Product Details

• Actors: Erika Marozsán, Joachim Król, Ben Becker, Stefano Dionisi, András Bálint
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: German (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: September 12, 2006
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GB5M10
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,434 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #96 in Movies & TV > DVD > Foreign Films
• For more information about "Gloomy Sunday" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The magic of music, the power of love, the evils of money, and the horror of genocide are the weighty themes tackled in Gloomy Sunday, a moving German-Hungarian film from director/co-writer Rolf Schubel. Released theatrically in 1999, it's said to have been "inspired by actual events," and it is true that the title song, written in the '30s by Rezso Seress (with Hungarian lyrics by Laszlo Javor), was a worldwide hit in its day; it's also a fact that the song has since been covered dozens of times, by artists ranging from Billie Holiday to Bjork and Elvis Costello. As for the suggestion that "Gloomy Sunday" was banned after being connected to multiple suicides, including the composer's, that's a bit more dicey. In any case, it plays a pivotal role in the love story set in Budapest during the ascension of the Third Reich and the onset of the Holocaust. Restaurant owner Laszlo (Joachim Krol) is in love with Ilona, his hostess (Erika Marozsán), a dark-eyed beauty who plays men as easily as Horowitz plays "Chopsticks"; she loves him as well, but that doesn't mean she won't welcome Andras (Stefano Dionisi), the restaurant's new piano player, into her bed as well. Everyone seems to handle that with admirable equanimity, at least until the young German Hans (Ben Becker) inserts himself into the scene. Having been rejected by Ilona, Hans throws himself into the Danube, only to be rescued by Laszlo; when he assures his savior that "We'll meet again," we know that's not necessarily a good thing. Indeed, when Hans returns to Budapest, he's a Nazi colonel. Things get hairy in a hurry after that: Laszlo is Jewish, Ilona still doesn't want Hans, and we're left to discover if the German officer is either another Oskar Schindler or a heartlessly venal criminal loyal only to himself. All of this is played out against the backdrop of a lovely city, with costumes, art direction, and a palette of rich, warm colors creating a convincing period feel. The DVD has no bonus features, but a cursory search of the 'net will turn up multiple versions of the title tune, a sweet but melancholy melody that sounds, as one character puts it, "as if someone were saying something you don't want to hear" but know to be true. --Sam Graham

Product Description

GLOOMY SUNDAY - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgettable, achingly beautiful masterpiece of cinema, November 20, 2006

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gloomy Sunday (DVD)

Gloomy Sunday (Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod) is a hauntingly beautiful gem of a movie, a unique blending of romance, drama, and tragedy all compressed under the oppressive weight of history. This film lives and breathes, transporting you back to 1930s Budapest with beautiful cinematography, a fascinatingly brooding musical score, and the most human of characters. Released in 1999, I have no idea why this German-Hungarian film took so long to make its way to American audiences or why it was not rewarded with an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Those of us fortunate enough to have seen it have certainly appreciated it. Just asks the folks in Boston, who kept the film running for a record-breaking 70 weeks in 2004-2005. If you have a heart and soul, this film will touch and haunt them both for a long, long time.

The title refers to a song written by one of the characters, but the historical reference is to a song by Hungarian composer Rezso Seress which became known, especially in America, as the Hungarian Suicide Song. Supposedly, many souls took their own lives after basking in the emotional power of this melody, but there is virtually no corroboration for the stories that have grown up around it. (One should keep in mind that the era of the 1930s was a time of worldwide economic depression, in which the Nazi menace cast its foreboding shadow over Europe and eventually the entire world.) In the film, Gloomy Sunday is basically a love song, written by a pianist named Andras (Stefano Dionisi) for the absolutely captivating Ilona (Erika Marozsan). Ilona is the hostess of an elegant restaurant in which Andras finds employment as an in-house pianist. He falls for the dark-eyed beauty just as Laszlo (Joachim Krol), the restaurant owner did, and the three soon develop a strange but very close relationship. Jealousy sometimes arises, as Ilona shares herself with both me, but both Andras and Laszlo would rather share her than lose her. I should point out here that Ilona in no way comes across as a loose or in any way disrespectable woman. She's an angelic creature, a woman with whom men constantly fall in love, including a shy, awkward German youth named Hans Wieck (Ben Becker), who leaves Budapest broken-hearted but returns several years later as an important Nazi colonel.

