Gábor Maros

Szaffi is a full-length animated feature based on Mór Jókai’s short books The Gypsy Baron (A cigánybáró) and Szaffi. It has adventure, and treasure, and love, and a little black cat, and a war, and picturesque villains - a governor with a pressure release valve in his skull and a fat pig-loving baron, and of course, the good gypsies.

A bohemian operetta, full of turmoil and confusion. The complicated yet light-hearted plot is all about making everyone jealous of everyone else. The story begins in a hotel in Tsarist Russia. One by one, guests arrive: the Parisian singer Sybill, Poire, the artist's impresario, and Sarah, Poire's wife. The Grand Duchess, who has accepted an invitation from the city's governor to attend a party in his honour, is also expected. An unexpected guest is Petrov, a Moscow bodyguard who has escaped from his regiment to join Sybil in Paris. A few moments later, the Governor arrives, already aware of Petrov's escape and eager to arrest him. Sybill, who appears on cue, protests vehemently. Seeing her firm action, the Governor thinks she is the Grand Duchess. Sybill, to save the day, takes the role, even agreeing to go to the Governor's ball as Grand Duchess.

This sensitive and ironic film points up two girl-faces: Vera is happy, but cold, while Borika is tired, but warm-hearted.

The main character of this film reminiscent of political writing is Laci, the young and ambitious factory worker. He lives with his brother's family. After an unsuccessful attempt to escape from his native country and the prison sentence which follows it he gets employed by Pray, the progressive thinker, at a newly established computer centre. It is here that Laci learns to know Anna, the new-leftist university student, daughter of the general manager. Tóth, although he does not favour their relationship, does not oppose it either.