*May Be Spoilers*

Jessica Lange has always been one of my top favorite actresses. Apart from being beautiful, she has the ability to make even dull characters seem vibrant, due to the fact that she usually just seems so fresh, unstudied, flexible. When you pair her up with a more demanding role or intriguing character, the results can be even better. Case in point is the part she plays in "Music Box": Ann Talbot, a single mother of one who happens to be an attorney. She is a woman who smiles or laughs when she's nervous or embarassed, always seems to be searching and scanning people's faces with her eyes, mentally interpreting everything they say and forming quick decisions and rebuttals. She also can "sneak up on you and clobber you", like in the brilliant, deceptive dinner conversation with Frederic Forrest that turns ugly. (You'll just have to see it, trust me.)



Lange seems to effortlessly tune us in to all the nooks and crannies of Ann's personality, which in turn makes us riveted in the emotional scenes of the film because we feel like we're seeing an actual person who we know and care about in such dramatic circumstances.



Armin Mueller-Stahl lends credible support as Laszlo, but this is Jessica's show pretty much all the way; we don't really know him at all as a character because the script gives him little to do, probably in an effort to make us not really know whether he's guilty or not -- until the end, of course. Frederic Forrest has the best moments apart from Lange as the prosecuting attorney who often resorts to typical arrogant machismo or petulance to prove his points, although the character also feels somewhat one-sided.



You can tell the film is Gravas's work, due to the political overtones and a small-group-of-people-working-together-to . . .-type plot. Technically well made and never dull, often rewarding, but that's due to the acting. I suspect with lesser actors involved it could have been rather bland. Kudos to the casting director.



See it if you're looking for a solid courtroom drama with standout performances, or if you're a fan of Lange, who gets to speak some Hungarian in the film as well -- impressive job again, Jessica!

My rating: 8/10

Jessica Lange should have been nominated for and won the Oscar as early as 1989 for this film. Beyond the superb acting of Lange and her supporting cast, however, the importance of this production is that it focuses on the little known truth that other European nationalities, in this case quite a lot of Hungarians, participated in the persecution of the Jews during and even long before the Nazi domination of Europe. Nazi sympathizers and material supporters were to be found in practically all countries of Europe, including Great Britain where prominent industrialists and even members of the Royal Family were known to promote that odious ideology. After all, England, was the first European country to expel Jews by royal legal edict in 1290. And, during the holocaust years, we now know that Ukrainian, Croatian, Hungarian, Austrian and other European peoples had their own pro-Nazi organizations that actively facilitated the deportation and extermination of the Jews.

After Germany's defeat, many Nazi criminals fled to countries all over the world including the United States. Some of them even posed as Jewish refugees. In this movie, SPOILER: the father of the character played by Lange curried the favor of US authorities by being a rabid anti-communist who went out of his way to demonstrate at cultural events sponsored by the Soviet Union. He wasn't play acting as indeed Nazis and their sympathizers were logically anti-communist. His motive, however, was to avoid being repatriated to Hungary where he was wanted for war crimes.

A thought-provoking and intelligent film dealing with brooding and interesting deeds. The picture blends courtroom thriller, political post-boiler and domestic melodrama. It revolves around an advocate at law, Jessica Lange, defending her father , a too quiet Armin Mueller Stahl, of being a Hungarian war criminal, accused to commit grisly massacres in Hungary. The allegedly good father is a retired Hungarian blue-collar living in Chicago these last 37 years and is today framed of being head of a Hungary Special Section, a death squadron under Nazi supervision . If she loses, her daddy faces deportation charges, and then juzged at Hungary by a strict and expeditive criminal court . As the case progresses, she must struggle to remain objective, but things go wrong.

Very fine drama with emotion, suspense, intrigue and a curiously impactanting finale. This thoughtful film provides a series of portrayals of some ethnic roles who result to be highly convincing. Awesome interpretation from Jessica Lange as the obstinate solicitor who comes to terms with the possibility his dad is culprit and adequate acting by Armin Mueller Stahl as the accused father who faces extradition counts . Most of the other interpretations are fine, as Donald Moffat, Frederic Forest as the prosecutor attorney, Cheryl Bruce, Michael Rooker as lawyer's boyfriend and a little boy, Lukas Hass, in spite his age he gives one of the best performances.

It contains an evocative and sensitive musical score by Philippe Sarde, including Hungarian and ethnic sounds. As well as atmospheric and appropriate cinematography by Patrick Blossier, being shot on location in Chicago and Budapest, Hungary . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Constantin Costa Gavras. He is a veteran filmmaker with a long career, nowadays, he's directing still, including several provoking, political and engaging movies, such as : Z, State of siege, The confession, The sleeping car murders, Missing, Hanna K, Conseil de Familie, Betrayed, Mad city, Amen, The axe, among others. Rating 8/10. Above average. Essential and indispensable seeing. Well worth watching.