Main Cast: Glenn Close, Niels Arestrup, Erland Josephson, Macha Meril
Release Year: 1991
Country: UK
Run Time: 121 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Meeting Venus is based on a play cowritten by the film's director, Istvan Szabo. Glenn Close plays a celebrated Swedish opera star Karin Anderson who is slated to appear in an internationally-telecast production of Tannhauser. Ms. Anderson balks at the notion of working with obscure Hungarian conductor Zoltan Szanto. The much-anticipated production may never get off the ground, thanks to labor-management difficulties, intramural jealousies, and clashing egos. Admidst all this chaos, the mismatched Anderson and Szanto fall in love. Filmed in Budapest, Meeting Venus was far from a box-office hit thanks in great part to an inadequate advertising campaign; hopefully it will gain the wide audience it deserves on videocassette. (PS: Glenn Close's singing is dubbed by real-life opera luminary Kiri Te Kanawa. We tell you this because the lyp-synching is done so well that you might actually believe that Close is performing those arias herself). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Before tackling the eccentric diva-esque roles of Norma Desmond in the stage version of Sunset Boulevard or Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians, Glenn Close prepared by playing a true diva, opera singer Karin Anderson in Meeting Venus, a fine film that manages to combine both comedic and dramatic elements on a subject which, by public definition, is rather esoteric. Director István Szabó turns up the satire on the world of Grand Opera, and simultaneously pokes fun at what is supposed to be the "European Union." The conductor, played very charmingly by Niels Arestrup, must deal not only with out-of-control egos, but an international cast and the aforementioned diva. The supporting roles are a smorgasbord of European actors, and one can only expect that the difficulties the actors experience in mounting an opera somewhat mirrored Szabó's efforts to produce the film. The casual opera fan can certainly get some enjoyment from the film, but true aficionados will surely get more pleasure from the fine recorded performances of such talents as Kiri Te Kanawa, Rene Kollo, and Håkan Hagegård than they will from the onscreen actors. Close does a credible job but it's hard to believe she isn't just going through the motions. In keeping with it's subject matter, the film does feel a little slow and dragged out at times, but it's a very interesting examination of a world not often brought before the cameras. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide
Johanna ter Steege - Monique Angelo; Maite Nahyr - Maria Krawiecki; Victor Poletti - Stefano Del Sorto; Dieter Laser - Von Binder; Maria de Medeiros - Yvonne; Ildikó Bánsági - Jana; Dorottya Udvaros - Edith; Moscu Alkalay - Jean Gabor; Sandor Altemann - Vogelwind; Manfred Andrae - Eurowood President; Maria Becker - Szanto's Mother; Iren Bordan - Eurowood TV Crew Sound Organizer; André Chaumeau - Etienne Tailleur; Etienne Chicot - Toushkau; Jozsef Csor - 4th French Singer; François Delaive - Thomas; Monteith Douglas - Computer Operator; Eva Ebner - Von Binder's Mother; Zsuzsa Fazekas - Szanto's Daughter-Agnes; Gyorgy Fenyves - 4th Journalist; Jozsef Fonyo - Police Officer-Budapest; Ferenc Gerdesits - 3rd French Singer; Jean Guerbay - French Immigration Officer; Buda Gulyas - Eurowood TV Crew Cameraman; Balazs Hantos - 2nd French Singer; Ferenc Harangozo - 5th Journalist; Kiri Te Kanawa - Karin Anderson (singing); Eszter Karasz - Malgrozeta; Sandor Kecskes - 1st French Singer; Lili Kepes - 3rd Journalist; Istvan Komlos - 1st Orchestra Member; Andras Krepes - 2nd Journalist; Michael Kroecher - Cashier; Marian Labuda - Von Schneider; Lithuanian Ballet Group; Zsuzsa Manyai - Fat Lady from the Chorus; Andras Marton - New 1st Violinist; Laszlo Barany Paal - 5th French Singer; Jeno Pataky - 2nd Violinist; Roberto Pollak - Isaac Partnoi; Fruzsina Pregitzer - Marie France; Johara Racz - Dancer; Pierre Remund - French Police Officer; Jay O. Sanders - Stephen Taylor; Pal Schiffer - 6th Journalist; Rita Scholl - Delfin Van Delf; Brigitte Sy - French Customs Officer-Woman; Sandor Szabo, Sr. - 1st Violinist M Leuchter; Istvan Szilagyi - Stageworker; Gyorgyi Tarjan - 2nd Orchestra Member; Erika Toth - Eurowood TV Crew Director; Karoly Ujlaky - 1st Hotel Receptionist-Budapest; Andras Vamosi - Eurowood TV Crew Sound Engineer; Ivan Verebely - 2nd Hotel Receptionist-Budapest; Sandor Simo - 7th Journalist
Credit
Lorand Javor - Art Director, Uberto Pasolini - Associate Producer, Catherine Leterrier - Costume Designer, István Szabó - Director, Jim Clark - Editor, Attila Kovacs - Production Designer, Lajos Koltai - Cinematographer, Gabrialla Prekop - Producer, David Puttnam - Producer, Michael Hirst - Screenwriter, István Szabó - Screenwriter, Richard Wagner - Featured Music
