great movie!....what was the title?

Discussion in 'Central & Eastern Europe' started by gypzy, Apr 8, 2006.

  1. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Ahoj

    I just saw this movie on WE. Womens Entertainment television. Please don't laugh at me, I usually don't watch these types of networks. Anyhew, I was channel surfing and I came accross this movie that was in black and white and had subtitles. It took place in Budapest. The mom and dad seemed like they might be rich. They had to escape for some reason. The mom, dad and 5 yr old daughter left in the middle of the night, leaving the little baby alone w/ gramma. They snuck into Vienna. Then the scenes were in color and English. While in Vienna they found out that the baby could not be smuggled to them. She was brought to live on a farm. The rest of the family made it to the US. The baby, Suzane, was brought to the US when she was 6. She missed her "family" in Hungary. While she was growing up in the states she was a rebellous teenager. After her mother locked her in her room she shot the door down and her father let her go to Budapest, where her adoptive parents had moved. Her gramma lived there also. She spent the day w/ her gramma. The last scene I saw was where the gramma and Suzane were at a nice restaurant and gramma told of something bad that happened to grampa. But I had to go have coffee w/ a friend so I didn't get to finish the movie. I was wondering if anyone else saw this movie. Was it a theatre movie or made for tv? What was the name? Is it on DVD? Please don't tell me the end.

    by 4 Now

    P.S. ha ha, as I was previewing my post I saw that I had first said "please do not tell me the name" instead of end :lol: !
     
  2. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    AN AMERICAN RHAPSODY
    2001

    Writer/director Eva Gardos drew from her own life story in this personal film about a young woman's struggle to find herself. Suzanne (Scarlett Johansson) is raised by an affectionate couple in the Hungarian countryside after her parents (Nastassja Kinski, Tony Goldwyn) flee to America. Her parents eventually send for her and, at age six, she is forced to adjust to American life. But as a teen, Suzanne turns rebellious and opts to return to Hungary, reconnect with the kind couple who raised her and resolve her cultural confusion.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221799/

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005RYLY...
     
  3. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Hi,

    Thank you eso! I will definetly rent it tonite, maybe buy it later. I've been bugged by what happened in the end. I hope it has a happy ending :D . I was surprised that Suzane was played by Scarlett Johansson, it doesn't look like her. Maybe the make-up department wanted to make her look more like Eva Gardos at the time when the movie took place :? .

    By 4 Now
     
  4. magan

    magan Well-Known Member

    Gypzy, I found this movie especially touching (cried my eyes out) as I personally knew couples who did left their youngest babies with their parents in 1968 while leaving the country. They were leaving for unknown, with no money, knowledge of foreign language or any idea what will happen with them. At that time it was believed that Red Cross would help with bringing baby to them after they find roof over their heads and settle in some country. They assumed that it will be best for the baby to stay safe with grandma and grandpa and not to take her through the hardship. My own in-laws begged me, crying to leave my baby with them so it comes to no harm. There was no information available of what hapenned to people who left, just some vague mentioning about them being locked up in refugee camps (remember we only ever saw Third World refugee camps of starving people on News). It would have been easy to make that decision for loving parents.

    When time came and parents were able to take care of the baby, they found that Communist laws overided any other logic. Child born to Czech parents was "property" of State, parents were sentenced as criminals for leaving the country, just to multiply the reasons why they would be not suitable to bring up child up to Communist ideals. Unless they decided to return and bear the consequences (i.e. be incarcerated and then not ever getting decent jobs, or be allowed out of the country, their children not being allowed to get higher education etc.), marring the chance for older child"baby".

    I was glad I didn't leave my baby behind, It was very hard, but without her my future in my new country would not be possible.

    When I look back I cannot believe that stories like this are all so real. Misinformation or no information behind the Iron Curtain and no freedom to leave the Country was unbelieveable.
     
  5. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who cried. It's just amazing how American schools teach history. Most of it seems to be England,Spain, France and German centered. Everything else the teachers/books basically ignore. In post war modern history the only thing I learned about East Europe was that it was communist rule. Nothing really in depth so I felt clueless watching the movie not hearing about these types of stories. My heart goes out to everyone who experienced such things.
     
