An American Rhapsody (2001)

Director:

Éva Gárdos

Writer:

Éva Gárdos (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 2001 (Greece)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One family struggles for survival, for justice, for freedom.

Plot:

A young Hungarian girl struggles to find her place in the world when she's reunited with her parents in the USA years after she was left behind during their plight from the communist country in the 1950s.

Plot Keywords:

USA | 1950s | Budapest Hungary | Growing Up | Budapest

Awards:

5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Scarlett Johansson	...	Suzanne - at 15
Nastassja Kinski	...	Margit
Raffaella Bánsági	...	Suzanne - Infant
Tony Goldwyn	...	Peter
Ágnes Bánfalvy	...	Helen (as Ági Bánfalvy)
Zoltán Seress	...	George
Klaudia Szabó	...	Maria - at 4
Zsolt Zágoni	...	Russian Soldier
András Szöke	...	Istvan
Erzsi Pásztor	...	Ilus
Carlos Laszlo Weiner	...	Boy on Train
Bori Kereszturi	...	Suzanne - at 3 (as Boru Keresztúri)
Péter Kálloy Molnár	...	AVO Officer (as Péter Kállóy Molnár)
Zsuzsa Czinkóczi	...	Teri
Balázs Galkó	...	Jeno

Also Known As:

Amerikai rapszódia (Hungary)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and thematic material.

Runtime:

106 min | Argentina:122 min

Country:

USA | Hungary

Language:

English | Hungarian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Australia:PG | France:U | Iceland:L | Italy:T | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38019) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Fireworks Pictures

Trivia:

Éva Gárdos met actress Colleen Camp on the set of Apocalypse Now (1979), when she was a casting director for the film. During shooting breaks, Éva told Colleen her true story of her childhood as a Hungarian émigré and Colleen encouraged her to turn it into a film. Colleen Camp would ultimately help produce the film, and played a small role in it as a neighborhood housewife.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the airport in Budapest the sign on the building says "Budapest Ferihegy 1". In the 60s there was only one airport terminal in Budapest therefore it was not numbered.

Soundtrack:

Phari Mamo

A Wonderful and Moving Film

It is difficult to encompass this film in a few words. It is a compelling drama that is delicately crafted by the director and superbly acted by the entire cast. In those respects it is flawless. There are enchanting, and disturbing pictures of life in America and Hungary. The story is at once sad, and heartening. It is a film of contrasts, skillfully presented. It draws the emotions of the viewer along with it, and evokes genuine sympathies for all the characters. That is rare in any film.

A young girl is torn between her youthful memories of one world, and one set of parents, while trying to grow up in another world with her real family that she seems to barely know. She is caught emotionally between her memories of two diverse worlds. The conflicts come to a crisis when she is 16, and she decides that she must return to Hungary in order to resolve them. I was so enthralled by that premise, and the skill with which the story was crafted, that I was engrossed from start to finish. I'm not even sure if I blinked the entire time. The scenes on the Hungarian side paint a poignant picture of people trying to live under the hopelessness of the communist regime after the invasion by the Soviets in 1950.

Natassja Kinski is superb. Her role is a departure from past efforts but she, as always, delivers a sterling interpretation of her character. But Scarlet Johansson and Kelly Endresz Banlaki really steal the show. Their performances as Suzanne are understated and genuine. There are some minor plot flaws in "An American Rhapsody", but they are inconsequential compared to the superb emotional ride the story provides. Watch this one for the dramatic and irresistible acting.