Goodnight, Vienna

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2004)

There is, in England, a venerable joke based on the schmaltzy musical show, 'Goodnight, Vienna' that was a mega hit way back in the twenties/thirties. After cleaning up in the West End the producer put out several Road companies and anxious to see how they were doing he visited each theatre in turn. Arriving in Stockton he made his way to the theatre and asked the manager how the show was doing. 'About as well as "Goodnight, Stockton" would do in Vienna', came the answer. I find that that story can be adapted to accommodate this terrific movie. Ask one of the Godard pseuds how this movie would do at the LSE and the answer would be about as well as Breathless at a Fred Astaire retrospective. I saw this film on its initial release and marvelled at its lack of pretension and the way it delivered PURE entertainment. Because of a self-imposed rule (I have seen, like most people who visit this site, literally thousands of movies but I won't rely on my memory alone so I wait til I see them again on TV or at a festival or they become available on DVD before posting a comment) I was unable to comment at the time but now, in its wisdom and probably not least because Before Sunset is doing so well, a cinema in London has seen fit to screen Before Sunrise and so I was able to see it again and make the happy discovery that is is just as good as I remember. One of the most impressive things about it is the fact that it is shot in very long takes so that, by definition, the actors have been obliged to learn large chunks of dialogue as opposed to the average film where they may need to learn a couple of sentences at most. Ethan Hawke and the gorgeous Julie Delpy are totally relaxed with each other and give the impression that they're just winging it, saying whatever comes into their heads and occasionally it does sound gauche but mostly it hits exactly the right note. This is a very 'continental' film inasmuch as virtually nothing happens, there are no computer graphics, no sex, no violence, no severed limbs, no peurile jokes, just two people clearly attracted to each other and slowly falling in love as we stop just short of feeling voyeuristic. Impossible to praise too highly and wonder of wonders, the sequel, nine years down the line is just as wonderful. 10/10