''An American Rhapsody'' is a 2001 Hungarian-American biographical
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
that tells the story of a 15-year-old girl from a
Hungarian-American
Hungarian Americans ( Hungarian: ''amerikai magyarok'') are Americans of Hungarian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that there are approximately 1.396 million Americans of Hungarian descent as of 2018. The total number of people wit ...
family. The film is based on the true story of the director, Éva Gárdos, who also wrote the script.
The film stars
Nastassja Kinski
Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; , ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with ''Stay as You Are'' (1978). She then came to gl ...
,
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...
,
Tony Goldwyn
Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
, and
Mae Whitman
Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...
.
Plot
In 1950, a Hungarian couple, Peter and Margit, are forced to flee from the oppressive
Hungarian People's Republic
The Hungarian People's Republic ( hu, Magyar Népköztársaság) was a one-party socialist state from 20 August 1949
to 23 October 1989.
It was governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, which was under the influence of the Soviet Uni ...
for the United States, taking along their eldest daughter Maria. Unfortunately, they are forced to leave behind their infant daughter, Suzanne, who is raised by a kind foster couple. Five years later, Peter and Margit arrange for the
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
to bring Suzanne to their new home in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. There, the perplexed young girl is forced to accept her sudden change in home and country, which leads to a troubled upbringing. At age 15, Suzanne, rebellious and unsure of herself, tries to come to terms with her roots and decides to travel back to
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, to unravel her past and to find her true identity.
Cast
*
Nastassja Kinski
Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; , ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with ''Stay as You Are'' (1978). She then came to gl ...
as Margit Sandor
*
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...
as Suzanne Sandor (age 15)
** Kelly Endrész Banlaki as Suzanne (age 5–6)
** Raffaella Bánsági as Suzanne (infant)
*
Tony Goldwyn
Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
as Peter Sandor
*
Mae Whitman
Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...
as Maria Sandor (age 10)
**
Larisa Oleynik
Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s.
Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...
as Maria Sandor (age 18)
*
Ágnes Bánfalvy
Ágnes Bánfalvy (born 30 April 1954) is a Hungarian actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films since 1975.
Selected filmography
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banfalvy, Agnes
1954 births
Living people
Actresses from Budapest
...
as Helen
* Zoltán Seress as George
*
Zsuzsa Czinkóczi
Zsuzsa Czinkóczi (born January 23, 1967) is a Hungarian actress. Her best-known work includes ''Nobody's Daughter'' (1976), '' Just Like Home'' (1978), ''Diary for My Children'' (1984), ''Diary for My Lovers
''Diary for My Lovers'' ( hu, Napl ...
as Teri
* Balázs Galkó as Jeno
*
Lisa Jane Persky
Lisa Jane Persky (born May 5, 1955) is an American actress, journalist, author, artist, and photographer. She played supporting roles in the films ''The Great Santini'' (1979) ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' (1986) and '' When Harry Met Sally...'' (19 ...
as Patti
*
Colleen Camp
Colleen Celeste Camp (born June 7, 1953) is an American character actress and producer. After appearing in several bit parts, she had a lead role in the comedy ''The Swinging Cheerleaders'' (1974), followed by roles in two installments of the '' ...
as Dottie
*
Emmy Rossum
Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress, director, and singer. She is known for her portrayal of List of Shameless (American TV series) characters#Fiona Gallagher, Fiona Gallagher in the television series ''Shame ...
as Sheila (age 15)
*
Éva Soreny as Eva
*
Kata Dobó
Kata Dobó or Kata Dobo (born Katalin Kovács, Hungarian: Kovács Katalin, Dobó Kata, on 25 February 1974) is a Hungarian actress and filmmaker.
Life
Dobo was born in Győr, Hungary and moved to Los Angeles, USA in 1999 to her partner of the ...
as Claire
* Jacqueline Steiger as Betty
Reception
''An American Rhapsody'' received mixed reviews, currently holding a 51/100 rating on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
gives the film a 55% approval rating based on 60 reviews, with an
average rating
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
of 5.61/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Though obviously a labor of love, ''American Rhapsody'' is an uneven, heavy-handed effort, particularly in the second half".
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:American Rhapsody
2001 films
2001 biographical drama films
2001 independent films
American coming-of-age drama films
American biographical drama films
Hungarian biographical drama films
Hungarian-language films
English-language Hungarian films
Films scored by Cliff Eidelman
Films about film directors and producers
Films about immigration to the United States
Drama films based on actual events
Films set in 1950
Films set in 1955
Films set in 1956
Films set in 1958
Films set in 1965
Films set in Hungary
Films set in Los Angeles
Films shot in Budapest
Films shot in Los Angeles
Hungarian-American history
American independent films
Paramount Pictures films
Fireworks Entertainment films
2001 drama films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films