Summaries

Synopsis

In 15th century Hungary, in the mountainous & forested territory of feudal lord Prince Balador, Vagán, formerly his head falconer, is training a falcon to regain his position when he is robbed by four men, but manages to cut their masked leader on the cheek with his knife. After the men run off with his bird, Vagán sees on a cliff a falcon with a royal crest around its neck. Later, in the Balador's castle, his animal trainer Iver, who has a cut on his cheek, is demonstrating a falcon to the Prince, which he claims he has been training for a year. Balador says, "I saw the famous royal hawk during hunting. For that hawk, I'd give up my castle on the Danube."Tomás, a 14-year-old peasant boy with a special ability to communicate with animals & birds, is seen helping his father, horse-trainer to the Prince, to corral a herd of horses. He lives with his widowed father, grandfather Methodius & younger sister Agata in the woods near Balador's castle. While the family are eating Tomás hears Balador's prize chestnut stallion whinnying & goes to it. When his father berates him for risking injury he shows a thorn he had just extracted from the animals leg.Tomás runs into the fields & hearing chicks calling from a nest finds worms under a stone to feed them. Seeing a crow stop on a nearby tree, he drives it away with a stone from his slingshot. In the open forest Vagán is about to catch the royal falcon with a net when Tomás, hiding behind a large rock, whistles to alert it to the danger, to the falconer's chagrin.One night seated around a bonfire Tomás's father says Balador paid forty cattle for the chestnut, intending it as a present for Ostrik, son of Count Donnar, who is to marry his younger daughter, 15-year-old Formina. Methodius says Tomás has the same birthday as the girl. One of the hands says he heard that the Prince would exchange a castle for a hawk bearing a royal emblem. The story is told how the hawk saved the life of Hungarian King Mátyás, who had lost his way riding in a marsh. When he was about to drown, a hawk showed him the way to safety & it now carries his royal emblem. Tomás says, "And he gave it its freedom". "How do you know?" "Anyone would." Wolves are heard howling as they approach the ranch & Tomás's father dies while protecting the horses. Although the boy is able to drive away the wolves by cracking the whip his father had just given him as a birthday present & howling at them, he is unable to save his father. At the grave with his sister they commiserate that their father & mother are now reunited. Tomás tells his grandfather that, because a new horse-trainer will be appointed, the family will become beggars. Methodius takes him up to the castle to plead with Balador for a piece of land, while Tomás says he wants to dance with Formina on her birthday, even when told he would never get within 100 paces of her.Meanwhile, at the castle, Iver is showing off the hunting dog Pern to Balador, first chasing a rabbit, and then guards bring out the prisoner Vincko for Pern to chase. "Go! Run! You are free!" As the animal begins to savage Vincko, Balador stops this cruelty & orders "Punishment is necessary, but in a legal way. Put him in the stocks & have him beaten with 20 strokes."In a castle chamber, Balador is fencing with Stefan, husband of his elder daughter Sophia. When he wins the fight he calls his contestant a weakling & commands a servant to bring the "mud of healing". "My back hurts from last night". He tells Formina, "I have chosen you a better husband," although she says, "I do not want to get married yet". "First, get engaged tomorrow." "Have we met before?" "Of course, it was the day I signed a marriage contract with Count Donna. You were two years old & Ostrik was four. He stuck his tongue out at & you hit him with a silver spoon." He takes her up to the aviary & says he is giving Ostrik a chestnut stallion & a falcon. She asks, "Where is the falconer Vagán? I liked him." "I don't know. He was proud & when I insulted him he left. I regret that now." Balador has a dove brought & tells Formina to feed it to the falcon. She refuses & releases the bird, which flies to a bell hanging in a square tower.On Formina's birthday (the day of her engagement) there is a long line of people waiting to enter at the castle gate. An official at the entrance says, "Give me the gift & then you can enter." Tomás & his grandfather are empty-handed, so Tomás puts his hand on a passing cart with a grain sacks & invites him to do the same. After successfully passing through the gate, Tomás finds a mouse on one of the sacks & gently picks it up.Tomás sees Vincko sitting atop a