meeting venus
meeting venus
uses an international opera production as a way of showing them all in collision .
meeting venus has all that is required in a great dramatic opera, but has one thing that most dramatic operas don' t, real humour .
david puttnam (chariots of fire) produces, istva? n szabo? (mephisto) directs and dame kiri te kanawa' s singing voice adorns this comedy of life, love, art and happiness - pursued not in that order but all at once. romantic comedy at its finest, meeting venus is destined for curtain calls !
i imagine that if grand opera were really like this, there would not be any of it. on the other hand, productions and whole seasons are lost because of labor disputes, and the realism of
meeting venus
begins to shade over into the satire of
this is spinal tap
in the sequence where the right union man cannot be found to press the button to raise the curtain .
although
meeting venus
which opens today at the fine arts and takes it title from the character in
tannhauser ,
is steeped in the refined atmosphere of grand opera, its conception of artistic ferment recalls other backstage films about other realms, like francois truffaut' s
day for night
and bob fosse' s
all that jazz .
the characters' various romances, rivalries and insecurities are skillfully coaxed toward a creative triumph, while the film maker also takes time to savor the human comedy at hand. istvan szabo, the director of
mephisto
and
colonel redl ,
may not match truffaut' s subtle wit or fosse' s galvanizing energy, but he has a wry, bemused outlook that keeps
meeting venus
on track. and this film' s heightened political outlook gives it an added dimension .
any film which bills itself, as indeed this one does, as being about life, love, music and the chaotic pursuit of happiness!  deserves to be given the widest possible berth in the interest of preserving good taste alone. that particular option being closed to this reviewer, it is an enormous relief to report that meeting venus is actually really rather an entertaining, if somewhat low - key melodrama and a good deal less saccharine than its aforementioned blurb would suggest .
behind the scenes in the elegant world of grand opera, there is at least as much scheming, flirting and back - stabbing as there is anywhere else. that is the message of
meeting venus ,
a thoroughly enjoyable backstage drama that also functions as a political parable, since the opera company under consideration is a hotbed of prickly national stereotypes .
this is the opera europa ,
one member of the film' s large international cast explains .
here you can be misunderstood in six different languages .
there is also a seventh: the language of love .
the version of tannhäuser that can be heard in the movie is performed by kiri te kanawa as elisabeth, rené kollo as tannhäuser, håkan hagegård as wolfram von eschenbach and waltraud meier as venus with the london philharmonia orchestra conducted by marek janowski. the composer david bedford provided extra orchestrations and music for the film .
meeting venus
has musical credits that are at least as critical as its dramatic ones, since much of the film' s appeal lies in the musical backdrop for its story. most notable are kiri te kanawa, whose voice is heard as karin anderson' s, and the philharmonia orchestra of london, which provides accompaniment. in this film' s opening scenes, actors playing orchestra members are seen scratching their backs with bows and flying paper airplanes, which contributes to the air of casualness that is gradually banished as the production takes shape. by the time of the film' s stirring ending, it' s clear that each of these incidents, no matter how small, has played a role in shaping an opening night' s triumph .
when this movie was released in german movie theaters i was very compelled. glenn close as the famous swedish soprano and niels arestrup (i never caught any movies with him after
meeting venus
and wonder what he' s doing now ?) as the talented conductor preparing
tannhaeuser
by wagner are very convincing in their roles. glenn close has her usual running through the rain scene like in
fatal attraction
:). since 2000 i was waiting for this gem to be released on dvd and wonder why it took 20 years? i' m glad i can erase it from my long wish list of movies that are still not out on dvd. it was about time... for me it has passed the test of time. very recommendable for lovers of classical music and close & arestrup fans. 5 stars .
szanto' s characters are universally beautifully observed  particularly the outrageous maite nahyr, playing venus like a loveable cross between divine and roseanne barr on speed  and  check out those screen credits  theres barely an american name between them. arestrup, making his debut in an international film, easily holds his own against close  reprising fatal attraction hysteria to devastating effect  and even manages a tearful close - up, which is presumably okay for a chap of the hot - blooded eastern european kind .
he also might have remembered his first meeting with susan where he first saw the globe - she was the one true love in his life (in the words of the el rancho nightclub waiter :
why,' til he died, she' d just as soon talk about mr. kane as about anybody
). she wasn' t impressed by his wealth - and they experienced a loving relationship until his tyrannical demands led her to abandon him. she left to prove that she could act independently of him (in her own words :
i can' t do this to you? oh, yes i can
). he died an old man, friendless, loveless, but wealthy and able to buy susan' s love, but not truly invested in her. his power and wealth were unable to halt his decline - his crusade to be a trust - busting champion of the people faltered amidst storehouses of wealth and opulence .
