Customer Reviews

American Rhapsody (Widescreen)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, it was so refreshing to watch a movie that didn't seem like it came straight from the same old Hollywood recycling bin. This movie was original, unique, and very well cast and directed. This film also tells the story of a piece of history and a part of the world that is often overlooked and stereotyped. In a day and age where many films are made about "ethnic minority" immigrants, it was interesting to watch a film depicting the struggles of immigrants from a country in Europe (Hungary) that went through so much turmoil and hardship. The transition of different time periods and places (half the movie is set in Hungary - the other half in Los Angeles) was also smooth and well executed. Lastly, the cast was superb. Each character fit their individual roles perfectly and it was also interesting to see a pre-"Lost in Translation" Scarlett Johanssen. I highly recommend this film!

Teenagers have a difficult time in coping with their sense of identity and relationship with their family. This problem is increased two-fold for sixteen year old Suzanne. Left in Hungary as an infant while her parents and older sister escaped to America, Suzanne is attempting to come to terms with who she is and what she has in common with this family of strangers.

Based on a true story, American Rhapsody explores the consequences of well meaning actions that alienate a child from its parents. Magrit and Peter are well meaning parents who leave Suzanne behind in order to escape from the harsh Stalinist regime. Taking an infant with them would cause more problems. So they plan their escape and make sure that Suzanne will follow. Alas, the best laid plans fall apart and it won't be until six years later that their child is reunited with them. Magrit finds that leaving that infant behind has resulted in far more deeper problems than anticipated.

In this movie we see the guilt and sorrow of parents who have to leave their child. The resentment and dynamics of leaving one family to another is readily played out is this drama. You can understand Suzanne's pain and anger. You will sympathize with the mother burdened by guilt and is determined to protect this child.

This is a remarkable story with great actors portraying those real life people who had to endure such agony. The story is not a "downer" but lends hope to a family's quest for freedom and a better life for their children. It also shows the mistakes that parents make in attempting to protect their children from the reality of growing up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The ending had me in tears because it was sweet & true. Although I was born in the U.S., both my parents are from Hungary. My father had to escape during the Communist era, although at a later period than depicted in this film (1950s there), and my mother still talks as if she experienced situations that I will never understand and can't imagine (having gone through WWII and the Hungarian Revolution). The mother in this film goes through something horrific that her daughter only discovers in her teens.

This film brought out so well the teenage girl caught between two cultures - Hungarian (she spends her first five years in Hungary) and American (she grows up in the US). She eventually realizes that she doesn't quite fit into either, at least not yet, and she will have to accept this fact and work with it. That is truth right there. The film also brought out her mother's predicament - trying to raise a daughter with old-fashioned Hungarian values in decadant American society. I don't remember another film that explored issues like this (issues that are true, I'm sure, for other immigrant families, not just Hungarian ones). I wasn't aware of this film when it was first released, but I'm so happy it was made available on video. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in Hungary, history, immigrants, 1950s America, the mother/daughter relationship, or first generation Americans. Thank goodness some of what we (first generation Americans) go through finally made it to film. Bravo to all involved.

This is a beautiful film in every prospect. This is about a girl who was seperated from her family in Hungary and after years of seperation she rejoines her family in America. Her mother has never been happier to have her daughter around neither has her father but she is as unhappy as can be she misses her home and wants to go back. When her father realizes how unhappy she is he makes her a promise that if when she is older if she still wants to go back to Hungary he will get her a ticket back there. A few years pass and lots of things happen and she begins to hate her mother for everything she has ever done. The ending is wonderful and so is the rest of the movie I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. I would recommend this to people who are 12 or older and are mature enough to understand the plot and take it seriously because this movie is based on a true story, enjoy the movie everyone!

I don't have the DVD yet but I just saw this movie on The Movie Channel just because Scarlett Johansson was in it and she's just arresting. The movie is great. You just don't know what kind of sacrifices people close to you make in order for you to have a better life than they did. It's hard also to move on and leave the ones you love.

I loved this movie, because it reflects what trully happened to the vast majority of Hungarian families. I'm one of them too, and my parents also suffered the pain and sadness of leaving some family away, and we trully relate with this movie.

Any one who deals with foster children or orphans should see this film. It aptly depicts the emotions of being taken from your parents and thrust into a new environment.

