I moderate film discussions for a group of the docents at the Holocaust Museum in Skokie so I am always scouting movies for us to screen. Tonight I watched a German film from 1999 called GLOOOMY SUNDAY. Anyone else seen it? I was familiar with the title song but I always thought it was by Billie Holiday. It was known as The Hungarian Suicide Song. The film is beautifully photographed and lushly romantic, like a blend of a Douglas Sirk drama from the late 50s and a Lifetime cable drama. Set in Budapest, Its about a ménage a trois (2 men and one woman) during the Holocaust period--the Jewish owner of a restaurant, his lovely waitress/mistress, and the pianist who nightly plays for the dinner crowd. Add to this ménage a fourth party: a Nazi officer. (The composer writes the haunting song that was banned on the radio for a time because it was linked to over 100 suicides.) I liked this movie. Its based on actual individuals but takes liberties with the facts, as often happens. I am using it, despite the fact that it qualifies as more of a guilty pleasure than a historical document.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 05:16:22 +0000
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