Change Your Image
julane
Reviews
Äppelkriget (1971)
yeah, me too
I too saw this film in the 1970s at the Venice Fox, which was then an art house and which has now been re-purposed for auctions or something. They screened it for a week; it was some sort of benefit, and I remember going a second time and dragging a few friends with me. It remains one of my all-time favorite films. My Swedish friend, Lennart, says that it is fairly well-known in Sweden and remains popular--it's a lot of fun but it's also a piece of devastatingly targeted agit-prop. I've been searching for it, on and off, since I saw it, in the face of blank stares from the vast majority of Americans, who have never heard of it, and even from clerks in independent video stores, who think I'm nuts. If only someone would make a DVD with English-language subtitles!
Gloomy Sunday - Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod (1999)
Perhaps I can shed some light
...on why this film is doing well in communities unafraid to see subtitled films. For one thing, the beginning and ending create and resolve a compelling mystery (most of the film is a flashback). For another, you may or may not believe that a song could drive people to suicide, but you must admit it is a beautiful, sad and haunting melody. The story held my interest, as did the characters. The other obvious appeal was the opportunity to gaze endlessly at the incredibly lovely and angelic Erika Marozsán. I am female and straight and I could not get enough of looking at her; I could easily believe that she might inspire a piece of music that conveyed its composer's hopeless longing for her. (And he wasn't so hard to look at himself!) The only thing I couldn't figure out about Mr. Simpson's comments was what the film had to do with New Zealand. Now I know: nothing! :-)
According to the Los Angeles Times review of this film, "The song was actually composed in 1935 by Rezsö Seress, with lyrics by László Jávor, and did in fact accompany a number of suicides as Europe grew darker; Billie Holliday recorded a popular American version." So I guess it's not so far-fetched after all! Who knew?