Gloomy Sunday (2000)

The Song of Love and Death

Gloomy Sunday - Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod directed by Rolf Schübel in 1999 is a romantic, absorbing, beautiful, and heartbreaking movie. It started like Jules and Jim; it ended as one of Agatha Christie's books, and in between it said something about love, friendship, devotion, jealousy, war, Holocaust, dignity, and betrayal, and it did better than The Black Book which is much more popular. It is not perfect, and it made me, a cynic, wonder in the end on the complexity of the relationships and sensational revelations, and who is who to whom but the movie simply overwhelmed me. Perfect or not, it is unforgettable. All four actors as the parts of the tragic not even a triangle but a rectangle were terrific. I do believe that three men could fell deeply for one girl as beautiful and dignified as Ilona in a star-making performance by young Hungarian actress Erica Marozsán and who would not? The titular song is haunting, sad, and beautiful, and no doubt deserves the movie been made about it and its effect on the countless listeners. I love the movie and I am surprised that it is so little known in this country. It is a gem.

The fact that it is based on a story of the song that had played such important role in the lives of all characters made me do some research, and the real story behind the song of Love and Death seems as fascinating as the fictional one. The song was composed in 1930s by Rezsö Seress and was believed to have caused many suicides in Hungary and all over Europe as the world was moving toward the most devastating War of the last century. Rezsö Seress, a Jewish-Hungarian pianist and composer, was thrown to the Concentration Camp but survived, unlike his mother. In January, 1968, Seress committed suicide in Budapest by jumping out of a window. According to his obituary in the New York Times, "Mr. Seres complained that the success of "Gloomy Sunday" actually increased his unhappiness, because he knew he would never be able to write a second hit."

Many singers from all over the world have recorded their versions of the songs in different languages. Over 70 performers have covered the song since 1935, and some famous names include Billie Holiday, Paul Robeson, Pyotr Leschenko (in Russian, under title "Mratschnoje Woskresenje"), Bjork, Sarah McLachlan, and many more. The one that really got to me and made me shiver is by Diamanda Galás, the Greek born American singer/pianist/performer with the voice of such tragic power that I still can't get over her singing. Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror", and in her work she mostly concentrates on the topics of "suffering, despair, condemnation, injustice and loss of dignity." When she sings the Song of Love and Death, her voice that could've belonged to the most tragic heroines of Ancient Greece leaves no hope and brings the horror and grief of love lost forever to the unbearable and incomparable heights.

4.5/5 October 22, 2008

AN EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!

THIS AN EXCELLENT MOVIE I HAD ALREADY SEEN ON CULTURAL TV CHANNEL , I LIKED A LOT SO I LOOKED FOR IT HERE IN MEXICO BUT DUE IT IS NOT A COMMERCIAL MOVIE I MOVED TO LOKK FOR IT IN DIFFERENT PLACES , SO A IFOUND IT IN YOUR SITE , I BOUGTH IT EASY, CHEAP AND FAST DELIVER.

REGARDS September 29, 2008

Absolutely splendid - haunting and beatiful

One of the most memorable movies of all time.... I saw it in the theater years ago and it has been haunting me ever since. Powerful and poignant, unforgettable and incredibly beautiful. The setting, the times, the people, the loves and one monstrous betrayal,and then ultimately, a wonderfully ironic ending.

Don't miss it! July 20, 2008

A nice European flavor to this film.

I bought this DVD because I enjoyed it so much after viewing it once on my Netflix subscription. It depicts an era that I lived through as a child: pre and post WWII. Although taking place in Budapest with Hungarians and their experiences during this period, it is spoken in German by the actors and as I learned that language from my parents as a child born in the United States, I welcome the chance to have my language skills reinforced while being entertained. The music around which the film is constructed is also very haunting or perhaps I'm still too impressionable; I've always enjoyed Gypsy music with its love of life and sadness at the same time. The acting is good and the nudity is also tasteful and not out of context. It's presented as the Europeans see it and it may be a bit too much for American tastes but I must add that it's not coarse, but rather very natural. Perhaps you'd better pre-screen it before the kids see it with you (depending on their ages, your older ones have probably seen worse already). Lovers of roulade de boeuf will love this film. April 19, 2008

One of the best movies ever!

This could be one of the European Classics of all the times, great music(Gloomy sunday in its original version) great actors, wonderful story. it's one of my favorite movies of all the times.A must own! April 17, 2008

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