A song of love and death - Gloomy Sunday

Movie
Original title	A song of love and death - Gloomy Sunday
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	1999
length	108 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12 (VHS) ; 16 (DVD)
Rod
Director	Rolf Schübel
script	Ruth Toma , ; Rolf Schübel
production	Richard Schöps
music	Detlef Friedrich Petersen
camera	Edward Kłosiński
cut	Ursula Höf
occupation
	Erika Marozsán : Ilona Várnai; Joachim Król : László Szabó; Stefano Dionisi : András Aradi; Ben Becker : the young Hans Wieck; Márta Bakó : Candle seller; Werner Brehm : Postman; Karl Fischer : Mr. Svoboda; Angelo Franke : Hungarian soldier; Michael Gampe : Director Novak; Jörg Gillner : Chef István; Ulrike Grote : Ms. Häberle; Dorka Gryllus : Miss Mendel; Ernst Kahl : draftsman Ferenc Torresz; István Kanizsay : Journalist in the café; László I. Kish : Standard leader Schnefke; Sebastian Koch : Obersturmbannführer Eichbaum; Denis Moschitto : apprentice in the kitchen; Wanja Mues : Mr. Mendel; Tibor Kenderesi : Professor Moishe Tajtelbaum; Zsuzsa Mányai : László's neighbor; István Mikó : potato dealer; Ferenc Némethy : Old Jew in Wieck's office; Michael Quitkowsky : news reporter; Anna Ráckevei : Tajtelbaum's niece; Markus Hering : Mr. Schwitz; Veit Stübner : wine supplier; Stefan Weinert : SS officer; Cast of contemporary history : Ferenc Bács : Ambassador; Rolf Becker : old Hans Wieck; András Bálint : Ilona's son; Géza Boros : violin player; Aurel Haitó : Reporter I; Árpád Hetényi : Reporter III; György Kégl : Reporter II; Tanya M. Nagel : BBC reporter; Aron Sipos : Doctor; Ilse Zielstorff : Mrs. Wieck; Júlia Zsolnai : wife of the ambassador;

A song of love and death - Gloomy Sunday is a German - Hungarian feature film from 1999, which after the presentation of the novel Song of the Sad Sunday by Nick Barkow , directed by Rolf Schubel was filmed. The drama takes place in Budapest in the 1930s and 1940s and is about the triangular relationship between the waitress Ilona Várnai and the Jewish restaurant owner László Szabó and the pianist András Aradi. The German businessman and later SS officer Hans Wieck, who returned to Budapest during the occupation of Hungary, played another part in the network of relationships . The central red thread is the song Gloomy Sunday by the Hungarian composer Rezső Seress , which became known worldwide as the song of suicides in the 1930s because of its melancholy mood .

action

On his 80th birthday, the successful German businessman Hans Eberhard Wieck is fulfilling a long-cherished wish and wants to celebrate in the Szabó restaurant in Budapest , where he was a frequent guest 60 years earlier. When the food is brought in, he asks the musicians to play "the song, the famous one". While the guests are enjoying the food and listening to the sounds, he discovers a photo of the then waitress Ilona. Immediately afterwards it collapses, whereupon it fades back to the time 60 years ago.

In the 1930s László Szabó ran this thriving restaurant and not only he, but also some of his guests fell for the charming service Ilona. The two have a happy relationship. When he bought a grand piano , he engaged the young pianist András, who soon had feelings for Ilona as well. It is the same with young Hans Wieck, who is enjoying his rolled meat here every day these days.

András Ilona is giving Ilona 'The Song of Sad Sunday' for her birthday, which he composed for her. The guests present are as enthusiastic as Ilona. Since Hans also has his birthday and this is his last day in Budapest, he asks her to be allowed to take a picture of her, and he sees that same picture there again 60 years later. On the way home he makes Ilona a marriage proposal, which she refuses. She confesses to László that she also loves András, whereupon he tells her that she can choose freely. She goes with András, whereupon the two spurned László and Hans meet on a Danube bridge. Because of lovesickness, Hans jumps into the Danube, but is saved by László. The next day, Hans leaves Budapest.

Ilona now enters into a love triangle with László and András ; Both know about each other, understand each other and would rather have a shared Ilona than lose her entirely. Even if there are minor problems, things go well and László and András remain friends. László helps András to get a good record deal, after which the song becomes very well known, but is also discovered by some suicides. Confronted with this effect, András wants to poison himself, but is prevented from doing so by Ilona and László. László then takes the poison ampoule.

Before the end of the Second World War , Hans returned to Budapest , now as a member of the SS . There is a conflict between him and András when András refuses to play the song of sad Sunday for him. Ilona tries to defuse the situation by singing the suicidal lyrics of the song, a request from András that she had always refused before. Immediately afterwards, András shoots himself with Hans' pistol.

The non-practicing Jew László had already transferred his restaurant and money to Ilona, who in turn hired him as managing director, in order to remove him as indispensable from the access of the National Socialists . Because of the growing danger, László asked Hans for papers with which he could safely leave the country. However, Hans assures him that László is under his personal protection and that nothing can happen to him as long as he, Hans, is in Budapest. Instead, he persuades László to bring rich Jews to him, whom he can then take out of the country for large sums of money or valuables. Hans reveals himself to be an opportunist who is already amassing a fortune for the post-war period.

Nevertheless, one day László is picked up by the SS just before he can commit suicide with the poison that he still has from András. Ilona desperately asks Hans for help, which he promises her, but demands sex with her in return. But at the train station he saves another rich Jew. Ilona is then pregnant; it remains unclear by whom. László dies in Auschwitz concentration camp .

Back in the present, Hans has meanwhile passed away at his 80th birthday party. Many reporters report on the death of the successful businessman who, at the risk of his life, saved many Jews from death during World War II. The final scene shows how the current owner of the restaurant, who turns out to be the son of Ilona and László due to his resemblance, fills two glasses of champagne and congratulates his old mother on her birthday, who is currently busy with the crockery for the celebration as well to wash out the now empty old poison ampoule that she had taken after László's arrest. They obviously poisoned Hans.

backgrounds

The eponymous song , which plays an important role in the film, Sad Sunday (original title: Szomorú Vasárnap ) actually exists. It was composed in 1933 by the Hungarian pianist Rezső Seress . Since it was last heard by many suicides before their suicide because of its melancholy and beautiful manner , it was soon popularly known as the Hungarian Suicide Song.

Raoul Wallenberg (diplomat of Sweden), Carl Lutz (diplomat of Switzerland) and numerous courageous Hungarian resistance fighters saved around 62,000 Hungarian Jews in 1944 . They issued protection passports and letters of protection to Jews who wanted to emigrate to Palestine (the Hungarian gendarmerie and the Eichmann commando respected these papers).

Of the 825,000 people who lived within Hungary's borders from 1941 to 1945 and were considered Jews, 260,000 survived the war years; around 565,000 died in the Holocaust . Many of the latter were deported from Budapest to extermination camps and murdered there. The final battle for Budapest began around December 1944 ; it is compared in length, doggedness and scope with the Battle of Stalingrad , but was far less known because many other dramatic battles (including the Battle of Aachen , Hürtgenwald , Ardennes Offensive , Operation Nordwind , Battle of East Prussia ) were raging at the same time .

The novel by Nick Barkow was filmed in 1949 by Jacqueline Audry under the title Lonely Sunday .

Reviews

“Elaborately staged melodrama that explores the boundaries of utopia and reality with an emphatically popular access to the novel. Despite its dramaturgical weaknesses, the film impresses with its camera work and excellent acting. "

- Lexicon of international film