platform, wearing a wooden collar. He moves to the front of the crowd & asks, "What are you doing there?" "Sun-bathing, stupid. Be careful or you'll get put up here as well." "What did you do?" "I broke a jug." "A jug? Who ordered this?". "Who do you think?" As he starts to say, "Balador is like that...?" his grandfather puts a hand over Tomás's mouth. "How many times do I have to say to you? It's Balador's castle! Do you want to get into trouble?" When Iver comes up to them, Methodius explains, "We came to see Prince Balador." Iver tells Methodius that he may be able to do something for him. Methodius recognises him as the second coachman, but Iver says he is now Balador's falconer. Iver takes Methodius to a quiet corner & holds him while his brother Gustau inspects his belongings because he thinks that he must have a letter from Vagán, accusing him of stealing the falcon he trained. Gustau finds only a few coins & asks his brother "Are you going to rob a poor man?" Methodius says to Iver, "You're a bastard!"In the castle as Formina dresses for the party, Sophia gives her a necklace from herself & her husband.The punishment of Vincko is announced by an official who declares, "According to the law, the criminal will be beaten with a stick 20 times." The hooded executioner strikes once & Vincko cries out. Tomás, who feels sorry for him, tells his mouse to "bite" & throws it onto the executioner's back. The mouse goes under the loose hood on the man's head & bites his neck. While the executioner frantically tries to free himself of the rodent, Tomás sneaks under the platform & releases Vincko's bonds, who runs away through the castle gate in the confusion.Tomás sees a man eating a roasted chicken. "Do you want some?" "Yes." The man points to the tower in the background & says, "When the bell over there rings you can have a leg." "When does it ring?" The man laughs, "It hasn't rung for years. It doesn't have a clapper!" Tomás is annoyed & uses his slingshot to strike a pebble against the bell. Formina's white dove that had been hiding under the bell flies out, a flurry of feathers dancing in the air (foreshadowing events to come). Tomás to the man again & says, "It rang". "Rogues have all the luck. Take it." Tomás munches on the acquired leg.A procession of finely apparelled figures enters the castle. Among them is Ostrik, a glum youth of about 17, who is to be engaged to Formina; his father Count Donna tells him to smile. Count Donna presents lavish gifts to Balador & Formina. At the Count's urging, Ostrik gives her a rich diadem himself. Sophia, by the side of Formina says, "Nice!" She says it is a little heavy. "I meant Ostrik!"Tomás climbs onto a stationary cart carrying barrels so that he can see the procession. Tomás asks the driver, "Do you know Formina?" "Of course. I'm taking mud in." When Tomás picks up some mud from the barrel, he asks, "Is this . . . for Formina?" The cart driver explains to Tomás, "It's mud for treatment. Cools the feverish, protects from the plague & you feel refreshed. Balador sits in the warm mud up to his neck for hours." "Formina too?" "No way. She is young & healthy." "Why is the mud so smelly?" "The more it smells, the better it works!" Here, a white feather that had drifted in the air reaches the nose of a soldier who was napping. The soldier sneezes, dislodging his helmet which sets some spears cascading onto a crate of cabbages. When they roll into the road a man stumbles hitting a chicken cage & the released fowl flies up hitting the fire stick of a juggler who was performing with three flaming sticks. One stick falls igniting straw in a basket & the carthorse, frightened by the fire & confusion, careers off so that Tomás, who was sitting next to the mud barrel, is tipped into the mud.At the same time at the castle banquet Formina says to Balador, "I should like to dance". Some musicians begin to play. Ostrik's mother urges, "Ask her to dance. Don't wait; it's your duty." Ostrik seems reluctant, but goes to Formina & says, "I am not the best dancer, but duty is duty." Formina asks, "Is it an obligation?" "Yes, of course". "No, I'm done with obligations. Can you understand why I hit you with a spoon?" Ostrik, puzzled by these words, returns to his seat without starting dancing, telling his mother "She is so beautiful, but she wanted to hit me with a spoon."The horse pulling the cart now charges into the courtyard, then in front of the banquet, as men try to halt it, a wheel comes off & the barrel tips over, throwing Tomás out with mud, which splatters on the faces and clothes of the assembled distinguished company. Looking at the mud-covered Tomás, Formina laughs