The film takes a somewhat cynical and tragic view of Hungarians who suffered through the pre-war years of the Hapburgs, the war years with the Nazis and the post war years with the communists. Typical daily life and familial struggles are interupted by each ensuing political fiasco.

The apartment building metaphorically stands for the country of Hungary. The wars and political turmoil are presented as a big wrecking ball that is always tearing down a nearby building to the point that it disrupts everyone's lives.

25 Firemans Street takes place entirely in one apartment building and has a lot of single camera takes that move from one character and one episode to the next thus giving it a theatrical feel. Yet the film is very cinematic with its impressive uses camera movement - by DP Sándor Sára -which includes dolly shots, pans, tracks and zooms.

The film is a true ensemble piece. There are only main characters but no central figure. One could say that the people together - or even the building itself - is the main character. The one character who shows up most frequently is name Maria (Lucyna Winnicka) a forty-something woman who is a fading beauty who never manages to get married because all the men in her life die in the wars.

25 Firemans Street has a bit too free flowing of a plot to really be involving; time seems to flow just as freely. Instead it is a cinematic marvel with good acting. If you like that sort of thing then give it a look. If you are looking for the Masterpiece Theatre treatment or Hollywood version then look elsewhere.

Video:
The Kino DVD is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and looks okay. The colors are dark and the image has a lot of scratches throughout. Yet at times the image is sharp and the tranfer is good.

Audio:
Audio is in Dolby 1.0. There is no soundtrack to speak of and the voices are all dubbed, which is a bit annoying if you speak Hungarian. If not it is not too distracting .

Extras:
The only extra is a filmography of István Szabó.

Final Thoughts:
25 Fireman Street is a cinematically ambitious Hungarian film about people living in an apartment building and surviving the various political plagues of the 20th century that hamper the country. Little plot but lots of theme with metaphors galore the film weaves together many lives shaped by war. The camerawork is the film's strength. The DVD looks and sounds above average.