The Man Who Cried

Suzie (Christina Ricci) runs into fellow showgirl Lola (Cate Blanchett) and the two room together, locking horns over Italian sensation Dante, the main draw at the theatre, who also happens to be a fascist. Lola gets her way and her man. Enter one very mysterious, brooding Gypsy horseman (Johnny Depp, reprising his role from Chocolat) who captures Suzie's heart. This entire whirlwind of music, passion and drama occurs on the eve of World War Two, and Suzie is in danger of being discovered as Jewish.

The cinematography is gorgeous, with washed-out colours in Russia, beautiful cityscapes of Paris (especially the bike/horse chase at night!), gaudily bright costumes and opera sets, the exotic colour, music and flair of the Gypsy camp and costumes. The colour brings to mind the brilliant Technicolour prints of the earlier days, with vibrant, surreal colours.

The soundtrack is equally stunning, with contributions by newcomer Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra, the Kronos Quartet, the Gypsy ensemble Taraf de Haidouks, and Czech songstress Iva Bittova providing the voice for Christina Ricci. The operatic selections by Bizet, Puccini, Purcell, and Verdi are balanced by original score (the stunning "Close Your Eyes" is the most beautiful song in the movie) and frantic Gypsy music. Bittova's "Gloomy Sunday" is a delightful study in atmosphere, and appropriately sets the tone for an onscreen event near the end of the film.

"The Man Who Cried" is an unusual, beautiful, and touching glimpse at a decadent Europe on the brink of war, the vibrant Gypsy culture, the Jewish shtetls of Russia, and the world of opera, all intertwined with romance and connections to the past.


The waiter took my plate away...   June 2, 2002
Spare-Time Critic (New Orleans area, LA USA)
67 out of 71 found this review helpful

...while I was still eating the main course! That's how I felt about this movie.

It's so beautiful, I WANTED to love it. I'm a Depp fan, and he and Ricci make a lovely couple. Cate Blanchett is looking her best, and the plot is interesting.

Fegele is a young Jewish woman who has been separated from her family as a child. Raised in England by distant foster parents, she longs to go to America to find her father, but has to earn enough money first. Along the way, she meets a smolderingly handsome gypsy (Depp), a kindhearted Russian gold-digger (Blanchett), and a very self-centered Italian opera singer (Turturro). Meanwhile, the Nazi menace is approaching, and it's no good time to be a Jew in Europe. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, you don't get a chance to really grab hold of this movie. Characters don't do much talking (well, except the opera singer, but who wants to hear him rant?). There's a lot of dialogue conducted via soulful looks and silent reproaches. All very nicely done, but it's up to you to figure out what characters are really thinking and feeling.

But here's thing that really bugged me: The ending. If you like to have the loose ends all tied up when the credits roll, you'll be disappointed. I felt the ending was rushed, and could've easily done with another 30 minutes or so. Instead, I was left wondering what would've happened next. If you don't mind that, rent the movie and enjoy it.


Beautifully photographed, slow pace   September 6, 2003
Robyn Russell (Fairbanks, Alaska)
29 out of 31 found this review helpful

Man Who Cried has wonderfully lush cinematography throughout, but is very slow paced. Although the film starts in Russia, the main action of the film doesn't begin until Suzie (Ricci) arrives in Paris and gets a job with the opera company. If I had been in the editor's chair, I would have opened the story in Paris, introduced our heroine as the newly hired member of the company, and brought out her history in conversations with the other characters. Cate Blanchett has the best role in the movie as Russian dancer, Lola. John Turturro gives a good performance as the sleazy Italian opera singer and Johnny Depp is excellent in the small role of Cesar, the brooding Gypsy horse trainer Suzie falls in love with. Depp is one of those actors who can speak volumes with just a twitch of his cheek muscles. I would add that I thought Suzie/Cesar's love scenes were well-handled. For my money, the most touching moment of the film was when Cesar (Depp) weeps over his sleeping lover (Ricci) whom he knows he will never see again. Ricci, while a competent actress, has very little to do here except look pensive and long-suffering. My advice on the film: rent, but don't buy.


An amalgam of World War II types   November 28, 2005
Larry VanDeSande (Mason, Michigan United States)
17 out of 20 found this review helpful

Who is "The Man Who Cried" and why did he cry? These are the questions you may ask yourself after watching this movie, which ties together loose ends from "The Pianist", "Cabaret" and a lot of other flicks about World War II emigrees.

Rarely does a film with this good a cast -- including Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, a badly miscat John Turturro and Johnny Depp -- come off with less vigor and more questions in the storyline. For instance, what was the father's role in this whole thing and why was the father the focal point at the end?

Briefly stated, the movie is about a Russian Jew separated from her family before the war (Ricci) who is raised in England to become a singer and dancer, befriends a woman in a similiar situation (Blanchett) who together perform in Paris during the time of German occupation in 1940, falls for a striking Magyar (Depp), is announced to the Germans as a Jew by an opera singer (Turturro), and somehow later finds her father to be reunited with her family.

I don't quibble with those that found this film artistic and beautifully produced. However, those attributes do not make a great movie and this one surely lacks greatness. It is an enjoyable foray for a couple hours on a weekend.


Lovely Film   December 11, 2003
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

Absorbing, touching and memorable.
Depp, as ever, is amazing and Ricci is excellent as well (as are the other actors). If you enjoy movies that are romantic yet not sappy, see this one! It also exposes the harsh realities of wartime and its ramifications-- especially the loss of family/identity (and the subsequent yearning to belong to a community). Certainly not a film for those who want a bit of cotton candy with their popcorn. Further, this film is well paced for its storyline.