unintentionally. Balador exclaims, "It's my mud bath!" Looking at it, Formina, steps over the mud, asking Tomás, "What do you seek here?" "Are you Formina?" "Yes". "I have come to congratulate you... It's also my birthday today." "In truth?" "I swear it." "Let's dance together." Saying that, she takes the muddy Tomás's hand without hesitation & stands him up from the mud; then orders the musicians to play. They begin to dance. At first Tomás is timid, but because Formina is full of fun & says to take her arm, he happily turns around with her. "Shall we jump like frogs?" she asks. The two jump up & down on the mud, which splatters further to assorted amusement & displeasure among the onlookers.Balador furiously stands on the banquet table & yells at the musicians to stop. Then when he jumps down on the mud, he grabs Tomás's clothes, asking, "What is your name?" "Tomás. Your grace. The son of the horse-keeper who was killed by a wolf. We have come to ask for a piece of land." "You messed up my daughter's celebration..." Formina intervenes straight away, "No, this boy just responded to my wish. And you said, 'Enjoy'. " "Maybe, but I did not mean this." However, to be fair Balador says to her, "Let's try his luck. (To her:) Take one of the rose buds from the cake on the table in your closed hand & show both hands to Tomás. (To him:) If you choose the rose, I'll give you a piece of land. If you fail, it's a whipping of ten lashes." In the meantime, Formina secretly takes another rose & holds one in each hand. "Now, choose". Tomás chooses the right hand & Formina opens it to show the flower. "Rogues have all the luck. The clerk will arrange things." As Tomás goes off to clean up, Ostrik asks Formina to dance; he has witnessed approvingly her kind action.Tomás, now washed & wearing clean clothes & carrying a scroll, returns to his grandfather, who was waiting in the dark. "Tomás, what are you wearing?" "I received them from Lord Balador & some land. And I danced with Formina."The next day, Tomás is running in the meadow with his fine new clothes. Hearing a hawk, Tomás looks up at the sky to see the royal hawk in the dazzling sun. "I can't fly high, but I danced with Formina!" At that moment he hears a hunting dog barking. Vincko is being chased by Iver & Gustau; leading them is the ferocious dog Pern. Tomás stands on the hill and shouts, "Stop! Leave him alone!" Iver removes the lead from Pern's collar and instructs: "Seize him!" The dog rushes at Tomás, who snarls at the dog, which stops. Then, pointing a finger at the dog it lies down. "Be good." No matter what Iver says after catching up with Pern, the animal won't move. Instead, it lies on its back. When he returns to the castle, Iver tells Balador, "When I was tracking the criminal with Pern, the kid who danced with the Formina did something to him." Balador says the dog is useless to him & lets Formina take it as her pet.At home Tomás asks his grandfather what would happen to him for taming Pern; how many lashes? Methodius says Balador would roast him alive. In bed, Tomás can't sleep; hearing the chestnut whinnying & a dog barking he senses that his enemies are approaching. He gets up, dressing quickly in a smock & rides off on the stallion. When Methodius opens the door of the hut soldiers are there & their captain says, "I have come to arrest your grandson." "He did not steal the clothes; they were given to him." "He put an enchantment on Pern." However the soldiers search inside in vain.Tomás rides to the castle where he sees Formina looking out of a window. Tomás stares at her with longing. "Have you ever seen such a pretty girl?" The horse shakes his head.The next morning, Tomás wakes up under a rough shelter of branches by the side of a mountain stream. Jumping into the stream he catches a fish by hand. Hearing a hawk crying in the sky, Tomás whistles, showing the fish & calls to the hawk. It flies down and snatches the fish.Tomás climbs a steep slope in the forest, leading the horse, but when he comes under a large tree, a rope suddenly entangles his feet & he hangs upside down. Vagán comes in front of Tomás asking him "What are you doing? Stealing from nests?" "Would you like to ride the best horse of the Balador herd?" "Speak plainly!" "I just made Pern a harmless dog. They tried to catch me, so I borrowed this horse & ran away from the soldiers." Vagán laughs, "I have caught a famous thief." Tomás falls to the ground as the rope is cut.Vagán takes him to his log cabin where he finds Vincko & Zubora, a dwarf once employed at the castle, whose tongue was cut off for fear of him telling secrets. As they eat, Vagán's dog barks. Tomás sees that soldiers are approaching. Vagán hides him & Vincko at the back of the hut, putting fur skins over them. Vagán calmly asks the captain, "Did you come for lunch?" Inside, seeing there are four plates on the table, the captain becomes suspicious. Vagán whistles & a small bear comes out of a box. Then he taps a bowl with a spoon calling "Misho". The two boys hiding in the back now raise the fur with a growling sound. The soldiers hurry away.Tomás is riding through the forest when he sees Formina & Ostrik together. Ostrik says, "I left before dawn to come here. I wanted to see you". "Why do you want us to meet?" "It was because I was attracted by your kindness to Tomás." "Is that it? The boy just chose the correct hand." "Then . . . the other hand?" "Did you see it? You have sharp eyes." "I have to go home before sunset. My parents don't like us to meet before the marriage. Today, I went to go hunting . . . & I told a lie." "I will forgive you." "I want to see you again soon." "I don't recommend it. It makes the horse tired. But the day after tomorrow... I'll be around here." When he saw the beloved Formina being completely taken with Ostrik, Tomás lies down in the grass of the field & wipes his eyes.As Formina passes on her way home, Tomás, who secretly approaches her on high ground by the path, jumps behind Formina onto her horse. Although surprised, Formina calmly worries about his safety. "Tomás! Are you mad? This is near the castle! If you are caught it means whipping of 50 lashes!" The two get off the horse at a place where the castle can be seen in the distance & sit in a meadow to talk. Tomás tells her he loves her & will soon grow up tall & strong like his father if she will wait for him; Ostrik will find another bride. Formina says it is impossible; she has fallen in love with Ostrik. To fall in love with your future husband is a great fortune; it is not always so. She gives Tomás her necklace, whom she calls a dear boy, before riding away.Vagán with a hawk on his arm tells Tomás back at the hut, "I've been training this bird for months, but it's still not good enough." In an open space the totally unmotivated hawk has a string tied to its leg so that it will not fly away. Tomás is amazed as Vagán fails to get the bird to catch a rabbit. When his dog sees a fox & barks, Vagán calls, "Stop! Come back! It may be rabid." He fires a crossbow bolt at the fox, but misses. Tomás puts Vagán's hawk on his arm & undoes the string, ignoring Vagán asking, "What are you doing? It will never come back." He releases the hawk, which immediately kills the fox & when Tomás blows the whistle, it flies back to him. Vagán is surprised, "How did you do it?" "I told it not to behave like a donkey." Vagán begins to understand that Tomás really can talk to birds & will make a worthy successor: "From now on, you will train them."Tomás wants to inform his family of his safety, so he cuts off a piece of his smock with "T" embroidered on it & gives it to the hawk. The bird flies to Tomás's house, throws the cloth next to his sister Agata & then flies away. Agata immediately picks up the collar & realizes that Tomás is safe. At that time, Methodius is climbing up the hill to the castle as the hawk flies above with a cry. The hawk returns to the arm of Tomás who has been waiting.Vagán now goes to the castle of Prince Balador with his trained bird. Before leaving he asks Tomás if he will be sorry to see it go. "No. I know of a better one." "Would you like me to visit your house to see your grandfather?" "You can meet him at the castle." "What do you mean?" "The hawk told me." Tomás also gives him the necklace to be returned to Formina.Vagán, entering the castle, pushes passed the servants, going in to see Balador. There, Tomás's grandfather is enquiring about his grandson," but Balador says, "First, you tell me where Tomás is." "I don't know". Vagán, coming in, says, "I should believe him. Methodius is an honest man." Balador is surprised by the sudden appearance of his former falconer, who says, "I brought you a hawk." "Why did you bring it?" "It is better than the hawk that Iver stole from me." Iver, who is there, responds, "Liar! Can you prove it?" Vagán asks, "How do you explain the wound on the cheek?" But for some reason, Balador is not interested in the story of stealing by Iver. He admires the hawk, enthusing, "Let's try it." Iver immediately goes to Gustau to get rat poison, which he sprinkles on some strips of raw meat. Then, to avoid being found out by Vagán sitting beside the hawk's cage, lets the poisonous meat down on a string so that it feeds on it. After that, Balador takes his subordinates out for falconry. The