The Man Who Cried (2000)

A young refugee traveling from Russia to America in search of her lost father falls for a gypsy horseman.

Director:

Sally Potter

Writer:

Sally Potter

Stars:

Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, Oleg Yankovskiy

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christina Ricci	...	Suzie
Oleg Yankovskiy	...	Father
Claudia Lander-Duke	...	Young Suzie
Danny Scheinmann	...	Man in Suit
Anna Tzelniker	...	Mother of Man in Suit
Barry Davis	...	Man in Village
Thom Osborn	...	Man in Village
Frank Chersky	...	Man in Village
Daniel Hart	...	Man in Village
Peter Majer	...	Man in Village
Hana Maria Pravda	...	Grandmother
Ayala Meir	...	Child
Abraham Hassan	...	Child
Lloyd Martin	...	Child
Uri Meir	...	Child

Storyline

In this historical drama with music, a gifted singer (Oleg Yankovsky) from a Jewish village in Russia travels to the United States in 1927, leaving behind his young daughter Fegele (Claudia Lander-Duke). Father has promised his family that he'll send for Fegele as soon as he can, but authorities make life hard for the Jewish population, and Fegele is forced to flee with relatives to England. Fegele is adopted by a British family, which renames her Suzie and raises her with little acknowledgment of her ethnic heritage. As she grows to adulthood, Suzie (Christina Ricci) becomes a gifted vocalist and gets a job singing in a nigh club revue in Paris. Before she leaves England, her adopted family presents Suzie with a picture of her father, still believed to be living in America, and she decides she will go to the United States some day and find him. In Paris, Suzie makes friends with Lola (Cate Blanchett), a Russian showgirl in the market for a rich husband. Lola becomes involved with ...

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Plot Keywords:

gypsy | village | russian | dancing | england | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance | War

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Don Fellows.

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Goofs

When Suzie is following on her bicycle, we can see that it is a multi-speed bike with a rear derailleur, which were not in use until 1949.

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Quotes

Dante Dominio: You have to fight to get somewhere in this world. Maybe even fight to kill.
Suzie: If you are fighting to kill, you must be very, very sure that you have God on your side. Otherwise...
Dante Dominio: Otherwise what?
Suzie: Otherwise you are nothing more than a murderer.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Moulin Rouge!/Shrek/The Man Who Cried (2001)

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Soundtracks

Gloomy Sunday
by Rezsö Seress (as Rezsoe Seress), László Jávor (as Laszlo Javor) and Desmond Carter
Performed by Kronos Quartet
Courtesy of Nonesuch Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products/Warner UK Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

Beautiful film about risk, change and difference

The only reason I did not rate this film a "10" was that the Christina Ricci character (Feygele/Suzie), who is supposed to be a superb singer in the era before microphones, was not dubbed by someone who can actually sing. (Ricci, gifted actress that she is, can't, and to a musician, that's a problem). Other than that, I loved this movie. Ricci and Depp, as impossible lovers who just happen to be members of the two peoples most persecuted by the Nazis (a Jew and a Gypsy), are both perfection in their roles. John Tuturro and Cate Blanchett, as (respectively) an Alpha-male Italian tenor enamored of Mussolini, and Suzie's fellow dancer/confidante seduced by the tenor and his Fascist tendencies, are such compelling characters that they almost needed their own separate movie. The cinematography is beautiful throughout, and the sense of history, of the sweep of time, is wonderfully evoked. Last but not least, the score of the film memorably weaves together an old Yiddish lullaby with "Je crois entendre encore," the great tenor aria from Bizet's "Pearl Fishers." Both melodies share the same rhythmic and harmonic skeleton, and the film score reveals and celebrates it. A wonderful musical reflection on the theme of the film in general. Wait until the end of the movie to see what I mean -- the music explains it all.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

UK France

Language:

English Yiddish Russian French Italian Romany Romanian

Release Date:

8 December 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

L'homme qui pleurait

Filming Locations:

Rue de la Harengerie, Pontoise, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$93,455, 27 May 2001

Gross USA:

$747,092

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,322,763

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Universal Pictures, Adventure Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Black and White Color (Duboicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1