Bagdad Cafe

Bagdad Cafe - 2004-05-12 Director: Percy Adlon Cast: Jack Palance Germany, 1988, Color, 91 minutes This unconventional comedy is not about the city of Baghdad, but rather the story of a cafe that bears the name Baghdad. The Bagdad Cafe is a ramshackle building located in the desert outside one of the southwestern cities of the United States, which is in a dilapidated state. However, when a German woman named 'Jasmin' steps into the cafe, the atmosphere of the cafe changes dramatically. Jasmin, who has left her husband for good, is in search of a new life that has brought her to this cafe. She brings a miracle with her to the cafe, reviving it from its abandoned state and breathing new life into it. From the very beginning, she ties on an apron, takes a broom in hand, sweeps the restaurant floor, and tends to the walls and chairs, gradually revitalizing the Bagdad Cafe. The German director of the film actually aimed to subvert the American myth of the 'land of dreams' and show that even this land of dreams requires the attention of a lively being from old and worn Europe to have any appeal. Although I disagree with the philosophical underpinning of the film, I enjoyed the characters and the humorous tone of the film.