Hadik, on Klassiki

Field Marshal Andras Hadik is a Hungarian national hero, who loyally served Maria Theresa, the Queen of Hungary. She also happened to be the Habsburg Holy Roman Empress. That could make things complicated, especially when he was expected to fight alongside Saxons, whom his honorable Hussars essentially considered scurvy dogs. They could agree on fighting Prussians, which is exactly what they did when the Field Marshal led a daring raid on Berlin, dramatized in Janos Szikora’s Hadik, which premieres today on Klassiki.

Hadik was so competent and successful, nearly the entire court and war council was aligned against him. The only exception was Maria Theresa, because he was talented. After an ignoble defeat Hadik nearly averted, jealous generals tried to scapegoat the famous Hussar, but Maria Theresa would not have that for long. Soon, she recalls Hadik to service, because she knows he is the only officer who can accomplish her daring mission.

Having received intel regarding Prussian troop movements, Maria Theresa realizes Frederick the Great left Berlin dangerously under-defended. Ransoming Berlin would be a huge coup, but all the court dandies are too timid to grasp the moment. Hadik gets it—and hatches plans to accomplish it.

Hadik will lead his Hussars and the Saxons Maria Theresa forces him to take, for political reasons, over the mountains, sort of like Hannibal. They cannot carry artillery, so they will plunder cannons from Frederick’s munitions factory along the way. It is a huge gamble, but Hadik’s Hussars will follow him anywhere. However, Saxon Colonel Ried constantly demands their pay.

Szikora’s approach is definitely traditional, but that is generally refreshing. Mark Kis-Szabo’s screenplay is certainly patriotic, but there is sufficient intrigue swirling around Maria Theresa so that it never feels like jingoistic propaganda for Orban’s authoritarian ambitions. If anything, it encourages skepticism of royals and nobility.

That said, Hadik is certainly presented as a paragon, but Zsolt Trill largely humanizes the Field Marshal by emphasizing his love for his family and desire to retire to a quieter life. We also see his ardent loyalty to his comrades-in-arms, particularly crusty old Farkas and their protégé, roguishly dashing Gvadanyi. Indeed, one of the best aspects of the film is the way Trill, Tamas Szalma, and Aron Molnar capture the three Hussars’ comradery.

Despite the limited budget (at least compared to American and Asian films), Szikora stages several nifty battle sequences. There are plenty of cannon bombardments and musket fire. Plus, the stunt team performed some nicely cinematic horseback work.

Admittedly, contemporary audiences might find the political machinations somewhat murky, but if it is any consolation, it was also rather confusing at the time. It is definitely an underdog film with epic aspirations, but Szikora maintains a brisk pacing and impressive-looking period-production details. Highly recommended for fans of old school historicals, Hadik starts streaming today (12/25) on Klassiki. Merry Christmas.