Bagdad Cafe

This is an eclectic art film that makes you feel good. Not everyone will love it. Some will hate it. If you're into films that make you think, this one's for you.

I saw this picture some years ago but bought it recently when I was looking for a resource to use as a source of discussion and inspiration for a group of school principals on Retreat. My review, therefore, is going to have a spiritual squint to it. In the end, I chose to use another movie but loved renewing my acquaintance with the improbable cast of characters at the Bagdad Cafe.Some viewers will find this picture slow and even repetitive. As one of my students at school would say, "How can you watch a movie in which there are no car chases and on one takes off their pants!" What it loses in kinetic oomph, however, Baghdad Cafe makes up for in whimsy, charm and shrewd insight into human nature. The casting is inspired. CCH Pounder plays the febrile, desperately unhappy Brenda running the Cafe in the desert; Marianne Sagebrecht is perfect as Jasmin, the frumpy German tourist dumped on the highway who walks into the cafe and brings the lost souls washed up there to life. Jack Palance plays an aging Hollywood screen painter who lives in a trailer and who finds his muse in the unlikely Jasmin.This is a deeply spiritual story. In a sense it is a retelling of Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. The lifeless bones of the broken spirits of the Cafe take flesh and grow again. There are hints of the Gospel stories of resurrection and cleansing from demon possession. Each of the characters grows and changes for the good. We see reconciliation and the cardinal values promised by Saint Paul: Faith, Love and [especially] Hope. The feel good ending is not quite satisfying but the whole movie has that beautiful feeling that makes a picture like Casablanca so rich: these are characters coming to the good. It's great to be able to watch a film that makes you proud to be human being instead of ashamed.

I can tell this movie is near and dear to manys' hearts. I love this movie as well for its simplicity and caring ways in telling about the true meaning of friendship and belonging. CCH Pounder and Marianne Sagebrect pretty much mirror each others' characters, Brenda and Yasmine. Both women in dire situation, Brenda stuck in the Mojave Desert with two teenage kids, a grandbaby and a pretty useless husband. And the German tourist, Yasmine just stuck in the dessert after having a disaggrement with her husband: Las Vegas vs Disneyland. These and other characters sort of whirl around in this desolate place with the sand and solitude. The movie ofcourse is peppered with dessert eccentrics like Jack Palace, ex-Hollywood set painter lusting over the volumptous Yasmine, a skinny, whiteboy backpacker, and many others that sort of walk into the movie. What makes this movie special is the director's ability to weave each characters' lives into each other, into their sorrounding, into their own longings. I love the theme music constantly being played "I'm calling you," I guess in many this is what this movie is all about, a Calling for someone to understand and be your friend unconditionally, that true genuine friendships can cross racial, social and cultural barriers. I love this movie, and I know some people might not get it, too bad. The missing star is for the lack of DVD extras, it would have been nice to know about the actors experience in the making of this movie.

Nowhere on the product page Bagdad Cafe [DVD] [2018] does it say it is Region 2. Disappointing to order and have to return.

Quirky but not quirky for its own sake. Lovely.

Bagdad Cafe [DVD]: As a frequent visitor to the Mojave Desert I had to buy this after finding a geocache in the parking lot of the 'real' Bagdad Cafe on Route 66. There were no issues with the packaging or disc. I'm glad to have it in my Mojave themed collection.

I saw this movie back in the late 1980s with my wife. I remembered it as a poignant and somewhat funny or clever look at different peoples. Today, it still has that poignance and the same funny, quirky dialect. But there was more depth and more levels in today's viewing than in the old days. No doubt this is due to the aging, of both me and the movie. But it's still a beautiful review of different but good souls who do their best and find some grace and acceptance because of it. Get your popcorn ready. You'll like this one.

Wonderful little story and Marianne Sägebrecht better than ever.

Magnifique et magique ce film.Tellement bien représenté dans l' amitié et l' amour !

Dvd d un film culte

Delivered on time. The film was entertaining.

Pour se rappeler que ce film et cette bande son ,resteront super 👍

I live in the High Desert of the Antelope Valley California (only 120 miles from Newberry CA) so, I had to purchase a Region Free Blu ray player - which I did about 2 years ago to allow me to watch Region B Blu rays.We've had the DVD version of Bagdad Cafe in Region-1 which is still pretty good but... WOW! was I excitingly surprised by this new Blu ray version by Studio Canal and a 4K Restoration supervised and approved by Director Percy Adlon.First, there is additional footage in numerous scenes that were not included on the DVD version which makes the film even more interesting and deep. Second, the visuals tighten up tremendously being scanned at 4K resolution. Black levels are wonderful and yet still allow the textures to be seen within them. The sharpness of the images are almost 3D. Third, the surreal yellow filters that Percy Adlon and cinematographer Bernd Heinl use are now unmistakable and... we find out in the Special Feature: The Trip to Bagdad (24 minutes) - that this was intentional and based upon the drawings of the desert in the paintings of Salvador Dali as inspiration.Fourth, the DTS HD MA 2-channel Stereo was fed into my Denon A/V receiver and translated into Dolby Digital Surround which sounded wonderful using the 7.1 configuration. Now... the scenes of the 'magic', singing and dancing within the cafe are rendered with power and clarity. Dialog is up front but not over powering in the center channel.I'm usually not into Special Features but, I would recommend that everyone watch The Trip to Bagdad if... you're a fan of the movie - it was well worth the time and I just grinned and laughed along with Percy, Eleonore and their three daughters the whole way though! The daughters are very insightful and funny... there is one instance where Mr. Adlon and his daughters are walking on the foundations of the building that used to be the 'SideWinder'/Bagdad Cafe and one of the girls turns to him and says 'So, the owner just smashed the place to pieces and tore it down??!' and Mr. Adlon anwers 'Yes' to which the daughter replies 'IDIOT!'. Idiot indeed! I was so happy for the Adlon's to be included in the Cannes Classic festival - this film is... MAGICAL!!