Hungarian filmmaker Miklós Jancsó wrote and directed this grim, gritty and often shocking tale of the plight of Hungarian soldiers in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Some are fighting for the Communist "Reds", while others are on the side of the Tsarist "Whites." But Jancsó's film makes no clear distinction between the two sides, so the viewer is never sure of who is who. This is almost certainly intentional on Jancsó's part, as he doesn't want us to identify with either side of the conflict. This confusion also mirrors the confusion and meaninglessness of war itself. We are presented with a gallery of commanding officers from start to finish, most of whom end up dead before we get to know them.
This difficult to follow storyline is redeemed by Jancsó's masterful direction. He uses a great many long and complex takes to illustrate the conflict. His flowing camerawork, some of it from in the air, captures the brutal beauty of armed conflict. He makes excellent use of the Cinemascope screen with his fine compositions. Tamás Somló's black and white photography gives the film a raw, realistic look. The mountain and forest setting with a river bisecting it looks very authentic as well.
You can see how it must have influenced Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List."