Bagdad Cafe

Amazon.com

Actress Marianne Sägebrecht reunites with her Sugarbaby director, Percy Adlon, in this story of a German woman abandoned by her husband in the Mojave desert and taken into a kooky community at a remote café. C.C.H. Pounder (Dr. Angela Hicks on television's ER) gives an atypically unhinged performance as the café owner, and Jack Palance is wonderful as an artist who wants to capture on canvas the beauty he perceives in the rotund Sägebrecht. Adlon's warm but slightly unreal colors give the film a hint of fantasy and time standing still for a life-changing adventure. --Tom Keogh

Description

German writer-director Percy Adlon makes a "remarkable" (Boxoffice) American debut with his "charming" (Vogue) Bagdad Cafe starring Cch Pounder (Face/Off) and Jack Palance(City Slickers). Injecting his bold and unique style into a sweet story about the common threads that connect disparate people, Adlon succeeds in creating a cinematic jewel that is both "hilarious and touching" (Los Angeles Times). Drawn to a pair of lights in the barren American desert sky, a mysterious German woman, Jasmin, stumbles upon a dilapidated motel/diner in the middle of nowhere. Her unusual appearance and demeanor are at first suspicious to Brenda, the exasperated owner who has difficulty making ends meet. But when an unlikely magic sparks between the two women, this lonely desert outpost is transformed into a thrivingand popularoasis.

Customer Reviews:

One of my wife's favorites.......2007-09-11

This was one of the replacement dvds my wife wanted as soon as possible after Katrina.

the Magical German Woman.......2007-08-02

A german woman gets stranded in the middle of Mojave Desert and finds refuge in a small cafe motel establishment, run by a very overpowering black woman who has just chased off her husband and left basically alone with minimal cafe staff, along with the desert locals and her kids. Brenda, the black woman motel owner, has an extremely domineering personality, and a crushed spirit. The german woman, Jasmine, brought to the Bagdad Cafe by a desert freeway illusion, is soon to become Brenda's key to a brighter life. Her foreign embrace of this smalltown American out of nowhere community, is the tune that brings new life to just about everyone she meets. The music soundtrack to this movie could not be more appropriate, in opening credits to the jumpy piano score.
Jasmine, has brought a hobby to the cafe, in a magic box set with instructions to entertain and amuse in the world of illusion. This hobby soon registers with the truck drivers who have bypassed the cafe before, but are willing to stop for a breath of magic. The cafe soon becomes a crowd pleaser with many regulars, and is easily transformed back to the prior doldrums, when Jasmine is forced to leave after investigation of an expired green card. However, this does not keep the magical heroine away for long, as she is soon back to reunite with the now changed Brenda.
This movie packs an emotional punch with the battered beast in all of us, who must learn to survive in a world of spiritual magic, if our wellbeing is to thrive.

Great Movie.......2007-06-14

This movie came in excellent condition and it was a strange movie. It was a gift for my Mom. She loved it. Thanks for helping make her Mother's Day great.

Quirky classic.......2007-05-03

Right from the start you know this something special. Odd camera angles and a couple in a U.S desert speaking German. The man leaves the woman and she walks until she finds a cafe run by a black lady at which she can stay. Thats basically the plot up to the opening credits - I've given absolutely nothing away.

How the film develops from there and the way the characters are interwoven is wonderful. All the actors and actresses give amazing performances including an ageing Jack Palance whose Mr Cox is a real oddball.

The film certainly wasn't a huge commercial success, but commercial success has nothing to with quality. Its difficult to make comparisons with other films because this is a one of a kind, but it has something for everybody. It shouldn't work - but it does!

Seemingly Dysfunctional but with Delightful Developments.......2007-04-07

What starts off as an odd and disturbing story line, with severely dysfunctional relationships, turns into a delightful surprise. The way Bagdad Cafe unfolds, may throw a lot of viewers off the tracks, but eventually delivers a golden promise, with beautifully woven tapestries and cameos of each bizarre character in the story. Jack Palance's role is one of his rare good-guy performances, which displays such strong human affection and tenderness, that it may stand as one of the finest among many in his long career. Thoughtful and provocative, this movie requires an initial bit of patience, but will leave you feeling terrific about the way things finally evolve. A cult classic, a must-see!

Average customer rating:

One of my wife's favorites
the Magical German Woman
Great Movie
Quirky classic
Seemingly Dysfunctional but with Delightful Developments

Bagdad Cafe [Region 2]
Starring: Marianne Sägebrecht , CCH Pounder , Jack Palance , Christine Kaufmann , and Monica Calhoun
Director: Percy Adlon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005UE72