by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Filmed silent, Hungarian Nights was released in the U.S. in mid-1930, giving at least a few days' work to the leftover movie-theater musicians. The story focuses on the menage a trois involving Captain Bartok (Hans Stuewe), Col. Reckoczi (Alexander Murski) and the colonel's wife Coraly (Lil Dagover). The plotline is occasionally broken up by drunken bacchanals and angry-peasant mob scenes. When distributed in America, the subtitles were printed in both English and German, giving them a "textbook" appearance which had the effect of taking the audience "out" of the picture. Cast in a small role is Viet Harlan, later one of the most prominent directors of the Nazi era.
