White Mare and the socio-cultural and creative environment in Hungary. The interview was filmed at the Hungarian National Film Archive on August 26, 2020. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (34 min).

• Making of Johnny Corncob - archival reel footage from 1973 with comments by director Marcell Jankovics. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by Charles Solomon and Eleanor Cowen, as well as technical credits.

Son of the White Mare Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even though my first viewing of Marcell Jankovics' Son of the White Mare took place just a few days ago, once its final credits appeared on my screen it felt like I have known it for years. It was a very strange sensation because the film essentially reimagines an old fairy tale that I learned from my late grandfather many moons ago. Needless to say, it brought back some very special memories. I liked the film a lot, plus the 4K restoration that the folks at Arbelos prepared for it is outstanding. Also included on this release is Jankovics' film Johnny Concob, which has been fully restored in 4K as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.