Son of the White Mare

Son of the White Mare (Hungarian: Fehérlófia) is a 1981 Hungarian animated fantasy adventure film directed by Marcell Jankovics.[1] The story's main character is Fehérlófia (Son of the White Mare), who has superhuman powers. It is based on the narrative poetry, under the same title, from László Arany and ancient Hunnic, Avaric and Hungarian legends; as a tribute to ancient steppe peoples.[2]

Son of the White Mare
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMarcell Jankovics
Produced byRomán Kunz
StarringGyörgy Cserhalmi
Vera Pap
Mari Szemes
Gyula Szabó
Ferenc Szalma
Szabolcs Tóth
Ottó Ulmann
Music byIstván Vajda
CinematographyZoltán Bacsó
Edited byMagda Hap
Production
company
Distributed byMOKÉP (Hungary)
Arbelos Films (United States)
Release date
22 October 1981 (Hungary)
17 August 2020 (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryHungary
LanguageHungarian

Plot

Fanyüvő (Treeshaker) is born as the third son of a horse, and he gains his power by suckling the horse's milk. He listens to old tales, mostly about the Forefather and the end of his reign, caused by evil humanoid dragons. After the horse's death, Fanyüvő decided to search and destroy the dragons, who seized power over the world. He met his two brothers, Kőmorzsoló (Stonecrumbler) and Vasgyúró (Irontemperer), who also have superhuman abilities. In search of the Underworld's entrance (home of the humanoid dragons), they accommodate themselves in a tree hollow. One of them stays there every day, in order to cook mush and make rope while the other two search for the entrance. An ancient and mischievous creature, Hétszűnyű Kapanyányi Monyók (Sevenwinged Skullsized Gnome) keeps asking them to give him some mush. Kőmorzsoló and Vasgyúró refuse to give him food, so Hétszűnyű attacks them and eats the mush from their belly. Fanyüvő, however, stops him by trapping his beard in the tree hollow. Trying to escape, Hétszűnyű fells the tree, and the heroes find the entrance of the Underworld under its roots.

Only Fanyüvő dares to go down there, where he finds the three humanoid dragons and three princesses. After the victory, Kőmorzsoló and Vasgyúró rescue the princesses but, Fanyüvő puts apples, each containing a castle, into the cauldron, and although both brothers and the princesses try to lift it, it is too heavy for them. The opening closes and Fanyüvő is left down in the Underworld. The desperate Fanyüvő finds a griffin's nest. A snake tries to eat the griffin chicks, but Fanyüvő stops it. To show his gratitude, the Griffin Father takes Fanyüvő to the upper world. The trip is very long so the griffin has to get some food in order to survive. Finally, Fanyüvő has to cut off his own legs to give something to the griffin to eat.

After the arrival, the griffin chicks restore Fanyüvő's legs, which gives him more power. He is very angry at his brothers, for he believes they left him behind on purpose, but finally, he forgives them. All three marry with one of the princesses and move into castles, and the Forefather restores the power which he lost by the dragon's arrival.

Production

The film was made from 1979 to 1981.[3] It is the second animated feature-length film of Jankovics.[4]

Comparison with mythology

There are slight differences between Fehérlófia and the film. In Son of the White Mare, Fehérlófia and Fanyűvő (Treeshaker) are the same person. The film contains elements of creation myths, namely Ősanya (Progenitrix), Ősapa (Forefather), and the Világfa or world tree.

Restoration

A 4K restoration was done on the film by Arbelos Films, which is a studio in Los Angeles. The restoration originally screened at the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival on July 28th, 2019, and had plans to release it in theatrically, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that plan was soon cancelled. It soon released in Vimeo on August 17, 2020, marking the first time that the film is distributed in America in decades.[5][6]

References
  1. Trailer on Vimeo
  2. Fantasia Festival
  3. "Curriculum Vitae (magyar nyelvű)". Jankovics Marcell honlapja. Google Sites. 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. BCDB
  5. De Wit, Alex (August 1, 2019). "Restored Hungarian Cult Classic 'Son Of The White Mare' Will Get U.S. Theatrical Release". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  6. De Wit, Alex (August 21, 2020). "'Son Of The White Mare': The Journey Of The Cult Classic's 4K Restoration (Interview)". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
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