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István Szabó

István Szabó

Director, writer and actor · Born February 18, 1938 (88) · Budapest, Hungary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia István Szabó (born 18 February 1938, Budapest) is a Hungarian film director. Description above from the Wikipedia article István Szabó, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 18, 1938 (88)
From
Budapest, Hungary
Works as
Director, writer and actor
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 10% in 30 days

What are István Szabó's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
42%
Morality
19%
Power
13%
Survival
13%
Bonds
9%
Ideas
3%
Society
2%
Identity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 7 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 6 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 7

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
8
Tense
7
Contemplative
7
Bittersweet
2
Dread
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch István Szabó's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for István Szabó's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

42 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Remembrance of József Romvári (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Final Report (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Executive Producer · Screenplay

  • Albert Nobbs(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Death Waltz(2010)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • I Served the King of England(2006)

    as Millionaire #7

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Rokonok (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Being Julia(2004)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • From Europe Into Europe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Shem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Elijah

  • Ten Minutes Older: The Cello(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Ten Minutes After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Taking Sides(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Sunshine(1999)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Offenbach's Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Writer

  • Meeting Venus(1991)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Túsztörténet(1989)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Hanussen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Cat's Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Colonel Redl(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Bali (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Writer

  • Mephisto(1981)

    Director · Screenplay · as Theatre Party Attendant (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Green Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Writer

  • Confidence(1980)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Budapest Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director · Writer

  • City Map (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Tüzoltó utca 25.(1973)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • A Dream of a House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Writer

  • Budapest, amiért szeretem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Tér (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Lovefilm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Writer

  • Kegyelet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Father(1966)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Age of Illusions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director · Writer

  • You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Dialogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Assistant Director

  • A Theme with Variations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · Writer

  • Délibáb minden mennyiségben (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Screenplay

  • The Concert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • A Hetedik napon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Embers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles, 40 of them dated from 1959 to 2020.

Biggest box office

Being Julia (2004)

$14M worldwide

Highest rated

Mephisto (1981)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Albert Nobbs (2011)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 41: 4 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting34 of 41: 14 only directing, 20 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdWriting22 of 41: 2 only writing, 20 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thProducing2 of 41: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 41: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

41 titles, 20 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 20 of them.

By decade

1950s1 · crew1960s8 · crew1970s7 · crew1980s8 · 2 acting · 7 crew1990s4 · crew2000s8 · 2 acting · 6 crew2010s2 · crew2020s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do István Szabó's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser11

Most divisive · writer

Death Waltz (2010)

85th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer

Mephisto (1981)

Midcredits 95th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 73/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is István Szabó's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 61 · intenseMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does István Szabó work with?

People who share at least 2 of István Szabó's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lajos Koltai shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers