The Man Who Cried

Synopsis

The year is 1927. A little Jewish girl Fegele, lives happily with her father, a cantor, and her grandmother in a Russian village. But with the ever-present threat of persecution, her father leaves for America to find work intending to send for his family. Soon after he leaves, violence engulfs the village. Fegele is bundled off with some fleeing villagers who hope to get to America, but she ends up on a boat to England.

Fegele is re-named Suzie, sent to a Christian foster home and to a school where she is forbidden to speak Yiddish but learns to sing. Ten years later she leaves England for Paris, where she becomes a chorus girl and befriends an ambitious blonde Russian dancer, Lola. She starts to save, hoping to earn enough money to pay for her passage to America. Together Lola and Suzie find jobs in the new opera company of impresario Felix Periman.

Suzie falls in love with gypsy horse-handler Cesar, while Lola falls for Dante Dominio, an arrogant Italian opera singer. When the German army invades Paris, Dante, with Lola at his side, immediately collaborates with the Nazis, while Suzie joins Cesar and his band of gypsy musicians.

The Nazis have plans to round up the Jews and Gypsies. When Dante betrays Suzie, Lola decides to leave him. She tells Suzie that she will help them both get out. Suzie wants to stay and fight but Cesar encourages her to leave. Suzie is heartbroken, but eventually agrees.

In the mid-Atlantic, the ship to America is bombed. Suzie is rescued but Lola drowns.

Once in America, Suzie continues her search for her father, which finally leads her to Hollywood.

Details

Year

2001

Type of film

Features

Format

35mm

Director

Sally Potter

Producer

Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Editor

Hervé Shneid

Screenwriter

Sally Potter

Director of Photography

Sacha Vierny

Music

Osvaldo Golijov

Principal Cast

Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Johnny Depp

Genre

Production status

Complete

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Last updated 26th November 2005