dogs are released & rabbits are driven out. However, even if it has seen the rabbits, the hawk does not try to catch one, but flies up before dropping to the ground dead. Balador shouts angrily at the falconer, saying, "Do you want to make me look stupid? You brought me a corpse!" Returning to the castle, Vagán accuses Iver's brother, "Did you poison my hawk?" "I don't know anything." "What about your brother Iver?" "I didn't see anything". "Because you didn't want to see it! Say to Iver, don't get in my way. I'll give him more than cheek wounds."Before he leaves the castle Vagán speaks to Formina, giving her the necklace. She asks if he knows where the boy is. "Tell him my wedding will be soon & I would like to dance with him one more time."When Tomás is sitting by the mountain stream, he hears a hawk call. The hawk flies deliberately over Tomás, apparently in distress. Tomás, who understands its meaning, immediately follows. It's King Mátyás's hawk. It leads Tomás to where Iver is climbing a tall tree to steal an egg from the bird's nest. Tomás yells for him to stop, but Iver ignores him & reaches into the nest. Tomás hits Iver's shoulder with a stone from his slingshot, causing the villain to fall to the ground. When Tomás goes forward, Iver complains, "I'm Balador's falconer & here on his orders!" Tomás shouts, "Liar! Egg thief!" "I hurt my arm. Help me up!" When Tomás, who is not used to such villainy, believes him & offers his hand, he is knocked down & bound. Nearby, Vagán has been making a small grave for his dead hawk. Seeing Iver carrying the bound boy he glares at him. Iver lies, "This is an egg thief. There is also an arrest order concerning Pern." Vagán shouts, "Put him down!" When Iver puts Tomás on the ground, Vagán the cuts a rope tying his hands. "If you help him, you will be punished by Balador." "Shut up, Iver! Listen carefully! You poisoned the hawk. You started as a disciple, but you turned into a sneak thief." He seizes Iver's bag from his shoulder & shows the contents to Tomás who gets up - several bird eggs. Iver is in the midst of running away so Tomás grabs the crossbow & gives it to Vagán saying, "We have to stop the villain!" But Vagán says, "If you want to shoot, go ahead." Iver is allowed to escape.Vagán tells Tomás, "He poisoned the hawk." Tomás says he knows a better one, pointing to the royal falcon flying in the sky. "For that hawk, Balador will forgive you everything. He will even give you a castle!" Tomás takes a leather glove from Vagán's belt & puts it on his own left wrist. Looking up into the sky & whistling, King Mátyás's hawk, which now trusts Tomás, descends in response to his whistle & perches on Tomás's arm. Vagán is astounded & removes his hat in homage; the hawk slightly bows.At the castle Iver says to Balador, "I trained Ostrik's hawk; make me head falconer." But Balador refuses. To gain favour with Balador & remove his rival, Iver lays in wait behind a tree overlooking the valley track for the party of Count Donna to come to the wedding. Ostrik, who is riding on horseback, hears a strange animal-like baying from the trees (emitted by Iver) & rides off to investigate saying, "We are proceeding so slowly, I want to exercise my horse. Let's meet at the castle". In the wood Iver, with a hooded cloak & mask, appears from a hole & drags Ostrik into a cave. The Count's party arrives at the castle without the bridegroom, to Formina's surprise. In the cave Ostrik has his hands tied & Iver is sitting by a fire. Ostrik succeeds in pulling one hand free from the rope, then lies that he is thirsty. When Iver comes over with a flask, Ostrik strips the mask off with his free hand. "I know you." Iver says, "That was a big mistake. Now that you have seen my face I must kill you." "Why are you doing this?" "I want to settle a grudge." After taking one of Ostrik's spurs, he places a large rock heavily on Ostrik's leg. "I'll discover your dead body here in a few days time & get a reward." Iver leaves the cave, closing the entrance with tree roots & then rolls a boulder on top, preventing it from being opened from inside. In the castle, a soldier reports, "There is no sign of him," & is commanded to take more soldiers to search. Inside the cave, Ostrik can only drag his injured foot as he moves deeper into the cavern, following an underground stream looking for an exit.Iver goes to Vagán's cabin to take his revenge, accusing him & Tomás of kidnapping Ostrik. He goes in, then comes back out holding the spur he took from Ostrik, declaring: "I have found the evidence!" The four are taken to the castle as prisoners. Count Donna sees the spur and confirms it is Ostrik's. Iver reports, "I found it in Vagán's hut. I suspect he was robbed and killed." Balador demands to know, "Vagán! Tomás! Where is Ostrik?" Vagán: "Why don't you ask Iver? I don't know." When Formina runs in, she goes up to Tomás and asks, "Tomás, where is Ostrik? Seriously! Do you know anything?" "If you let me go, I will look for him." Balador commands, "Take them to the torture chamber!" Soon the Inquisitor comes to report, "They strongly denied all charges, but the dwarf nodded in reply to all questions." The spur is considered decisive & he says, "Life for life." Balador orders gallows to be prepared.In the torture chamber, Tomás is suspended from a rope with both hands tied & just his toes on the floor. A mouse appears on the floor, so he whispers to it. The mouse climbs up his clothes to gnaw through the rope so that Tomás falls to the floor, his hands free. From a small window near the ceiling of the torture chamber, Formina appears & calls out, "Tomás, I begged my father, but he would not listen. I can't help you. Tell him what you did." Tomás replies, "If you believe we harmed him, go away. I can't do anything without getting out of here". He takes a whip from the pillar under the window & manages to wrap the tip around a horizontal bar. Formina holds it tight as Tomás tells the other three prisoners he will come back & grabbing the whip he climbs up the wall & squeezes out through the window. Tomás tells Formina that he will search for Ostrik, then escapes the castle as a scaffold is being built.When Tomás reaches the mountain stream, he whistles & King Mátyás's falcon comes to him. Tomás instructs it to search for Ostrik. After a long flight over mountains & forest eventually the hawk's sharp eyes spy Ostrik lying in a dense part of the forest. Whilst the bird is searching, Tomás goes to Vagán's hut for the hidden chestnut stallion. Tomás then rides until he meets the hawk & follows it to where Ostrik lies injured. When he sees the boy approaching, he calls & Tomás jumps down from the horse. "Are you hurt?" "I can't move my leg." "How did you find me?" "I just followed the hawk". Tomás helps Ostrik onto the horse. "I have seen you before - in the mud. I wanted to give you a good hiding." When the two are safely on the horse, Tomás whistles to the hawk that has been watching them; it flies down to his arm.Ostrik, riding on the horse, is amazed by Tomás's story, "Is the spur the only evidence?" "It's enough for the inquisitor." "That inquisitor should be hanged." Then Ostrik realises, "Wait! I have an idea. There is another spur!" Tomás dismounts, removes the spur from Ostrik's foot, presenting it to the hawk, which flies off towards the castle. The execution is about to begin in the castle. Balador says, "These three criminals have deeply distressed Count & Countess Donna, my daughter Formina, and all of us. They have been sentenced to hang for their wicked acts." Balador is about to give the order for the hanging when the hawk swoops down, dropping the second spur in front of him. Balador & the Count immediately compare the two spurs; they are both Ostrik's, so the execution is aborted.Then Ostrik arrives & points to Iver, "I am here! Stop! That man! There is the man who was going to kill me!" Balador criticises the inquisitor, "You were about to put innocent persons to death. I listened to Iver's story when I should have obeyed the law & my conscience. I don't need such a judge." Balador says to Tomás, "I forgive you over Pern. Have you worn out my chestnut?" Tomás adroitly responds "It's Ostrik's now". Iver & the inquisitor are both put into wooden collars awaiting further punishment. When Tomás puts out his arm saying, "Come here," the royal hawk flies down to him. Balador is amazed: "It's the King of Hawks! I promised to give a castle for it." But Tomás wants the hawk to fly free, so he refuses," "I don't need a castle." "Be my head falconer." "You already have Vagán." Balador goes to Vagán: "I have wronged you. You decide on Iver's punishment." "I will be merciful - but I never wish to see him again in this land." Balador agrees. Formina gives Tomás her necklace again, "For ever."At home as Tomás chops firewood for his grandfather, Formina & Ostrik ride up. Ostrik says, "I need an excellent hawker". Formina also says, "Do you want to come with us?" After looking back at his grandfather, Tomás responds, "I will think about it." Formina says, "As soon as possible," & they ride off.This film is based on Slovak writer Jozef Cíger-Hronský's (1896-1960) children's novel Sokoliar Tomás (1932); unfortunately there is no English translation, but an Italian DVD of the film with dubbed English exists.