in the film' s conclusion, thompson is joined by other newsreel people who have gathered at the estate. as they talk, they walk through the enormous warehouse stacked with crates, furniture, and other possessions. an amazing crane shot tracks their progress through the boxes and statues that are being inventoried (and worth
millions - if anybody wants it
). various objects (
junk
as well as
art
) are identified that kane collected (
never threw... away
): a 4th century venus (
$ 25, 000 bucks. that' s a lot of money to pay for a dame without a head
), the welcome back cup, one stove from the colorado estate sale of mary kane' s properties (
value two dollars
), susan' s jigsaw puzzles (
we' ve got a lot of those
), a burmese temple and three spanish ceilings down the hall, and more worldly goods. [ in the entourage that follows along, one glimpses the figure of a hat - wearing man smoking a cigar - future star alan ladd, in his film debut. ]
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a deliciously biting satire about both the world of grand opera and united europe. a hungarian conductor (arestrup) attempts to mount a bold new production of richard wagner' s
tannhäuser
... see full summary »
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a deliciously biting satire about both the world of grand opera and united europe. a hungarian conductor (arestrup) attempts to mount a bold new production of richard wagner' s
tannhäuser
while navigating the snares and pitfalls of artistic egos, rampant nationalism, internal company and union politics, and precarious funding .
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basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him. riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you. …
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as the new europe edges uncertainly toward its future, the parts uneasily eye the whole. there are not only the obvious problems of language and culture, but also ideas about work and love and art .
the story takes place in paris, where a new production of
tannheuser
is contemplated. the conductor (niels arestrup) is from hungary. the diva (glenn close) is a temperamental superstar from sweden. the baritone is a rotund east german who thinks mostly about obtaining hard currency to use in his auto - painting business. when his voice fails, his substitute is an insipid american who is constantly reminded of how things were done differently, and better, in previous productions he has been involved in .
and then there are, of course, the musicians, and the members of the chorus, and the stagehands and electricians and painters and property masters, all members of unions that are ferociously protective of their contracts. and in the front office, management tries to keep everyone happy by taking no clear position on anything .
the position of the hungarian conductor must have been inspired in some ways by the position of this film' s director, istvan szabo. he is the leading contemporary hungarian director (with credits such as the superb
mephisto
), but now, with the collapse of state subsidies and the opening of eastern europe, he, like his character, must learn (in the words of robert altman) to fiddle on the corner where the quarters are .
in the film, the director tries vainly to keep everybody happy all of the time, and finds that his duties apparently include an affair with glenn close, who is quite sincere and actually very touching during their sweet little love affair, although eventually he, and we, begin to speculate that this is not the first time this diva has gone to bed with her conductor .
there are dozens of major and minor characters in the film, and szabo juggles them artfully, telling some of their stories and transient flirtations in asides and background action. meanwhile, the conductor, who is married, finds himself back in budapest with his wife and his new mistress both at the same time, and the messiness of reality begins to interfere with the unreal backstage world of the opera .
the music in the film is of a high level (close is dubbed by kiri te kanawa), but there is not very much of it, and indeed we see little of
tannheuser .
that isn' t the point. the point may be that opera, with all of its romance and coincidence, cannot approach the absurdity of life. or it may be that through art europe must find its common destiny. if that is so, szabo seems to argue, it will not be an easy task .
an interview with terry gilliam, director of
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better at the edges than the center - - the story is weak, but there are wonderfully vivid, wise, and witty moments and some insight into the multi - cultural challenges of a huge musical undertaking .
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everything is set for the rehearsal. nothing can go wrong. then, in the grandest of entrances, she walks in. she is international star karin anderson (glenn close). her arrival adds to conductor zoltan szanto' s daily damage control within opera europa (
where you can be misunderstood in six different languages
). she and the married maestro soon begin a passionate affair. life may imitate art. but love and the lunacy it inspires have no rehearsals. karin and frazzled zoltan (niels arestrup) must figure things out as they go .
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after searching for over 15 years, finally locating the dvd 5 years ago only to find it inexplicably would play on everyone' s unit except mine, it was simply wonderful to try again with this new version which does work on my player. the movie is one of my favorites, bringing laughter, beautifully thrilling music, and tears of joy to me. i' m sure it will do the same for anyone who appreciates theater, especially musical theater, and most especially opera. with all the backstage problems and backbiting to overcome, it' s a miracle that any theater company manages to mount a production, much less an exhilarating and awe - inspiring production such as the one that closes this film .
i ordered this movie because it was the first one my boyfriend and i saw together when we first went dating, so it has sentimental value for me. i remembered the movie to be special, with dry humor yet entertaining and so romantic, that i wanted it to be part of my treasured dvd collection. apart from that glenn close is amazing in her role! i recommend it especially for the opera fans .
having seen this movie and raving about it years ago (rented from blockbuster). i was surprised when attempting to purchase, it was unavailable. but i kept checking up on amazon and was thrilled when weeks later it was for sale. everyone expects drama from opera but an adult comedy, with the supreme glenn close the most glorious music of wagner (in bits and pieces so even the most operaphobic could tolerate) and dame kiri te kanawa, surprisingly handling the music with flair (she is not known as a wagnerian) combine into a delightful human comedy for music - lovers, film - lovers and glenn close - lovers .
for classical music fans this film is an absolute delight, but even if you are not into opera you will love it. it is a great and complicated love story between a diva and a conductor. the film is also a wonderfully drawn vignette of the cultural clashes and ego - battles that accompany the birth of a great opera production. when i first read about the movie i had trouble seeing glenn close in the role of an opera diva, but she does a marvelous job, and her lip - synching to the absolutely divine soundtrack of kiri te kanawa is really pretty good. her counterpart nils arestrup does a wonderful job as well, playing the introvert, yet passionate conductor, for whom the whole paris opera experience is alien and strange in more than one way. the soundbites from wagner' s tannhaeuser are well - picked and enchanting. some people may find the overall storyline predictable, but that does not take away from the overall very high quality of this movie
one of my favorite movies of all time! ok, so i' m an opera singer and know each and every one of the types portrayed here, including the long - suffering conductor who is a dead ringer in every way to the first conductor i worked with professionally. but even if you aren' t you' ll love it too. and it' s topical, too! a may 2013 production of tannhäuser in düsseldorf was just almost cancelled for its nazi themes, though there' s just the one such ballet scene in the film .
i wanted to see a film with classical music and the world of musicians as a main theme and got what i wanted. well - acted, a bit quirky, solid drama .
glenn close should have received an oscar for this performance. the rest of the cast is also terrific. very involving story .
the music is sublime, as are the real voices. the acting, first class. the story: hilarious - - the first time eurotrash opera has been illuminated as comedy. too true to be good !
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glenn close, lofty and radiant as a world - famous swedish diva, makes a perfect centerpiece for the film' s romantic intrigues, which constantly threaten to upstage the production of wagner' s
tannhauser
that is in the works. as karin anderson, she makes a spectacularly nonchalant grand entrance by arriving late at the paris opera house where rehearsals have begun and by offering genteelly effusive greetings to everyone except the conductor, zoltan szanto (niels arestrup), who gets a dirty look .
every bit the prima donna, karin is feeling spiteful over remarks she thinks zoltan made regarding her age, sexual preference and general operatic talent. zoltan, for his part, is almost too busy to notice, because he is being slyly pursued by most of the young women in the company and because he has a wife and daughter back home in budapest .
dear edith, everything moves so slowly here, apparently due to democracy ,
he writes in one of his many letters home, letters that grow less and less candid as events in paris begin to set off sparks .
i cannot mix up my work with my private life ,
zoltan eventually declares during an afternoon tryst in karin' s hotel room. and both of them burst into giggles at that .
is it my face that irritates them or just the stale smell of eastern europe ?
zoltan wonders, as his passport is too closely examined by french officials in the film' s plain, almost pedestrian opening scenes. in this way, mr. szabo' s characters constantly combine personal and political attributes, even when - - especially when - - they are reduced to the level of calling one another names. resorting to crude national stereotypes takes on the quality of caricature, as do various arguments about the fate of european communism, arguments that inevitably go nowhere. from the company director with a socialist past to the short, stocky tannhauser, who is accused of
german aggressiveness
by a colleague, those in the film wear their national or political identity on their sleeves .
