Long Hello and Short Goodbye
Encyclopedia
Long Hello and Short Goodbye is a 1999
German
crime film
produced by Studio Hamburg Letterbox Filmproduktion and co-authored by Jeff Vintar
and Martin Rauhaus.
The film features a recently-released safe-cracker named Ben, and an undercover police agent named Melody. Melody's job is to dupe Ben into another job so that he can be put away once more by her sinister and ambitious boss Kahnitz. But complications arise when the talkative cop falls for the taciturn gangster.
The original American screenplay by Jeff Vintar featured a complex neo-noir flashback structure that centered around the seemingly dead characters littering the bloody floor of a fancy apartment. As the story progresses, we find out that some of these dead people are not dead at all, more are hiding in the closet, and slowly the pieces of the puzzle come together in classic film noir fashion, but with a distinctly modern edge. The producers of the German film got cold feet shortly before the movie's release, and re-edited the film as a linear story, diluting its effect and polarizing critics and audience members alike, although it remains a cult favorite among noir buffs, and received a positive review in Variety that predicted the film would play in broad-minded festivals around the world, where genre fans should lap it up.
An English-language version of Vintar's original screenplay has struggled to reach the screen for many years, under a variety of producers and production companies, making his script almost perpetually under option. One incarnation had Gustavo Mosquera (Moebius) directing, with Face/Off director John Woo
and his partner Terence Chang
producing under their Lion Rock banner. The screenplay is currently being developed by the production company Circle of Confusion
.
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
German
Cinema of Germany
Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film.Unlike any other national cinemas, which developed in the context of relatively continuous and stable political systems, Germany witnesses major changes to its...
crime film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
produced by Studio Hamburg Letterbox Filmproduktion and co-authored by Jeff Vintar
Jeff Vintar
Jeff Vintar is an American screenwriter. He is best known for his original screenplay, Hardwired, which became the basis for I, Robot. He attended the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop where he completed his thesis of short stories, including The Big Oops, Opportunity Community Goes to the...
and Martin Rauhaus.
The film features a recently-released safe-cracker named Ben, and an undercover police agent named Melody. Melody's job is to dupe Ben into another job so that he can be put away once more by her sinister and ambitious boss Kahnitz. But complications arise when the talkative cop falls for the taciturn gangster.
The original American screenplay by Jeff Vintar featured a complex neo-noir flashback structure that centered around the seemingly dead characters littering the bloody floor of a fancy apartment. As the story progresses, we find out that some of these dead people are not dead at all, more are hiding in the closet, and slowly the pieces of the puzzle come together in classic film noir fashion, but with a distinctly modern edge. The producers of the German film got cold feet shortly before the movie's release, and re-edited the film as a linear story, diluting its effect and polarizing critics and audience members alike, although it remains a cult favorite among noir buffs, and received a positive review in Variety that predicted the film would play in broad-minded festivals around the world, where genre fans should lap it up.
An English-language version of Vintar's original screenplay has struggled to reach the screen for many years, under a variety of producers and production companies, making his script almost perpetually under option. One incarnation had Gustavo Mosquera (Moebius) directing, with Face/Off director John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
and his partner Terence Chang
Terence Chang
Terence Chang Chia-Chen is a Hong Kong and American film producer.-Career:Chang is one of John Woo's long time friends and favoured producers...
producing under their Lion Rock banner. The screenplay is currently being developed by the production company Circle of Confusion
Circle of confusion
In optics, a circle of confusion is an optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source...
.
Cast
- Nicolette KrebitzNicolette KrebitzNicolette Krebitz is a director, actress, model and singer. She is often credited as "Coco" in her creative works.-Life and work:Nicolette Krebitz made her film debut at age eleven...
as Melody - Marc Hosemann as Ben
- Sunnyi MellesSunnyi MellesSunnyi Melles is a German actress.-External links:*...
as Aurelia - Axel Milberg as Percy
- Dietrich Hollinderbäumer as Kahnitz
- Martin Glade as Dennis
- Katja RiemannKatja RiemannKatja Hannchen Leni Riemann is a German actress.- Life and work :Born as the daughter of two teachers, Katja Riemann spent her childhood in Weyhe, near Bremen. After high school she went to Hamburg to study music and theater...
as Ida - Hannelore HogerHannelore HogerHannelore Hoger is a German actress and director.- External links :...
as Therapeutin/Therapist - Stefan Kurt as Arzt/Doctor
- Albert Kitzl as Dealer
- Gustav-Peter Wöhler as Verkäufer/Salesman
- Michael Benthin as Rezeptionist/Receptionist
- Eva Kryll as Sachbearbeiterin/Case Worker
- Jimmy Yassa-Campos as Tresenmann/Barkeeper
- Atto Suttarp as Pizzamann/Pizza Man