Song of the Miraculous Hind: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 2002
Director: Marcell Jankovics
Writer: Marcell Jankovics
Cast: László Áron, Árpád Besenczi, Gergõ Bódi, Ildikó Bokor, Róbert Bolla, Ferenc Borbiczky, Gyula Buss, Imre Csuja

Release Date: April 21st, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $39.95

"Song of the Miraculous Hind is Marcell Jankovics’ incredibly ambitious attempt to depict thousands of years of Hungarian culture and myth, based in part on early Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends and incorporating Scythian, Iranian, and Turkic artistic influences. Divided into four sections, the film opens in a violent snowstorm, with nomadic hunters stalking deer and woolly mammoth and singing songs of their spiritual brethren—and it ends millennia later, with Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, who helped bridge the gap between Paganism and early Christianity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K restoration of the film by the NFI – Film Archive in Hungary."

Song of the Miraculous Hind comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 75.4 GB

Feature: 62.1 GB

Vital Passenger 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.

Song of the Miraculous Hind comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.8 GB

Feature: 27.1 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a video essay by film historian Evan Chester titled Mythic Origins, Sacred History, and the Making of National Identity in Song of the Miraculous Hind (16 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with the film’s composer Levente Szörényi (of legendary Hungarian rock band Illés) and animator Piroska Martsa, translated by Anna Klaniczay and moderated by Dennis Bartok for Deaf Crocodile (49 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Hungarian with English translation), and an audio commentary with animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler.

Extras are the same on the Blu-ray disc.

Summary:

Marcell Jankovics directed Song of the Miraculous Hind. He’s known for Son of the White Mare and The Tragedy of Man.

The narrative is divided into four sections: Land of Origin, Hunor and Magyar, On and On, and Pannonia. The narrative covers one thousand years of Hungarian history, beginning with the time of Prince Géza, when Hungary was Christianized. Although the four stories are based on Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends, they incorporate Scythian, Iranian, and Turkic artistic influences.

While Song of the Miraculous Hind was made specifically for a Hungarian audience, its four stories have a universal appeal to them. Anyone familiar with Marcell Jankovics's other films knows his distinct style of filmmaking. He uses techniques that give his films a retro look, and when it comes to the way images appear onscreen, they are not bound by conventionalism. That said, his style of animation and storytelling is overflowing with imagination.

Each story stands strong independently, and in terms of pacing, the narrative effectively builds momentum. Not all of the characters are human; there are half-human/half-bear, half-human/half-deer, and other hybrids. Spoken words come in the form of narration, songs, and dialogue exchanges between characters. While there is carnage throughout, the last story with its depiction of public executions is the most violent. Ultimately, Song of the Miraculous Hind is a film that fans of Marcell Jankovics will thoroughly enjoy, while those uninitiated to his cinema would be better suited starting with Son of the White Mare.

Deaf Crocodile gives Song of the Miraculous Hind a definitive release. Highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of Song of the Miraculous Hind that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film historian Jenny Barker and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Tragedy of Man: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 2011
Director: Marcell Jankovics
Writer: Marcell Jankovics
Cast: Ágnes Bertalan, Péter Blaskó, Ferenc Borbiczky, János Bácskai, László Csurka, Iván Dengyel, Andrea Fullajtár, Barbara Hegyi, István Koncz, Péter Korbuly, Adam Lux, Tünde Majsai-Nyilas, Piroska Molnar, Ervin Nagy, Éva Pap, Janka Solecki, Norbert Straub, Éva Szabó, László Szacsvay, Tibor Szilágyi, Tamás Széles, László Ujréti, Mátyás Usztics, Ferenc Végh 

Release Date: August 12th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 166 Minutes 20 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Hungarian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Out of the galactic void at the beginning of the story emerges Lucifer the Devil, the Great Winged Bat, Anubis, the antagonist who adopts many faces and forms as it guides and manipulates the characters of Adam and Eve throughout history, searching for the purpose of human existence—if there is one." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

The Tragedy of Man comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 37.1 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 DTS-HD stereo mix in Hungarian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a 2025 release trailer (1 minute 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Hungarian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with György Ráduly, director of the National Film Institute (NFI)—Film Archive, on the history of Hungarian animation and the career of Marcell Jankovics, moderated by Dennis Bartok (56 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with key animator Piroska Martsa and background artist István Orosz, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (83 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Hungarian with a translator for Hungarian). A video essay by film historian Evan Chester titled Time and Transformation: Marcell Jankovics The Tragedy of Man (23 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Hungarian film clips) and an audio commentary with animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler.