If you liked movies like "Punch Drunk Love" (and maybe "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"), you may dislike a film like "An American Rhapsody." But for all of you "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" fans--this one is for you! My wife and I loved this movie--it is so full of warmth and love in its telling of how a family overcomes adversity and adjusts to life in LA in the early sixties. It's also a great travelogue of Central Europe. My favorite movie in 2002 is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but my favorite movie in 2001 was "An American Rhapsody." Scarlett Johanssen is terrific, as is the entire cast! Again, if you have a heart, this film is for you.

i lived in hungary for four years when i was younger and this movie brought back so many memories. it was soo good. it had so many unexpected twists. i absolutely loved it. the actors were so good and believable and the plot was absolutely fabulous. it was so touching and sweet. i absolutely loved it!

I must preface this review by stating that I have a bias: Like the writer-director, Éva Gardos, whose own story is depicted by the movie, I am an immigrant from Hungary. I did not experience the Rákosi-Stalin era, just the milder version of totalitarian communist rule under Kádár, yet I am fully aware of the historical backdrop of the movie. I can vouch easily that it captures the feel of the era. A review written by Linda Linguvic (see below) accurately tells the story, and I don't wish to repeat it here.

I like movies, but I never had an experience like this. I started to watch the movie after a long day of work, late in the evening. My wife joined only about 40 minutes later and, because next day was to be an especially busy one at work, she wanted to go to sleep at a point that was little over half-way into the movie. I stopped the movie, and went to bed. It was a mistake. I couldn't fall asleep until about 2 a.m. The movie strirred me up more than I thought. I am emotionally stable, and this was a totally unusual reaction. I attribute it to the fact that the movie hits close to home, and that it is marvelously done.

This is a story that does not focus on the villains, but the pervasiveness of an evil system, and against this historic background, it tells the story of love, decency, self-sacrifice, and every-day heroism. The main focus is on those, who loved "Suzanne" ("Zsuzsi"), i.e. Éva Gardos: her biological parents, her grandmother, and her foster parents.

The American actors learned their lines in Hungarian to add authenticity to the movie. In spite of their accent, their job was exceedingly well done. The only slip up I recognized was something that Tony Goldwyn could not have known: At the railway station, when he says fairwell to his entrusted friend (who helped them escape from Hungary), he slaps the back of his friend with his palm as they hug each other. Tony Goldwyn's character is an upper class, affluent Hungarian intellectual, who would have never done the slap (in Hungary, it is considered to be utterly inappropriate and most unbecoming of a gentleman). Apart from this, both Tony Goldwyn and Nastassja Kinski beautifully captured the characters' Hungarian style and mannerism that is a recognizable subtype in western culture. The best acting, however, belongs to Zsuzsanna Czinkóczi ("Teri") and Balázs Galkó ("Jenö"), who played their parts with much depth and warmth. For example, near the end of the movie, when Jenö recognizes during Suzanne's visit that she no longer belongs to Hungary (having stronger ties to the US), he acknowledges his loss without saying a word - yet the flicker of his cigarette, expelling the ash from the tip is a perfect symbol of his resignation to Suzanne's breaking away.

Some may have the opinion that the movie is overtly sentimental, and takes advantage of every possibility to deliver an emotional blow. I respectfully disagree. Armed with my knowledge of the era, I understood so much that was unsaid in the movie. However, I also realize that without the background knowledge, one may have difficulty reading between the lines - especially related to the scenes in Hungary - and enjoy the movie to its full extent.

The cinematography and the selection of locations are remarkable. The movie was shot on a shoestring budget. This explains minor "errors": Above the arch of the Chain bridge, the traditional Hungarian national shield is visible. In 1965, when Suzanne was walking on the bridge, the "Kádár shield" (a communist symbol) was on display, and not the traditional shield with the Holy Crown. Or at the Airport, the letters at the time of the events read "Ferihegy" and not "Ferihegy 1" (the Ferihegy 2 terminal was not even in a planning stage). These are understandable errors that we should take in stride.

I watched the DVD version, and I watched it also with the commentary by the writer-director and the producer. The commentary was most of the time disappointing, and left most of my questions unanswered. However, I walked away with the feeling that Éva Gardos created a movie that required much Hungarian identity on her part. I was unable to find out, how much her parents contributed to this. (As a parent of three children born in America, I was very much interested.) According to the movie, they did not appear to care much about giving their Hungarian heritage to their daughter, and mostly spoke English (and not Hungarian) at home. I am still unsure whether it was shown like this only for the movie, or it was an accurate account. I was led to believe that the foster parents' impact was stronger in terms of building her identity whithout which this movie would never have been made. I don't know how much Éva Gardos feels herself to be Hungarian. Regardless what she may feel, her movie is a testimony to the fact that her cultural heritage is very much alive, and will continue enriching the diverse Americal cultural spectrum for many years to come.