Children of Glory on AllMovie

A nation whose dreams of freedom have been crushed meet their rivals on a different field of battle in this drama inspired by a true story. In 1956, Karcsi Szabo (Ivan Fenyo) was a star athlete at the University of Budapest and had been named captain of the national water polo team than would represent Hungary in the Olympics held that summer in Australia. However, many of Szabo's countrymen had more on their minds; Hungary had fallen under the oppressive rule of the Soviet Union, and a growing number of Hungarians were demanding independence. One day, Szabo and his friend Tibi (Sándor Csányi) witness a demonstration led by Viki Falk (Kata Dobó) demanding an end to Soviet rule in Hungary. While initially Szabo is more attracted to Falk's beauty than her message, through his attempts to woo her he is awakened to the need for revolution; however, an uprising by the people is crushed by the Soviet war machine, and matters become worse for the Hungarian people. When Szabo and his teammates discover that Hungary will be competing against the U.S.S.R. in the men's Water Polo tournament at the upcoming Olympics, they see an opportunity for a symbolic victory over their oppressors . . . if they will be allowed to leave to country to compete. Szabadsag Szerelem (aka Children of Glory) was based on the true story of Hungary's 1956 water polo victory over the Soviet Union in what has been described as the most violent match in the history of the sport; the documentary Freedom's Fury offers a factual perspective on the same event.