Summary:

The Tragedy of Man was written and directed by Marcell Jankovics; he’s most known for Son of the White Mare. Although The Tragedy of Man began production in 1988, its completion took 23 years. Due to financial issues, Marcell Jankovics filmed each of the 15 segments one at a time. Although these segments link together to form one cohesive narrative, he employed a different visual style for each segment.

The Tragedy of Man is an adaptation of a Hungarian play written in 1861 by Imre Madách. The narrative is set in multiple eras, from the creation of the universe to a distant future. Each segment features Lucifer, who is joined by Adam after offering him and Eve the forbidden fruit. Expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam turns his back on God and lets temptation overtake him. Throughout his journey with Lucifer, Adam and Eve assume various forms; specifically, Eve transforms into the woman he desires.

At its heart, The Tragedy of Man is an exploration of humanity, notably its darker side. The narrative is filled with cultural and historical references, and its visuals are overflowing with imagination; together these two things create an enthralling cinematic experience. When it comes to subject matter, The Tragedy of Man is a film that is clearly meant for adults. At 166 minutes in length, The Tragedy of Man is one of the longest animated films ever made, and there is so much to absorb that multiple viewings are recommended.

Deaf Crocodile gives The Tragedy of Man a definitive release, highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of The Tragedy of Man that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by PEN Award-winning historian and esoteric author Mitch Horowitz and an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central).

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Son of the White Mare – Arbelos Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hungary, 1981
Director: Marcell Jankovics
Writers: László György, Marcell Jankovics
Cast: György Cserhalmi, Vera Pap, Gyula Szabó, Ferenc Szalma, Mari Szemes, Szabolcs Tóth, Ottó Ulmann

Release Date: June 8th, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes5 Seconds (Son of the White Mare), 78 Minutes 24 Seconds (János vitéz)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Hungarian (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.99

"Traversing an otherworldly canvas, Son of the White Mare follows mythic folk heroes Treeshaker, Stonecrumbler and Irontemperer as they descend into the perilous Underworld on an epic quest to battle the forces of ancient evil and save the cosmos." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Son of the White Mare, János vitéz)

Here’s the information provided about Son of the White Mare's transfer, "New 4K restoration from by original camera negative by the Hungarian National Film Institute – Film Archive in collaboration with Arbelos."

Here’s the information provided about János vitéz's transfer, "New 4K restoration by the Hungarian National Film Institute – Film Archive."

Son of the White Mare comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.4 GB

Feature: 20.6 GB (Son of the White Mare), 18.3 GB (János vitéz)

The transfers for Son of the White Mare and János vitéz are new 4k restorations and the results are spectacular. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels look solid and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5 (Son of the White Mare, János vitéz)

Son of the White Mare and János vitéz each come with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Hungarian. Both audio mixes are in excellent shape, dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and ambient sounds are well-represented. Both films come with removable English subtitles. 

Extras:

Extras for this release include U.S. theatrical trailer for Son of the White Mare (1 minute 50 seconds, DTS-HD mono Hungarian with English subtitles), an archival short titled The Making of János Vitéz (3 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Hungarian with English subtitles), an interview with director Marcell Jankovics titled Brighter Colors (33 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Hungarian with English subtitles), two shorts films: Sisyphus (2 minutes 22 seconds, DTS-HD mono Hungarian with English subtitles) and The Struggle (2 minutes 34 seconds, DTS-HD mono Hungarian with English subtitles), an Air Indian commercial Dream of Wings (8 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Hungarian with English subtitles) and feature film directed by Marcell Jankovics titled János vitéz (78 minutes 24 seconds, 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC, DTS-HD mono Hungarian with English subtitles) and twenty-page booklet with an essay titled The Film That Stands Alone written by Charles Solomon, an essay titled Animation Art in Context: Feature Films of Marcell Jankovics written by Eleanor Cowen and information about the restoration/transfer.

Summary:

It’s not surprising that Son of the White Mare and János vitéz are paired for this release. Thematically both films have many similarities. Most notable how both films revolve around a protagonist who goes on a mythical journey.

That said, though there are many areas where Son of the White Mare and János vitéz overlap. Ultimately, Son of the White Mare is the stronger of the two films. Son of the White Mare has a stronger narrative and its visuals are more refined than János vitéz.

Both films do a superb job drawing viewers into their worlds. Also both films are overflowing with imagination and experimental filmmaking. And though animation has come a long way since these films inital releases. That does not take away from both films' potency. 

Arbelos Films give Son of the White Mare an extraordinary release that comes with a wealth of extra content, most notably János vitéz, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer