Aranyélet / Golden Life
Main character: Miklósi family, Endre Hollós
Country of origin: Hungary
Main location: Budapest
Creators: Roope Lehtinen, Mikko Pöllä, Gábor Krigler
Born on: 1970 (Roope Lehtinen); 1975 (Mikko Pöllä); 1976 (Gábor Krigler)
Nationality: Sweden (Roope Lehtinen and Mikko Pöllä); Hungarian (Gábor Krigler)
Television series started in: 2015
Producer: HBO Europe, Laokoon Films
Number of seasons: 3
Latest season broadcast: 2018
Transnational distribution: Yes (via HBO services in Europe and US)
Case study rationale:
Aranyélet (English title: Golden Life), a Hungarian crime drama television series developed by HBO Europe and produced by Laokoon Films, is loosely based on the Finnish series Helppo Elämä (Eng. transl. Easy Living) (MTV3, 2009–2011). The series, which is the fourth production of HBO Hungary, has been a critical and, at least according to HBO, a commercial success in Hungary. The series aired in several European countries, and in August 2018 the first two seasons were released in the US. Gábor Krigler, the Hungarian creative producer, discovered the Finnish original series and proposed a loose adaptation to Hungarian circumstances. Instead of following local traditions, a new screenwriting practice was introduced by HBO in order to build on Krigler’s North American experiences. HBO introduced the writers’ room to the Hungarian market, a screenwriting method completely unknown in Eastern Europe at that time. The show presents the life of a wealthy Hungarian family, the Miklósis, based in the elite suburbs of Budapest. The family’s fortune is based on the father’s mostly low-profile criminal activities. When the protagonist’s father dies, he decides to give up his way of living and become a decent person, however, this transformation challenges the very foundations of his family. The series investigates problems of everyday morality, corruption, the possibility of a middle class in Hungary after the first two decades of the transition from real socialism to democracy. Aranyélet had a great impact on Hungarian pop culture, especially with Anger Zsolt’s character, Endre Hollós. Anger reprised his role as Hollós in Hungarian pop-rap duo Wellhello’s music video Hentesék and in a television promo on RTL Klub advertising the Christmas broadcast of Home Alone with Thuróczy as Attila Miklósi. Eszter Ónodi also reprised her role as Janka Miklósi in a fake campaign video for the mayoral election in the fictional town of Szentvázsony.
Online research resources
Watch
The Hungarian trailer of the series [in Hungarian]:
The Hungarian trailer of the series [in Hungarian]:
The international trailer [Eng. sub.]:
The international trailer [Eng. sub.]:
Eszter Ónodi interpreting Janka Miklósi in the fake campaign video for the mayoral election in the fictional town of Szentvázsony.
Read
- Hansen, Kim Toft, Anna Keszeg and Sándor Kálai. “From Remade Drama to Original Crime – HBO Europe’s Original Television Productions”, European Review, (2020): 1-17.
- Kálai, Sándor, Anna Keszeg, Péter Mészáros and Dorottya Molnár-Kovács (2020). “Locating Budapest in Contemporary Hungarian Crime Fiction”. DETECt Report Deliverable 4.1 Location marketing and cultural tourism. Crime narratives as destination branding. Ed. Cahtrin Bengesser, Kim Toft Hansen and Lynge Stegger Gemzøe: 29-36.
- Mészáros, Péter, Dorottya Molnár-Kovács. “Homes of Crimes Social Stratification as Location Strategy in the Hungarian Family Crime Drama Aranyélet ‘Golden Life’”. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica 11.3 (2019): 51-68.
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