  6. Ceit

    Ceit Well-Known Member

    You learned about Spain? And France?? And Germany??? All my world history classes were Greece, Rome, England, US, repeat. Well, sometimes Sumer did get in the at the beginning and we had one semester of ancient pre-Columbian history...but I wish we'd had more exposure to Africa and Asia, not to mention the rest of Europe and the Americas. We have 13 years (making 26 semesters!) of normal schooling for @ss sakes! :evil:

    Now I want to go look for this movie...probably won't find it in Madrid though, even in Blockbuster. But I've enjoyed Scarlett Johansson since "Ghostworld".
     
  7. brook

    brook Well-Known Member

    Be thankful you weren't pounded over the head with Texas history! I love my homestate, but jesus!

    I remember that we never really discussed Central and Eastern Europe when I was in school (which is probably why I have such a fascination with the area now). I don't know if it was because it was the 80's or what the deal was, but it was a taboo subject in our school. So naturally I wanted to know more about it. :)
     
  8. Ruzete

    Ruzete Well-Known Member

    I am in highschool now, and we talk a lot about Europe in general, but not about Eastern Europe much, mostly Poland out of the eastern countries, we were talking about WWII this week and they touched on how Czechoslovakia fought hard not to let the Germans take over, and how France and England betrayed them by not backing up their treaty, it made me so mad!, finally they came in when Poland was conquered!
    sorry for the lil' history lesson...
     
  9. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Yes I did learn about these nations also, but I was talking in the confines of Europe as we now know it. I thought it was only a Michigan thing until I read these other posts. I guess some other states think that east of Germany isn't important. How sad!
     
  10. Sova

    Sova Well-Known Member

    :lol: They have to fill the ten gallon hats with something (other than hot air, that is).

    Yes, western Europe gets all the attention here in the U.S. schools (what little attention we pay to other countries, that is), with the exception of the Greek and Roman empires. Africa is neglected almost entirely (with the excpetion of ancient Egypt), Asia is mentioned mainly just in 20th century history largely because a few wars we fought over there (and perhaps Gandhi), South/Central America is mentioned mainly just in the context of native American empires (e.g. Incas), and Australia is mentioned only for koalas, kangaroos and crocodile hunters. :lol: Yes, the term "world history" in U.S. schools is a misnomer.
     
  11. Zeisig

    Zeisig Well-Known Member

    And what about such empires like Austrian, Russian and Ottoman? Without them the picture of the European history must be distorted.

    Frankly speaking, in our grammar school (gymnasium) we were concentrated mainly on the Czech and European history with the exception of such "global" events like the discovery of the new continents, the industrial revolution and both World Wars. And the history of the working-class and communist movement, of course (it was before 1989).

    The history of Subsaharan Africa :shock: - I have no clue what it is about? :oops:

    And I keep in mind all Roman emperors (and their wives) of the Julio-Claudian dynasty only due to the TV serial "I, Claudius" (with Derek Jacobi as gimpy Claudius).
     
  12. atyka

    atyka Well-Known Member

    It's a pity, but I believe normal as well that the history-teaching is local-centred (if this word exists :) ) I remember studying a lot the prehistory, people in caves etc, but not so much of modern world history. Anything about Asia, Africa... :(
     
  13. magan

    magan Well-Known Member

    Because it would be impossible to be truthfull. Modern history always depends on who is telling it. Which side of the War do you believe - they both feel VERY justified. Politics also have no "right side".
     
  14. brook

    brook Well-Known Member

    What are you talking about - when it comes to history and everything else, Americans are always right!

    (just in case you cannot detect my sarcasm, I am joking :D )
     
  15. atyka

    atyka Well-Known Member

    You hit the nail.. I remember now how I was surprised when attending the modern history classes on Uni in Budapest. Totally different from (the little) I knew about the WWI.. But maybe we could hear st.. But I wrote it is normal as well because I believe the students would not be able to learn everything... When I remember all the stuff secondary school people have to learn.. But still, it's a pity we have not heard anything about those themes.
     

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