1989: A Statesman Opens Up, on OVID.tv

When former Hungarian Prime Minister Miklos Nemeth supported reclaiming the remains of his predecessor, Imre Nagy, from an unmarked grave, so it could have a proper burial, he genuinely risked ending up in one himself. Nagy had supported democratic reforms during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which resulted in his trial and execution by the Soviets. Memories of ’56 brutality weighed heavily on Gorbachev when Nemeth decided to loosen restrictions in Hungary, particularly with respect to the borders. When he opened Hungary’s border with East Germany and allowed any crosser with a valid passport to proceed to any nation that would accept them, he largely rendered the Berlin Wall obsolete. At least that is how he remembers it—and he has a valid point. Nemeth looks back on his history-making years as Hungary’s final “Communist” PM in Anders Ostergaard & Erzssebet Racz’s 1989: A Statesman Opens Up, which premieres today on OVID.tv.

Nemeth always had dramatically mixed feeling about the Party. His father did not talk to him for six months after he joined. He was only selected as PM to serve as a technocratic caretaker, who would hopefully arrange more Western loans and credits. Hungary was teetering on the brink of default, so he was shocked to learn the regime spent a large fortune annually on border security—including considerable amounts for border armaments from our ally, France.

Despite clear opposition from Hungarian Party Secretary Karoly Grosz, Nemeth started scaling back border enforcement, starting with the Austrian frontier. Naturally, that alarmed the East German Party boss, Erich Honecker. Grosz was not pleased either, but he really had a fit when Nemeth supported the posthumous rehabilitation of Nagy. Grosz was not an apparatchik to trifle with. He first made a name for himself as part of the Hungarian Workers Militia, working beside the Soviet Army to hunt and kill his fellow countrymen.

Ostergaard, Racz, and Nemeth himself make a strong case the former PM has yet to get the credit he deserves for the fall of Communism. Ironically, he steadfastly advocated for free elections, even though he fully understood he would lose his position as a result. He also played Gorbachev beautifully.

We see exactly how he did it—sort of. Right from the start, the film announces it uses eye witness accounts and manipulated audio and video to recreate key conversations Nemeth had with leaders like Grosz, Gorbachev, and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. It is fine if you question the technique in general, but there is no deception. There is also no denying the dramatic effect.

Even if you remain skeptical of Nemeth, there is much to learn from 1989. He understood the nature of the Party and like Cincinnatus, refused to cling to power. At least, that is how the filmmakers see him—and they make a compelling case. Highly recommended, 1989: A Statesman Opens Up (note the double-meaning of the word “opens”) starts streaming today (3/20) on OVID.tv.