'Miss Big Shot' stars Lilli Muráti as Zsuzsa (pronounced 'ZHOO-zha'), the dark-eyed daughter of the chairman of a Budapest textile factory. When he dies suddenly, Zsuzsa takes over the factory. Intriguingly, this 1935 film makes it quite clear that a young woman is intellectually and emotionally capable of running a large business concern.
Also quite interestingly, this 1935 film is honest enough to acknowledge that women in the workplace must contend with sexual harassment. Zsuzsa acquires the unwanted attentions of her factory's coarse ugly foreman (well played by Jenö Törzs). Rather than firing this ruder pest in Budapest, she blithely tells him that she's already engaged to a textile engineer. When the foreman expresses doubts about this, Zsuzsa describes her (nonexistent) betrothed in detail.
Coincidentally and conveniently, along comes handsome young Istvan, a brilliant textile engineer who conforms in every way to Zsuzsa's description of her imaginary boyfriend. Naturally, everyone in the factory jumps to conclusions. Complications ensue.
SPOILERS COMING. One thing leads to another in this Hungarian goulash, and soon enough Zsuzsa is genuinely in love with Istvan, who doesn't seem to want to get involved with any woman whose name is harder to spell than his own. Soon enough, Istvan is negotiating a contract that will get him a high-paying job in a New York textile factory owned by an American magnate named White (played by an actor who speaks fluent Hungarian with a Magyar accent). Mr White invites Istvan aboard his private sailboat to ink the deal.
Next thing we know, Zsuzsa 'falls' (on purpose) into the marina and pretends to be drowning, so that Istvan will save her before he can sign the contract. She and Istvan live soggily ever after.
'Miss Big Shot' is an interesting paprikash of contrasting ingredients. The central character is in many ways a genuine feminist role model; we clearly see that Zsuzsa has the brains, abilities and experience to take over her father's company. Yet, in her attitude towards handsome Istvan, Zsuzsa is one more giddy airhead, like we've seen in so many other films: a woman who needs a man in order for her to be complete.
There is some ham-handed comic relief from Ella Gombaszögi and from Gyula Kabos. There were moments when 'Miss Big Shot' reminded me of a screwball comedy, Rosalind Russell subclass. But those moments were few and far between. Normally, I won't rate a foreign-language film if I have difficulty following the dialogue, but I screened this film with a native Hungarian beside me to offer translations. I'll rate this movie 5 out of 10.
