The Man with the Golden Touch – Screening of Sándor Korda's silent film at the Night of Museums

On the occasion of the Night of Museums, the first adaptation of Mór Jókai's classic, The Man with the Golden Touch, a silent film long thought to be lost, will be screened on 21 June 2025 at 21.00 in the exhibition hall of the ELTE University Library and Archives. The Hungarian feature film of the writer's most beloved novel, directed by Sándor Korda, will be brought to life on the moving pictures.

This is the earliest of the three film versions of Mór Jókai's novel. The movie is one of the finest achievements of Hungarian silent film production, a faithful adaptation of the original story. Long thought to be lost, it was found in 1983 in the catalogue of the Bundesarchiv Filmarchiv in Koblenz, where it was listed as The Red Half-Moon. The film was first restored with the support of the European Union's LUMIÈRE programme for the preservation of film heritage, and in 2018 a full restoration was completed in cooperation with the Hungarian National Film Fund's Filmarchiv and Filmlabor directorates.

In addition to the Corvin Studio in Budapest, the film was shot on original locations including the lower Danube, the Iron Gate and Komárom.

For Müpa Budapest's Music Competition 2020, composer Bence Farkas reimagined the soundtrack of the 1983 film, and a completely new score was created.

Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCB6HlvZCik  

Venue: ELTE University Library and Archives, Exhibition space

Time: 18:00

(English subtitles are provided for the film.)

The screening is organised by the ELTE–NFI University Film Club. After the screening, starting at about 22:30, our guests are invited to a discussion with music critic and cultural historian Ferenc László. English interpretation will also be offered.

For more information, please visit our website or the Night of Museums’ homepage. All visitors are welcome! 

Source/author of illustration: National Filminstitute