I had to pinch myself when I read a previous review calling this a profound cinematic work of art! I just hope that reviewer hasn't seen many films in order to make that statement. This is worse than most TV or direct to video films and respected critic Roger Ebert gave it three stars!?. The direction starts off promising. The escape from Communist Hungary is recreated in black and white that has the look and feel of an old film but after this it descends into mediocrity with a strong reliance on flashback and heavy-handed symbolism. The acting is pretty average all around except Scarlett Johanssen whose portrayal of the teenage Suzanna was good given the limitations of the script, which is pretty limited. What lowered it below being an average, sentimental TV drama was a general lack of respect for the history and culture of Hungary. The representation of 1960's Hungary is dreadfully inaccurate with various factual errors. Although much of the Hungarian scenes were shot on location in Budapest, the rural scenes were suspiciously Romanian. Much of the language was blatantly an English script translated, and therefore the Hungarian language is often used inaccurately and unrealistically, particularly the phrase "I love you" which is not said in the same way as in the English language. The final insult is that much of the "traditional" Hungarian music in the background wasn't actually Hungarian but of Slav origin. Although apparently a vaguely autobiographical story of Eva Gardos, the director, this film shows remarkable ignorance to it's subject matter. Not recommended and certainly not an example of a "new dimension" in filmmaking by any standards.
Review of An American Rhapsody
