Nostalgia Kinky

An often transcendent and always extraordinary feature-length animated film from the late Hungarian artist and filmmaker György Kovásznai, Habfürdő (1979) is a spectacular work. Known here under its English-language title, Bubble Bath, Habfürdő is now available as a splendid special edition Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile and is amongst the must-have home video releases of the year.

A surrealist romantic melancholic comedy musical, Bubble Bath’s tale of an especially anxious man who confides his confusion and doubts to his fiancée’s best friend the day before their wedding might have been found in any number classic films but Bubble Bath is quite unlike anything else ever made. Bursting with color, powered by a daring experimentation crossed with mad skills, Bubble Bath is a downright visionary work of art and it looks and sounds dazzling via this new Blu-ray.

Bubble Bath is shockingly the only feature length film in György Kovásznai’s filmography. The rest of his two decade long film career consists almost exclusively of shorts, a number of which are thankfully found on Deaf Crocodile’s supplements for Bubble Bath, including his very first film, Monologue (1963). Budapest born in the summer of 1934, Kovásznai’s childhood was hard, affected by both the war and poverty. He studied briefly at the Budapest College of the Fine Arts but had to ditch it early on to work. Sinking into depression, the young Kovásznai finally was able to graduate before landing a job at the arts journal Nagyvilag as a columnist and eventually editor. Making numerous connections, Kovásznai finally landed at Pannonia Film Studio writing screenplays initially before directing.

An accomplished painter, Kovásznai was also a part of the Hungarian avant-garde of the sixties, which landed him on his then repressive governments watchlist at the time. By the time he passed away tragically just around 50 of Leukemia, Kovásznai’s paintings had never been shown and his films rarely seen. Despite this he left an incredibly daring and vibrant legacy, now wonderfully celebrated on the Bubble Bath Blu-ray.

However the old cliche about defying description goes, Bubble Bath fits the bill. Perhaps first and foremost this is a musical and a masterful one. Featuring an incredible and incredibly varied score by János Másik, Bubble Bath’s music is audacious, moving, warm and winning. Made up of memorable songs Kovásznai’s characters sing as well as powerful instrumentals, Bubble Bath’s score is really out of this world. Please someone restore this soundtrack for a CD, Vinyl and download.

Bubble Bath is also a great work of animation. Samm Deighan gives us some valuable information about this period of Hungarian animation in her great Blu-ray commentary track and Bubble Bath’s place in it. This was all new to me and I found it interesting especially as it related to the Hungarian political situation of the time. For Bubble Bath’s animation, many techniques are used creating a colorfully captivating and creatively liberating film. This is just awesome stuff. This is just awesome stuff. Just as great and informative is professor Jennifer Lynde Barker’s printed essay, which dives deep into Kovásznai’s career, life and these films. It is a great printed addition to a fantastic Blu-ray release and was super helpful watching and writing this and certainly goes into much more detail and substance than I do here.

Bubble Bath is also a surprisingly relatable film, considering how surreally heightened the work is. For all the humorous moments, Kovásznai’s script is a poetic look at fading dreams, personal growth and disappointment. It’s a dense work that really demands at least a couple of viewings as it is hard to focus on the narrative initially, due to the overwhelmingly gorgeous visuals. Both aspects of Bubble Bath are equally valuable though making this a very special piece of work.

It’s hard to comprehend that Bubble Bath is Kovásznai’s only feature as it feels like the beginning chapter of what was going to be a legendary run, but within a few years of its release he was gone. An absolutely tragic story but Bubble Bath is a hell of a send-off and a more vivid legacy than some director’s entire filmographies.

Despite its now obvious GOAT level status, Bubble Bath hit not a small amount of pushback upon its release as both audiences and critics were divided. Audiences especially reportedly rejected the film but the best and most valuable art often requires time and time has certainly been kind to Bubble Bath.

Restored by the National Film Institute in Hungary, Bubble Bath arrives in the United States via this gorgeous extras-laden Blu-ray. Bubble Bath’s eye-popping visuals are rendered beautifully throughout and Másik’s lyrical and trippy score sounds sublime. Deaf Crocodile have done a great job introducing Bubble Bath to American audiences with this Blu-ray.

Extra-wise, Samm’s commentary is filled with great information and valuable insight. An essential listen and it helped me appreciate the film even more. There are also two interesting Hungarian featurettes, one focused on the film’s restoration and the other an interview with Composer János Másik.

Of course, the most valuable supplements found on Deaf Crocodile’s release are the five restored short films. I have offered up some very informal comments about these over at LetterBoxd but I will copy here for any interested:

Monologue (1963).
György Kovásznai’s debut film is this dazzling cut-out/live action short. A dizzying surreal work focused on memory, generational trauma and self-reflection, Monologue is all too brief at just 12 minutes but it is wildly entertaining none the less. And those colors…those wonderful colors. A wonderfully evocative watch reminiscent of some of Borowczyk’s shorts from this period.

Metamorphosis (1965)
Super trippy look at the life of a couple as they slowly morph into unrecognizable versions of themselves before finally vanishing into the colorful deadspace that awaits us all. Told entirely with rapid cuts of paint on a blank canvas.
7 solid minutes of the medication working.

Wavelengths (1971)
This is lovely and for a nine minute hyper-experimental short I found it surprisingly relatable. This took me back to distinct periods of my own life from flipping through the dials on this old transistor radio I had as a kid to endless solo road-trips from my youth where I’d desperately try and find something on the dial I liked, after getting burned out on all the cassettes I had in the car. Also, sublimely bored late Gen-X nights flipping channels rarely lingering long enough to ever catch what was really on.
Visually I didn’t find this as compelling as the rest of this incredible disc but still very special.

Nights in the Boulevard (1972)
Körúti esték (Night in the Boulevard), a ten minute short from 1972 might very well be my favorite film on Deaf Crocodile’s incredible collection. Everything about this wrecks me…the colors, the music, the humorous and yet melancholic angst. Just an absolute delight in every way. This is how I feel on the exceedingly rare evening I step out, although I so wish life looked this sublime.
“I just can’t live my life all alone.”
A ten minute masterpiece.

Memory of the Summer of ’74 (1974)

Of all the film’s represented this feels the most of its time. Certainly not a bad thing but it is part of the reason Memory of the Summer of ’74 is the least compelling film on the Bubble Bath set, to my eyes at least, and much is down to the music which is much less adventurous and forward-thinking than the rest of the collection. Still, at just ten minutes this hardly outstays its welcome and certain moments are absolutely delightful, like the marvelous swimming pool effect towards the end of the film.

Bubble Bath is easily one the best archival releases of the year and a real eye-opening experience in every way. As an English language viewer who has never experienced anything quite like Bubble Bath, I’m grateful to Deaf Crocodile for bringing this here. Film Bros ruined the word ‘cool’ years ago describing films but Bubble Bath is incredibly cool…the absolute coolest. It is super fitting that Deaf Crocodile reference Roxy Music on the back of this Blu-ray because this reminded me of Bryan Ferry’s early musical experiments. It is that adventurous.

Bubble Bath’s slipcover edition is sold out at Deaf Crocodile but the standard version is still available. You can also snag a copy for sale at MVD. Fans of animation, experimental film and just great art should all absolutely check out Bubble Bath.

-Jeremy Richey November 2025-