Angi Vera is historically important because its production reflected the loosening of the Soviet Union's control of Eastern Europe that would conclude ten years later with the fall of the Berlin Wall. That Hungary would even consider state sponsorship of such a subversive film was evidence of serious rust on the Iron Curtain, and that the film was completed and distributed throughout Europe presaged the political upheaval that would eventually unfold. The film itself, perhaps unavoidably, is less interesting than what it represented. Its primary theme is personal emotions vs. duty to the state, and its conclusions reaffirm the importance of being an individual and emphasize that personal identity ceases to be meaningful when derived from ambition or pure adherence to the will of the state.
by Richard Gilliam
review
