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Amerigo Tot
Movie

Amerigo Tot

1969 • Unknown

Woke Score
1.2
out of 10

Plot

A short film on Hungarian-born artist and sculptor Amerigo Tot.

Overall Series Review

Amerigo Tot is a short, lyrical portrait of the Hungarian-born sculptor, focusing on the inspiration and materiality of his work and his return home from Italy. The narrative centers on the universal concept of creation and the merit of the artist’s output. The film's primary subject is the male artist and his lifelong dedication to his craft, which is portrayed with dignity and respect. The film includes a subtle but critical commentary on the prevailing communist ideology of 1960s Hungary by showing a religious sculpture being installed in a church juxtaposed with the state's youth organization. This act acknowledges a transcendent, cultural force that resists state-mandated secularism and materialism. The film is a document of a specific artist's life, judged entirely by the content of his work and soul, without any focus on identity politics, modern intersectional hierarchy, or anti-Western/anti-family messaging.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The film is a documentary portrait of a specific white, male artist. Character is judged solely on the merit of his artistic creations and career. There is no forced diversity, vilification of 'whiteness,' or reliance on intersectional hierarchy. The focus is a universal meritocracy of art.

Oikophobia1/10

The narrative centers on the Hungarian-born artist Amerigo Tot, celebrating his work and acknowledging his return to his homeland. While the film was made in a communist state, the inclusion of a scene subtly juxtaposing traditional, religious culture with the state's communist youth group functions as a critique of the totalitarian, secular system. By the given definition, a critique of Communism is not considered Oikophobia; the work respects national and cultural heritage.

Feminism1/10

The subject is exclusively a male sculptor and his work. The narrative is focused entirely on his creative process and his personal history. There are no prominent female leads, 'Girl Boss' tropes, or anti-natal/anti-family messaging present in the film's structure or themes.

LGBTQ+1/10

As a 1969 short documentary focusing on the work and career of a male sculptor, the film does not center any form of sexual ideology, alternative sexualities, or gender theory. The structure is normative, focusing on the artist's life and traditional male-female pairing is not a focus.

Anti-Theism2/10

The film is set in communist Hungary, which was officially atheist. A key scene involves the placement of a 'Holy Mother and Son' sculpture in a church in the presence of the priest and the Young Pioneers, juxtaposing religious faith with the state's official secularism. This suggests that faith and art are a transcendent source of strength and meaning that endures, which is antithetical to Anti-Theism.