Police Training in the Kádár eraBetween 1958 and 1988 several hundred propaganda, instructional, short and feature films were made in the Film Studio of the Ministry of the Interior. Using a wide thematic range the aim of these was to teach Hungarian policemen to protect public order. Themes included secret home-raids, the operative shadowing of target persons, installing interceptive devices, and recruiting agents and informers. The dumbed down narration used in these instructional films is in contrast with the elevated cause they were supposed to serve. As a result, these films are comical and petty on the one hand and shocking for today’s viewers on the other, due to the realisation of how much money, time and effort was put in, in the 1960s and 1970s, into this form of ideological training, which was neither inexpensive nor easy. These films were made with large budgets, with the participation of renowned experts, and utilised the most advanced technology of the time. By selecting the most interesting scenes the filmmakers aim to portray the operation of the totalitarian dictatorship in the Kádár era, along with its prevailing way of thinking and the main forces underlying its efficiency.The four parts of the documentary are: • Where to plant bugs? • Introduction to home-raids. • The main tricks of recruiting. • Efficient networking.
