The Pictures Steven Spielberg Doesn't Want You to See

We were so looking forward to the filming of the new Steven Spielberg pic - tentatively entitled "Munich" - in Budapest this summer. Really, we were; just read our gushing preview from a few months back. But now, having witnessed the whole spectacle up close for a few days, what we really want to do is deport the great director and his entire army back to Hollywood, or to the bottom of the nearest ocean. And most of our neighbors seem to feel exactly the same way.

For the first neighborhood targeted by Spielberg - Pest's District VI; District V will get its turn later this month - the trouble started at the beginning of the week, when an amateurish-looking photocopied letter appeared on cars in a several block area surrounding the State Opera.

It translates as follows:

Dear Residents/Business Owners:

Flashback Kft. will be shooting an American feature film by the Opera House and in the surrounding streets on Aug. 10-11-12.

The movie crew will occupy the shooting location and the surrounding area in great numbers. The shooting of the scenes requires short closures (approx. 5 min) at the scene and the surrounding areas.

Some minimal disruption to local residents and businesses is a collateral difficulty caused by the shooting.

We ask you for your patience and understanding.

Thank you: Flashback Kft.

As you can see, the note does not say what film is being produced. That's because the entire "Munich" production has been shrouded in an unprecedented cloak of secrecy. In fact, Spielberg reportedly left Malta after filming there for two months without giving a single press interview. We, however, are more concerned by the fact that the secrecy was so strict that Spielberg's local production partner didn't even bother posting contact information for residents with questions or concerns about the pending invasion of their neighborhood. Meanwhile, in Hungarian the note sounds even more thoughtless and patronizing.

Then, on Tuesday, security guards began to rope off the streets, and inform startled residents that they had until dawn to remove their cars. We heard several elderly and distinguished-looking folks cursing like sailors after being told that their street no longer belonged to them.

By Wednesday morning, Ó utca (pictured) and surrounding streets were deserted, save for a few cars whose owners were not lucky enough to be around in time to receive their eviction orders. Unlike many cities, Budapest puts no restrictions on the amount of time a car with a valid parking permit can remain in the same space, so people are used to leaving their cars for days or weeks at a time.

Though not this time.

After towing away dozens of cars, the crew began removing as many traces as possible of Budapest, for (at least this week) Hungary was merely acting as a "body double" for Italy. As for why they didn't just shoot these scenes in Italy, our guess is that in Italy it's a bit harder to just show up, pay off the mayor, and take over a neighborhood.

As the shooting began, we started to lighten up a bit. After all, one does have to accept a bit of "collateral difficulty" when so many people are working so hard (and spending so much!) to tell an important story. Even if, you know, it's likely to be just another big-budget B movie, like Spielberg's most recent effort.

That is, until we took out our camera and tried to take a snapshot, and were set upon by a pack of goons. The censors - including a very rude man by the name of Alberto Boggiano (left) - who works for something called Westlake Films - told us we had no right to take pictures on the very street we live on, as Spielberg had "bought" it. When we declined to put away our camera, the rent-a-thugs called in the police, who sighed and politely suggested that we move along.

So it is this sprit of openness, and friendship among nations that we offer you the following exclusive, unauthorized pictures from the Budapest set of "Munich," taken by a Pestiside contributor/informant from the top floor of a neighboring building. As for the great auteur (follow the red arrow), we'll just say this: Thanks for the memories, Steve, and we look forward to seeing your upcoming blockbuster - at home, on a pirated DVD.