Heroic Times: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1983
Director: József Gémes
Writers: János Arany, József Gémes
Narrator: Gyula Szabó

Release Date: January 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 83 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"“A crime is a crime, even if committed by kings,” intones the narrator of director József Gémes’ animated portrait of the supposedly “heroic” age of medieval knights and kings, a sprawling and bloody tapestry of ruthless combat to rival Game of Thrones." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 4K restoration of Heroic Times by the NFI – National Film Institute-Film Archive in Hungary."

Heroic Times comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.8 GB

Feature: 24.1 GB

Fidelity In Motion delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; narration comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with Heroic Times animator Sándor Békési, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (26 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with György Ráduly, Director of the National Film Institute-Film Archive on József Gémes and the history of Hungarian animation, moderated by Dennis Bartok (50 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Samm Deighan, three short films directed by József Gémes: Koncertissimo (4 minutes 11 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono), Parade (Díszlépés) (6 minutes 10 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono), and Funeral (Temetés) (3 minutes 9 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono), and a 16-page booklet with an essay written by film historian and professor Jennifer Lynde Barker, and information about the transfer.

Koncertissimo: In this scathing anti-war satire, an elegant crowd gathers at the concert hall to hear a very different kind of orchestra perform.

Parade (Díszlépés): A beautiful hand-painted short about the absurdity of military dress parades.

Funeral (Temetés): A solemn and tearful funeral is interrupted by unexpected laughter in Gémes’ black comic gem.

Summary:

While on the run for murder, a man becomes a knight, only to quickly become disillusioned by the horrors of war.

Heroic Times is a 2-D animation based on an epic narrative poem by 19th-century Hungarian writer János Arany. The animation in Heroic Times is a unique style that looks like paintings, and it blends extremely well with moments of more traditional 2-D animation. Reinforcing these striking images is an exemplary driving score that heightens the mood by perfectly fusing image and sound.

There are no dialogue exchanges in Heroic Times; voice-over narration is used to convey all exposition. Gyula Szabó serves as the narrator, and the tone of his voice does a phenomenal job propelling the narrative forward. That said, his voice-over narration conveys so much that viewers never miss the lack of conventional dialogue.

The narrative is always engaging, and pacing is never an issue, as it does an exceptional job building momentum. Besides its striking imagery, Heroic Times is a film that’s overflowing with symbolism. Ultimately, Heroic Times is a perfect blend of drama, romance, and tragedy that quickly draws you in and stays with you.

Heroic Times gets a definitive release from Deaf Crocodile; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer