Bagdad Cafe
"There's nothing too tragic 'cause it's all about magic..."

Bagdad Cafe is the story of a sleepy southwestern roadside cafe and the odd collection of characters who live, eat and visit there, and whose lives are changed forever when a female German tourist gets abandoned on nearby Route 66 by her husband and ends up deciding to stay there. And that's it. No big plot, no complex detail, just a sweet little film following the transformation of all the characters' lives for the better by the German woman's presence.

Which is what makes it so wonderful. The lyrical poetry of the characters' development is breath-taking, and when combined with poignent music and simple yet telling images it creates an ambience of hope and wonder that is truely beautiful. The sound of the proprietor's son playing Bach's Study No 1 in C Major from 'The Well-Tempered Clavier', the tattoo artist who on leaving tells all those begging her to stay that 'it's just too nice around here!', the sepia quality of the earlier shots gradually turning clearer and sharper...there are too many wonderful moments to be described here and all I can say to do it justice is go out and see it, it's so good I can get high just watching this film.

Ironically, there really *is* a Bagdad Cafe and it was used as the location for the film. It's located somewhere between LA and Las Vegas, just off the mystical Route 66, and the picture left is of the place in question. It is described by 'La Plume Noir' as "a homey, greasy spoon kind of place with an earthy feel" and now I know of its existence I plan to visit it one day.

(Please note, all pictures displayed here are not mine are used without permission of their owners because I'm recommending that you go out and rent/see/buy a copy of this film, thus increasing their profits. The photo of the actual cafe is copyright Fred Thom and also used without permission, so should Mr Thom or anyone else who owns these images disapprove, please can they mail me and I'll remove them.)

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[Clerks] [Bagdad Cafe] [The Usual Suspects] [The Hudsucker Proxy] [Casablanca] [The Frighteners] [Scream]
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