“AMERICAN RHAPSODY” is that rare film which is emotionally stirring at times, poignant, yet never succumbing to sentimentality.  Natassja Kinski and Tony Goldwyn star as young parents fleeing Communist Hungary in the 1950s.  Upon fleeing to Los Angeles, they believe they’ve found their Utopia.  Unfortunately, they’ve had to leave their daughter behind with another family for their escape.  When the film jumps ahead six years later, they’ve finally managed to get Suzanne out as well.  Still, Suzanne has a yearning to go back and visit the family that raised her as well as the country she thinks of as home. She takes a journey of rediscovery, making up a good portion of the film.  Based on the real-life of writer/director Eve Gardos, the story is involving.  The earlier scenes involving the escape from Hungary rank up with the best suspense films of the past few decades.  Gardos also allows us to empathize with her characters, again, without resorting to sentimentality.  Young actress Scarlett Johansson(Ghost World,Man Who Wasn’t There) is outstanding as Suzanne.  Equally impressive are Nastassja Kinski and Tony Goldwyn as the parents.  The only disappointment lies in the film’s ending, which just leaves the viewer feeling more drained than they should.

 PARAMOUNT has preserved the film’s 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 16:9 enhancement.  The image is slick and well-polished, although there is some infrequent grain present.  Colors are generally solid. Fleshtones appear natural throughout. The contrast is decent, and blacks and grays are discernible. Not as sharp a transfer as we hoped for, but decent enough considering the film’s low budget limitations.

 The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundmix is much more aggressive than we could have anticipated.  The front soundstage is extremely active throughout, and there are a number of surround moments, as well as LFE effects.  It really adds a great deal of impact to the film,  helping to raise it above its modest budget into something that plays more like a sweeping “mini-epic”!

 Eva Gardos provides a running commentary along with producer/actress Colleen Camp. Their struggle to get the modest(and we mean “modest”) budget is interesting, as are their stories about the production, casting, and the filmmaking process. Gardos’ struggles and convictions should serve as an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers!

The theatrical trailer is presented with 16:9 enhancement.