AllMovie

Valahol Europaban (aka Somewhere in Europe and It Happened in Europe) was the second directorial effort from Hungarian filmmaker Geza Radvanyi--and, in the eyes of many film historians, his best work. Drawing his inspiration from the wreckage left behind by WW II, Radvanyi weaves a fascinating yarn about a group of orphaned and/or stranded European children. Left without homes or families, the kids form a gang, robbing others for food and clothing. The gang takes refuge in a bombed-out castle, intending to live there permanently. When it turns out that the castle is occupied by an elderly, shell-shocked musician (Arthur Somley), the kids' first impulse is to rob him too, but the gang's leader (Miklos Gabor) prevents this. Out of the gratitude, the musician "adopts" the children, protecting them from the prying eyes of the local authorities. Filmed entirely on location, Valohol Europaban has a raw vitality and refreshing spontaneity that many of Radvanyi's later films sorely lack.