Laszlo, Andras, and Ilona grow ever closer over these same years. Andras finds instant fame as the composer of Gloomy Sunday yet still struggles to understand just what his song is trying to say. When he despairs over the staggering numbers of suicidal men and women who left life serenaded by his mysteriously cursed song, Laszlo and Ilona are there to rescue him emotionally. Their mutual bond is eternal and true. All too soon, however, the trio's strangely enchanted world begins to come apart. The restaurant is still prospering and "the song" is still being played every night by popular demand, but the arrival of the Nazis in Hungary casts an increasingly foreboding shadow on the lives of these incredibly captivating characters. Fear takes on a palpable presence in their lives as Jews are rounded up and transported to concentration camps. Only Hans affords them, especially Laszlo (for he is Jewish), any kind of safety net in this oppressive and increasingly dangerous environment.

The dogs of greed, betrayal, and pure evil inevitably come to have their day, making for an emotionally jarring final half hour of this film. The subtlety with which the most painful blows strike only makes the tragedy all the more intense - and instructive. That subtlety carries over to the ultimate conclusion, which could not have been presently more effectively.

I could go on and on about the unsurpassed strengths and natural beauty of this film, but words can never communicate my true passion for this film. Gloomy Sunday approaches cinematic perfection, in my humble opinion, and I would urge any and every person to experience its emotional power for himself/herself.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely old style Romance... Beautiful looking DVD from Warner, October 30, 2006

By 

dooby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gloomy Sunday (DVD)

This is a lovely film in the tradition of grand tragic romances. It is based on a largely fictionalised account of the legend surrounding a well-known love-song from the 1930s, "Gloomy Sunday". The song acquired its notorious nickname of "The Hungarian Suicide Song" because of the rumour (largely false) that it caused a wave of suicides of depressed lovers who listened to it. The original song was written by Hungarian composer Rezso Seress who earned a fortune as a result of its worldwide popularity. The film version of the story has little resemblance with reality.

The film is a German/Hungarian co-production based on the novel by Nick Barkow - "Das Lied vom Traurigen Sonntag". It begins in the present day but reaches back to a more idyllic time in 1930s Budapest. Illona (Erika Marozsán) is a dewy-eyed Hungarian beauty who is loved by 3 men, Laszlo (Joachim Król), a Jewish Restauranteur, András (Stefano Dionisi), a penniless pianist, and Hans (Ben Becker), an up-and-coming German businessman. Andras writes the song "Gloomy Sunday" as a birthday gift and an expression of love for Illona. Illona loves both the pianist and the restauranteur and despite their rivalry, they become friends at her insistence. With Laszlo's help, Andras' song is published, recorded and lauded worldwide. Hans, a frequent customer at the restaurant is the first to propose to Illona. When she turns him down, he almost becomes the first casualty of the song's curse. In despair, he jumps off the Széchenyi Bridge into the Danube. He is rescued by Laszlo who consoles him and nurses him back to health. Hans pledges his eternal gratitude to Laszlo. With Hans' return to Germany, the remaining trio maintain a pretty congenial ménage à trois, which lasts until the arrival of WWII. With war comes the return of Hans, now a Colonel in the SS charged with cleaning out the Jews from Budapest. By this time, the song's morbid reputation has made it infamous around the world. Now the curse returns to haunt those closest to it. Will Laszlo escape the Jewish pogrom? Will Hans be another Oskar Schindler? Will Andras live to win the girl? What will become of Illona? Despite its dark subject matter, the ending is uplifting with its deft twist and its theme of justice served through the years. I happen to like romantic movies and this kind of weepie story appeals to me. I also happen to love the music, which as Illona describes, has the perfect blend of sweetness and sorrow. A more cynical viewer may label all this as hokey and to someone who doesn't respond to the music (most younger people), this fascination may be quite unfathomable, but to each his own.

This Region 1 DVD from Warner is very beautifully presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio (enhanced for widescreen TV). The print is quite immaculate with sharp images, vibrant, natural colours and perfect blacks levels. The original German Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is also very good. I found the German dialogue perfectly clear once the overall volume level is brought up a bit. The piano and orchestral recording sound splendid. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are provided. There are no extras whatsoever but this DVD is definitely worth the asking price.

Note: This DVD is unrated but would probably receive an R-rating for nudity, sexuality, violence and language.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!, October 22, 2006

By 

Matthew Thorne - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gloomy Sunday (DVD)

It is a rare pleasure to watch a movie that portrays characters who have such depth and which so successfully delves into very complex relationships. The subject matter is grim, but the humanity of this film makes it uplifting. I have watched at least 500 movies in the last couple of years and this is one of the two best!