Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod (Gloomy Sunday AKA The Piano Player)

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They're coming

- Hello?

- Hello

Mr. Ambassador

It's an honor to welcome you

And a very happy birthday

Thank you

I've often said to my wife

that I must show her Budapest

as long as we are still alive and well

He's been promising that for 50 years

How nice that you've kept the name

I knew Mr. Szabo well

I'm afraid that was before my time

I spent many hours in this restaurant

as a young man

Hopefully not waiting for the food...

And here are your beef rolls

Please play the song

You know, the famous one

It's just like it was

Hans!

- Doctor

- Yes

Make way

That song, it's a curse!

Although it was written for love

For her, sixty years ago

Thank you

Every good restaurant needs a piano

The "Gundel" has a Gypsy band

American tourists think a Hungarian

Restaurant must have Gypsy violins

But if fiddling becomes more important

than goulash, you start neglecting the kitchen

The porkolt Gundel serves these days has

the zoo elephants holding their trunks

The carp in the aquarium would

rather drown than smell it

You should have stayed

with your music

So you could have saved on a pianist

Sh*t!

Hello?

Andras Aradi... I'm here to audition

You're an hour late

We already have a pianist

Let him audition, Laszlo

Please, let him audition.

For me

Thanks

- Can I get you anything else?

- No... thanks very much

Perhaps the gentleman at the piano

could play "Komm Zigan"

When I hear you play,

I regret I stopped singing

You used to sing?

I actually trained

But after two years, I realized

I wasn't good enough for the concert hall

I'm not good enough

for the concert hall either

But you play

I'll play "Komm Zigan" whenever it's requested

I'll get you coffee

A piano should be nice and shiny

But not a suit

Sorry, it's the only one I have

I could start saving for a new one

I can't wait that long

I'll buy you one

If your music makes you rich,

you can pay me back

- Here

- Thank you.

Variation No. 1?

Have you noticed? Our new pianist

has fallen under your spell, too

What do you mean, "too"?

Who else has fallen for me?

I can think of a few...

Variation No. 2...

One who's so enthralled... he'd like it best

If you always bathed in his tub

I like things just the way they are

Come, scrub my back

Is that my back?

I can't help it, it's the soap...

It's so slippery

For the German. Table 7

You know what he calls our

Magyar roulade? "Beef roll."

Him again?

You're a blessing for business

He eats his 'beef roll' here every day

because you bring them

Then let him have them

before they get cold

Look, the new small format camera

from Leica

The newest innovation from Germany

See, the film is only 35mm wide and fits

in this little cartridge

The most amazing thing is the

split-image rangefinder

Right now I see two of you,

Miss llona

Now the images are

moving toward each other

When there's only one image,

you're in focus

Good German craftsmanship

Your beef roll is getting cold

Angels don't get older, but they

have birthdays all the same

So they can sip champagne

All the best to you on your birthday,

my angel

How beautiful!

Because every day with you

is like getting flowers

To llona!

To llona!

To Miss llona!

Thank you!

I don't really have anything,

just a little melody

It's not quite finished yet,

but it's just for you

Hands off the piano!

I only wanted to serenade

Miss lloan, too

Our customers can do as they like...

except enter the kitchen, or touch the piano

The melody is so touching

Is it really your own?

Yes

You actually wrote it yourself?

Yes, Mr. Szabo

Then you must play it every evening

No royalties!

Miss llona, forgive me...

Wieck. Hans-Eberhard Wieck

This is my last night in Budapest

I wouldn't ask,

but for a strange coincidence

Today is my birthday, too!

Since fate binds us to each other

I wonder if I might photograph you

- Of coures

- Here by the piano?

Goodbye, Mr. Wieck,

a safe journey home

Goodbye

- Which way are you headed?

- To the Hotel Duna

Then we'll keep you company a bit

Mr. Aradi, your piece is wonderful

Do you have a title for it?

Yes, it's called "Gloomy Sunday"

What do you think?

A little melancholy, but pretty

We should record it

With the title gold on red on the label

Miss llona,

Would you be my wife?

What, right now?

Come with me to Berlin

It's the most exciting place on Earth

Germany has awoken

And it's time you went off to sleep

I've started my own company I'm going to

export German craftsmanship all over the world

I'll create the biggest import-export

company in Germany... just for you

I'm sorry I laughed

Miss llona, I love you

Please... marry me

No

I go this way...

Good night!

Good night, sleep well

Good night. And thank you

Good night

He wrote you a lovely song

I told you he'd fallen for you

And I for him, a bit

Don't worry about me

I've always said

everyone must be free to decide

I'll just keep walking.

That will make it easier for you to decide

It's a strange song

As if someone were saying something

you don't want to hear

But deep inside you know

it's the truth

I have to go now

Herr wieck! Herr Wieck!

Heartache is a terrible thing. I know

You must try and think

of the good things in life

Our Magyar roulade, for instance!

The beef roll you love so much!

Do you want to know the recipe?

You cut a nice tender fillet into thin slices

then you melt butter in the pan

Just as the butter starts to release

its aroma, add a garlic clove

But whole!

So the butter gets just a mild touch of garlic

Then add the fillets, and saute

Do you remember the filling?

Ham...

Good Hungarian ham and cheese,

sliced very thin

And then, when you cut

a slice from the roulade...

Your tongue is tantalized by

three separate tastes

They are so different,

and go so well together...

that with the next bite, you'll be sure

and have all three on the fork

Ham and cheese. It was good

Budapest-Berlin Express ready

for departure form Track 1

That'll be the right one

Laszlo...

Don't say anything. Come on

You, and your beef rolls

have given me back my life

I'll never forget it

Saving someone else from drowning was the best

thing that could have happened to me last night

I'll get you back for that

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth

A blind and toothless restaurateur

would be pretty useless

The same goes for import-exporters!

You're right

Survival of the fittest

That's not what I meant. Darwin's animal

theories don't have to apply to us

Animals behave like animals,

people behave like people

Or at least, they should

We'll meet again

Don't tell llona

I jumped into the Danube

Sleep well?

Good morning

I borrowed some sugar

- I thought you'd like some in your coffee

- Yes

The portfolio is from my

conservatory professor

It was a parting gift

"It's a poor pupil who doesn't

overtake his master"

He was convinced that one day

I would be a famous composer

He was wrong

You might still be, one day

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