Gloomy Sunday

So we watched Gloomy Sunday in Signs and Wonders last Sunday. Fitting right? Especially with the rain and fog.

This is going to be a very rough lay out of the movie just because it's really impossible to get the entire essence without actually seeing the movie. In person.

Though this movie wasn't really gloomy for that reason. It was more so due to the fact that everyone ended up killing themselves or living their lives in pain and suffering to some extent.

The movie begins with a couple, Laszlo and Ilona. Laszlo is the owner of Reasturant Szabo and Ilona serves as the hostess. The movie really picks up when the couple are looking for a pianist for the restaurant. As time goes on, the pianist they hire, Andras Aradi, begins to woo Ilona with his looks and exceptional musical talent. To the point where she ends up spending just as much time with him *coughcough*ahem* as she does with Laszlo....

(Yes Leaper, I do squirm a bit at things like this. It was a good movie, but I would have at least liked to know what I was going to see before I came. I didn't even know this was an R rated movie until Liz looked it up!) 

Early on in the movie though, because on one night where she didn't return home with Laszlo, he was able to save a man, Hans Wieck from committing suicide. After hearing the haunting musical talent of Andras and Ilona refusing to marry him, he jumped off a bridge. Laszlo was there and saved him. He reminded him of the better things in life and what he had to go on and live for.

As the movie goes on, the background changes into the rise of Germany through Hitler. Thus meaning the time where all the Jews are being taken away to die. Laszlo, being Jewish by birth, was put among the discriminated. In order to protect Restaurant Szabo, Laszlo has the papers for the place put under Ilona's name instead of his because she is not Jewish and won't be targeted. This way the establishment can stay open.

Now, even with this going on, throughout the entire movie, Andras' song that he wrote for Ilona for her birthday, one that becomes the most requested at the restaurant, becomes the cause for suicide cases all over the world. The tune, beautiful and haunting is said to hold an unknown or, not understandable message. When Andras finally try's to create a message in lyrics for the piano piece, he kills himself just like all the others who were effected by his music.

Just a note why I think he waited as long as he did to finally kill himself: First, I know he wanted to kill himself as time went on. He knew that he and his tune were the cause of outrageous suicide rates all over the world. Early in the movie, Andras said that he wanted to hear Ilona sing. She told him that she never sang with people around. When she finally sang his lyrics while he played the tune, (and I swear this woman is the only one who can make German sound beautiful as she sings) he had heard her, and he had no more reason to continue living.

The group continues to grow smaller as time goes on. Eventually Laszlo is taken by the nazis to be killed, leaving Ilona alone with Hans, who ends up marrying her, against her will.

In the end, there seems to be just a brilliant sense of justice and payback for Ilona, when Hans dies on his 80th birthday, in the restaurant, listening to the same song that had killed so many. That song was written for Ilona, it was her song, it was her. And so it seemed very fitting that she poisoned him, during her iconic song, that he requested to hear.