The man who cried - Les larmes d'un homme

I did not know what to expect when I watched this film. What I did not anticipate, was that it would be so poignantly moving...very few films can actually reach out and involve the viewer to such an extent. There are many words that come to mind - haunting, sad, sweet, poetic...yet none of them capture the true essence of The Man Who Cried.

Sally Potter has done a wonderful job. This film suggests - it never really comes out and blatantly states. The scene with Cate Blanchette in the swimming pool is particularly beautiful. This film is so visually appealing - the graceful lines, the shadows, the colours...and that wonderful haunting music. Ms. Potter takes you into the minds of her characters, while the story floats and drifts around you in a collage of beautiful rich tones. She doesn't attempt to conceal the ugly face of war, but does not depict explicit violence as so many other directors do.

Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci are perfectly cast - unusual roles for both. They bring depth, intensity and meaning to their characters. Unlike Sleepy Hollow, this film is gentle and strong at once, while retaining something of the same gothic charm. Cate Balnchette also surprised me with her very unusual portrayal of Lola.

I would watch this movie all over again...and again...and again!

I was in San Francisco and decided to see an "artsy" film. I bought tickets to this movie and was quite impressed, even though I am usually a fan of movies like The Terminator and Armageddon. The movie takes place around 1927 with a young girl named Feglee playing with her dad in the field. He soon gets drafted and soon sends for his daughter. She ends up getting put onto the wrong boat and ends up in Paris where she is re-named Suzie. The young girl soon morphs beautifully into Christina Ricci who makes friends with the smart and sexy Lola (Cate Blanchett). They get jobs as Opera singers and the both of them find love. Lola, with the main Opera Singer named Dante, and Suzie with a gypsy named Cesar, who takes care of the horses. Dante finds out that Suzie is Jewish and ends up telling people, which would put her in danger. So Suzie must decide whether she should flee and go to America to find her father or stay with Cesar. I was truly surprised that I could enjoy a movie like this. Of course this movie has some slow parts, but which movie doesn't? And the performances were truly outstanding. An unrecognizable Cate Blanchett and Johnny Depp seriously were in their characters. But the movie belongs to Christina Ricci. I have seen her play a rebel-type explosives expert, a seductive pregnant 16 year old, a mischievous young teen, a b*tchy lawyer, a perky sorority sister, a freaked out laundry mat owner, Wednesday Addams etc. And now here she is taking on another challenging role as a quiet English accent- opera singer. This movie is really good, and the ONLY other romantic movie I enjoyed was Titanic. (***1/2 out of ****)

The only reason I did not rate this film a "10" was that the Christina Ricci character (Feygele/Suzie), who is supposed to be a superb singer in the era before microphones, was not dubbed by someone who can actually sing. (Ricci, gifted actress that she is, can't, and to a musician, that's a problem). Other than that, I loved this movie. Ricci and Depp, as impossible lovers who just happen to be members of the two peoples most persecuted by the Nazis (a Jew and a Gypsy), are both perfection in their roles. John Tuturro and Cate Blanchett, as (respectively) an Alpha-male Italian tenor enamored of Mussolini, and Suzie's fellow dancer/confidante seduced by the tenor and his Fascist tendencies, are such compelling characters that they almost needed their own separate movie. The cinematography is beautiful throughout, and the sense of history, of the sweep of time, is wonderfully evoked. Last but not least, the score of the film memorably weaves together an old Yiddish lullaby with "Je crois entendre encore," the great tenor aria from Bizet's "Pearl Fishers." Both melodies share the same rhythmic and harmonic skeleton, and the film score reveals and celebrates it. A wonderful musical reflection on the theme of the film in general. Wait until the end of the movie to see what I mean -- the music explains it all.

My entire reason for bringing this film home was the cast: Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro and Johnny Depp. Each of the actors are phenomenal and have talent in spades, and to see them all together in a film with such great characters was a delight. However, this is one of those movies where there is no fast-paced, witty dialog, no car chases and no gratuitous sex. It is about the characters. Therefore, many will find its plot slow and dull. This movie was not made for mass appeal. Many will find it to be beautiful and meaningful, while others will not sit through the first half hour. With that said, I will now say how much I loved this movie. It was visually stunning, superbly acted and has a score to match. While I have always enjoyed Christina Ricci and found her to be quite attractive, I have never seen her look as beautiful as she does in this film. Cate Blanchett is as wonderful as she always is, proving once more she is one of today's most versatile and convincing actors. Johnny Depp and John Turturro are also both excellent in their roles. Overall, I would have to recommend this to anyone who enjoys good character development/superb acting.

The athmosphere in this film is created by using rich textures and suggestions of scent. It is carried to the audience by heart wrenching music, which touches all senses, enabling the viewer to fill their soul with unearthly beauty. In the wealth of sound and scenes, which are full of symbolism, words become unnecessary, the actors secondary and the direction, supreme. Pure theatre.