This historical epic tells the story of Hungarian army commander John Hunyadi, who faced an Ottoman military force twice the size of his own troops at the bloody Siege of Belgrade.
In the 15th century, the Hungarian kingdom acted as a barrier to the Ottoman Empire’s expansion efforts in Europe. Its geographic position made it of great political interest, especially after Emperor Mehmed II’s claim on Constantinople. The fate of Europe would soon be left in the hands of those willing to protect the kingdom, including Hungarian soldier and future regent John Hunyadi (Gellért Kádár).
At the beginning of the 10-episode series Rise of the Raven, Hunyadi’s family is killed during an Ottoman invasion, leaving him, a child at the time, forever devoted to protecting his kingdom from occupation. Years later, he gets the opportunity at Golubac Fortress, on the border of Serbia and Hungary. While the king of Hungary, also known as Sigismund of Luxembourg (László Gálffi), is visiting Serbian despot Đurađ Branković (Rade Šerbedžija), Turkish soldiers attack the Fortress. The battle ends with Hunyadi protecting the king, earning favour with the powerful man and his strong-willed daughter, Elizabeth (Vivien Rujder).
The stunning series, produced by Hungarian-Canadian Robert Lantos (Eastern Promises, TIFF ’07), created by Balázs Lengyel, with episodes directed by Lengyel, Robert Dornhelm, Attila Szász, and Orsi Nagypál, is based on author Mór Bán’s Hunyadi series of novels.
Its expansive cast, each member speaking their native language, including Hungarian, Czech, German, Italian, and Turkish, gives the episodes a sense of authenticity, while its high production value renders the series cinematic in scope and scale. Complementing that is a screenplay full of multifaceted characters, relationships, and agendas.
GEOFF MACNAUGHTON
Screenings
Scotiabank 11
TIFF Lightbox 2
Scotiabank 13