“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. Based on an epic narrative poem by 19th century Hungarian writer János Arany, HEROIC TIMES has a unique visual style combining gorgeous oil paintings and 2-D animation, similar to the Japanese anime BELLADONNA OF SADNESS. Stylistically, the film is closer to sweeping medieval sagas like Aleksandr Ptushko’s ILYA MUROMETS, John Boorman’s EXCALIBUR and Ralph Bakshi’s underrated version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, tied together by the battle-wearied voice of the narrator: “I haunted the alien streets as a spirit of withered times.” Winner of the feature film award at the 1985 Annecy Animated Film Festival, the long-unseen HEROIC TIMES has been newly restored by the NFI – National Film Institute-Film Archive in Hungary for its first-ever U.S. release by Deaf Crocodile.

For thoughts on Heroic Times, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/1D3SR_N-57U?t=3679]

Video Quality

Heroic Times debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a 4K restoration by the NFI – National Film Institute-Film Archive in Hungary with additional digital restoration by Craig Rogers of Deaf Crocodile. This presentation is stunning, and it represents a huge win for animation fans. The dynamic colors throughout this transfer are resplendent with the hues swirling amongst each other while maintaining crisp delineation. The textures of the environments are enhanced by the natural film grain which gives the frame a nice sense of depth.

One of the areas where the feature really shines is the fluidity of the artistry as one scene blends into the next without it losing its cohesion. Black levels are strong with no major issue of banding or compression issues. This Blu-Ray provides an immaculate presentation for some of the most interesting animation we have had the pleasure of viewing in some time. Deaf Crocodile continues to prove their worth as one of the most exciting labels in the preservation game, and film fans will count themselves lucky to add this release to their collection.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 split mono track in the original Hungarian (with optional English subtitles). The narration emanates crisp and clear without any competing sound effects or the score overshadowing important information. The film employs some dynamic sound effects in the form of clanging swords and guttural screams that ground you in the scene. The music only enhances the atmosphere with an unbelievable fidelity. The track conjures up atmospheric effects with ease and grace. This presentation brings a great power to the effects on display, and everything is showcased accurately without damage or other unwanted issues.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film historian Samm Deighan delivers a really informative commentary track in which she discusses the origins of the project, the artistry of the work, the tone and structure of the story, the influences of sword & sorcery films and more. This is a great addition that fans of the film should definitely check out.

Short Films: Three restored short films are provided here courtesy of the National Film Institute of Hungary which are all satirical or darkly comedic in some manner. These complement the main feature really well stylistically.

- Koncertissimo (1968) (4:11)

- Parade (Díszlépés) (1969) (6:10)

- Funeral (Temetés) (1970) (3:09)

Interview with György Ráduly, Director of the Hungarian National Film Institute: A new 50-minute interview with Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok and György Ráduly who discusses the history of the NFI, the legacy of animation from Hungary, the career of József Gémes, the legacy of this film and more. The only drawback to this piece is that there are no subtitles provided for those who may need them to parse the accent.

Interview with Heroic Times Animator Sándor Békési: A new 26-minute interview with Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok and Sándor Békési who discusses his personal background, what got him into animation, his work on various short films and features, his work with József Gémes and more. The lack of subtitles here makes this one a bit difficult to understand in a few spots.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included in this release which features the essay “Heroic Times” by Jennifer Lynde Barker which gives a great amount of context to the state of Hungarian animation of the time along with details about the creation of this project.

Final Thoughts

Heroic Times is a knockout bit of international animation which deserves another chance to be in the spotlight. The techniques used to bring this story to life are awe-inspiring and push the medium forward in welcome ways. The animation is free-flowing and gorgeous, gently letting the viewers feel like they are living in an oil painting. The story complements the style well, weaving in and out of this epic poem filled with drama, action and intrigue. Deaf Crocodile has released a terrific Blu-Ray in conjunction with Vinegar Syndrome which sports a 5-star A/V presentation and a tremendous assortment of special features. Any serious animation fan should consider this required viewing. Recommended

Heroic Times is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.