This historical film examining the 1848 Revolution against Austrian oppression is concerns the interrogation of a group of betrayed rebel prisoners. In spite of political pressures, the thinly-veiled criticism of Stalinism was produced by Studio IV, Mafilm, the Hungarian state production agency. Filmed in the manner of a modern documentary, the film created a sensation when shown at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, making the international reputation of its brilliant young director, Miklós Jancsó