Release date is 2026-01-08

Albert László from page images generously made available by the Hungarian Electronic Library

"A vörös malom" by Ferenc Molnár is a play written in the early 20th century. This satirical fantasy unfolds in Hell, where the Magister unveils a colossal “red mill” that can grind innocence into vice, with the living puppet Mima as its seductive heart, all before Satan’s court. The story fixates on selecting a perfectly righteous man—eventually the forester János—to test whether any human goodness can resist engineered corruption.

The opening of the play stages a grand demonstration: in Hell, the Magister introduces his Psychocorruptor, shows the audience his prepared human “babies,” and—via a controlling beam—proves Mima can switch instantly between love, hate, indifference, lies, and tears. He then invites Satan to help choose a test subject by peering at Earth: a kindly teacher erupts into rage over soup, a celebrated poet reduces love to raw appetite, a punctilious postal clerk bullies a frail old man, and a politician is dismissed at once. At last they find János, a modest, devout forester devoted to his wife Ilonka, mercy, animals, and humble domestic peace; judged truly virtuous, he is seized by devils. As the second part begins, the machine is loaded, Mima takes her place, and the terrified János is brought in for the experiment to start. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Budapest: Franklin-Társulat, 1923