The Meetings of Anna (1978)

Anna, a detached and diffident director, arrives in Germany to show her latest film; she checks into a hotel, invites a stranger to her bed, and abruptly tells him to leave. He asks her to ... See full summary »

Director:

Chantal Akerman

Writer:

Chantal Akerman

Stars:

Aurore Clément, Helmut Griem, Magali Noël

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aurore Clément	...	Anna Silver
Helmut Griem	...	Heinrich Schneider
Magali Noël	...	Ida
Hanns Zischler	...	Hans
Lea Massari	...	La mère d'Anna
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Daniel
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alain Berenboom
Françoise Bonnet
Thaddausz Kahl
Laurent Taffein
Victor Verek

Storyline

Anna, a detached and diffident director, arrives in Germany to show her latest film; she checks into a hotel, invites a stranger to her bed, and abruptly tells him to leave. He asks her to a birthday lunch with his mother and daughter; she goes. Afterward, in Cologne, she meets an old friend, a Polish Jew and war refugee. In Brussels, she spends the night at a hotel with her mother, whom she rarely sees. On the train, a stranger tells his story. Last, it's home to Paris, where her lover Daniel picks her up and they go to a hotel. Throughout, people make personal revelations to her, and Anna listens with little affect. Although it was 30 years ago, the war seems ever present.

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Plot Keywords:

feminist film | kiss | sex scene | kissing while having sex | sex in bed | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is included in the "Chantal Akerman in the Seventies" box-set, which is part of the Criterion Collection, Eclipse series 19.

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Quotes

Ida: Sometimes I don't understand. The world's topsy-turvy. Women used to pray to find a husband, afraid they wouldn't be good enough for anyone; but, now? It'll all end badly, very badly.

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Soundtracks

Les Amants d'un Jour
Music by Marguerite Monnot
Lyrics by Michelle Senlis and Claude Delécluse
Performed by Aurore Clément

User Reviews

Lonelines....

My first impression on The Meetings of Anna was that Lost in Translation directed by a gloomy Wes Anderson. This is my first Akerman, so I didn't know what to expect from this. The more I think about it it feels like this is the kind of film that grows on you as time passes. The loneliness of Anna all the while everyone she meets is opening up to her although she always seeming distant was quite relatable. There are so many choices that life offers you, but you are confused and miserable so that you reject all that and yearns for something you don't know yet or something you are denying. I saw it a couple of days ago but it has a deeper impression on me now since it has been in my head for these days.

Details

Country:

France Belgium West Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 November 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

The Meetings of Anna

Filming Locations:

Hotel Handelshof, Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Hélène Films, Paradise Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 127 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1