Hey folks, Harry here... wishing like hell that THE MAN WHO CRIED was already out here in Austin... alas... nay. Being a huge Depp and Ricci fan... well, coupled with the way this review makes the film out to sound... well, this sounds like good stuff to me. BEWARE OF SPOILERS, but very well written ones...
Hi AICN,
One of your regular chatters, OttoMaddox here. You know, not all movies this summer have sucked. Okay, a lot of them have (like SCARY MOVIE 2). But one that doesn't is one is a limited release art house movie that I think everyone should see. And that's THE MAN WHO CRIED, with Christina Ricci and Johnny Depp. I saw it this month at the Music Box in Chicago this summer and I thought I'd share my thoughts on it...
THE MAN WHO CRIED
It’s odd to watch Christina Ricci in THE MAN WHO CRIED. For the majority of the movie, she’s silent, conveying most of her emotions through face and body language. I think it’s a bit disarming to see Ricci like this because in so many of her movies she spoke so much, saying so many mouthfuls of dialogue. It’s nice to see her do something different. But then again, her dialogue was important to each of her characters and helping define them (who could forget her and those razor sharp verbal barbs in THE OPPOSITE OF SEX?).
But without words, Ricci still impresses in THE MAN WHO CRIED, giving one of her best and most mature performances to date. Here, she seems believable as a character we haven’t seen her play too often: a nice girl. After her bad girls in movies like OPPOSITE and 200 CIGARETTES, it’s almost refreshing to see her play someone wholesome and not cynical, but also manage to be very believable at it. But then again, everyone is excellent in THE MAN WHO CRIED, as is the rest of the film, directed and written by Sally Potter.
The movie begins in 1927, where we meet young Fegele (played by Claudia Landerduke), a Russian Jew whose father leaves to get work in America. Soon, the village is taken over by German officers and she ends up fleeing to England. After being taken into a foster home and renamed Suzie, a teacher at her school encourages her to cover up her Jewish traditions. Suzie obliges, adapting to life in Britain.
The film picks up years later, and we see Suzie has grown into a lovely young woman (played now by Ricci) with an equally lovely singing voice. She goes to Paris, in order to get money as a singer so she can go to America and find her father. Once there, Suzie makes friends with Russian performer Lola (the wonderful Cate Blanchett) and both end up joining an opera company (headed by the great Harry Dean Stanton). From that point, the two form relationships with two men. Suzie falls for Cesar (Johnny Depp), a handsome Gypsy horseman, while Lola goes after the show’s arrogant lead Dante Dominio (John Turturro).
Soon, conflicts arise between the four characters and the Germans invade Paris. Suzie then finds herself in danger when Dante finds out about her Jewish heritage and tells the Nazis of it. What happens from then on is both pretty compelling and surprising. Often, I found the story working out in ways I didn’t expect, including a plot twist involving the bombing of a cruise ship.
If THE MAN WHO CRIED is just a WWII melodrama, then it’s a fine and more entertaining melodrama than PEARL HARBOR. It’s smarter, less cliched, and more adult. Potter and her actors convey more meaning in a single moment of silence than HARBOR does in any of its loud, action scenes. Some might also call the film manipulative, and in some ways, it might be. But it still managed for me to be incredibly compelling and just a good story to watch.
The direction by Potter is very strong, and the visuals by Sascha Vierny are all quite beautiful. As for the performers, I think this film has one of Ricci’s best performances to date, while Blanchett continues to be a chameleon onscreen; never does she seem to play the same human being. The only real misstep seems to be the performance by Johnny Depp, whose character is almost reduced completely to being just a handsome stud for Ricci to fall in love with.
Though, I’m not sure that was his fault, and actually the mistake of writer Potter. Still, Depp is quite good in the role, and unlike in SLEEPY HOLLOW, I actually bought the love story between the two of them. Ultimately, you may be asking, who is the man who cries in the film? Well, to be honest, most of them do. But the one who does it at the end of the film is the most important. And when that happens, you know whether or not you’re with the movie, feeling either touched or indifferent. I felt touched, not to mention rewarded by the two hours I had spent, going on the journey I had with the characters.
And that's pretty much all I have to say. Do see it. I think people will like it, if they give it a chance. Also, I'd like to send out a plea to MGM...please put GHOST WORLD out in the surburbs! We want to see this movie, REALLY BADLY!! Anyway, take care, and have a nice day.
OttoMaddox