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there are also more than enough eccentricities to go around, from the huge, amorous, spaghetti - loving diva who is karin' s co - star to the debonair, balding office assistant whose exact sex is a mystery. mr. szabo allows the film' s many individual characters to emerge sharply, and he has assembled a remarkably well - rounded international cast. among the more conspicuous players are erland josephson as the gentlemanly company director; maria de madeiros, who starred in
henry and june
and flashes zoltan her most cryptic and inviting smile, and the arresting dutch actress johanna ter steege, who starred in
the vanishing ,
as a singer who fights zoltan' s favoritism toward the utterly magnetic karin .
ms. close' s serene, ladylike bearing is not an asset in every role, but this time it works wonderfully well, especially when combined with the avid seductiveness she brings to the character. mr. arestrup, at first stern and a little drab, proves to be an equally fine choice, since he moves so easily into a conductor' s courtly, dedicated manner, one that easily explains his popularity with women in the company. dorottya udvaros, a hungarian actress, has some powerful moments with mr. arestrup as zoltan' s proud, angry wife, who discovers her husband' s affair and reacts with exceptional fury .
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with the headline: review / film; real - life opera, wagnerian style .
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a hungarian conductor mouts a daring new production of tannhauser while trying to overcome the artistic egos of his cast and crew, politics, nationalism and funding .
in part based on hungarian writer / director istvan szabos own experiences of directing wagners masterpiece tannhauser in paris, this has frances niels arestrup as a virtually unknown hungarian conductor, zoltan szanto, who is given the chance to conduct  hey! wagners masterpiece tannhauser in paris .
all things being well, the opera europa production  with its multi - national cast and swedish mega - diva karin anderson (close, all aquiver with the dulcet tones of one dame kiri te kanawa)  is to receive a worldwide satellite airing and szanto, it follows, the fame - making limelight .
the hapless szanto, however, gets far, far more than he had bargained for. three weeks before the opera i have a difficult leading lady and a chorus that thinks only of its stomach,  he observes wearily in a letter to his wife back home in budapest, szantos voice - over serving as a commentary on unfolding events back at the orchestra pit .
as opening night looms closer, moreover, szanto finds himself increasingly besieged by mutinous musicians, predatory leading ladies and more bureaucratic red - tape than he can possibly hope to unravel. to cap it all, he embarks on an ill - judged liaison with anderson  although close, her haircut straight out of coronation street and a wardrobe apparently tailored from potato sacks, makes an unlikely object of desire  and the scene is set for a showdown of truly wagnerian proportions .
indeed, peppering his script with political in - jokes (everything moves so slowly here, something to do with democracy) and references (just because the american thinks he can bomb libya or invade panama he thinks he can push us around. ), szabo uses the petty in - fighting of his cast not only to poke a well - meaning finger at creative folk in general but also as a metaphor for what was actually happening in europe. in many ways, it illustrates the contradictions inherent in the term united europe and explains to some extent why  with this very honourable exception, rescued from columbia pictures by the ten - exiting david puttnam  the european film co - production has never really taken off .
szabo, reknowned for his ability to merge the personal with the political and for his excellent handling of actors, pulls it off again here with characteristic wit and sensitivity .
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an opera star (glenn close) falls for a married hungarian conductor (niels arestrup) trying to do wagner' s
tannhauser .
celebrated swedish opera star karin anderson is slated to appear in an internationally - telecast production of tannhauser. ms. anderson balks at the notion of working with obscure hungarian conductor zoltan szanto. the much - anticipated production may never get off the ground, thanks to labor - management difficulties, intramural jealousies, and clashing egos. amidst all this chaos, the mismatched anderson and szanto fall in love .
better than its lousy title suggests. has the problems endemic to the
europudding
( clash of accents, etc) and pretty much wastes its entire supporting cast, among which are erland josephson and maria de medeiros (whose role, whatever it was, seems to have ended up on the cutting room floor). but it' s a fine illustration of why the eu was never going to work - france and hungary ain' t far geographically, but mentally, spiritually, that' s another thing entire - and the leads are good, and szabó' s incapable of an unintelligent movie. one of the few times i' ve ever found glenn close agreeable .
eh, művèszek! - intèzhetnènk el egy legyintèssel a találkozás vènusszal szereplőit, akik szabó rendezèsèben szeretnek jó mèlyen megmerítkezni minden egyes èrzelemben, ès lehetőleg minél látványosabban a külvilág tudomására hozni mèg a legapróbb belső rezdülèseket is. közben meg valószínűleg tènyleg valami ilyesmi lehet az igazság: a művèszi katarzishoz legtöbbször sok - sok civakodáson, bosszúságokon, egymás húsába maráson, intenzíven megèlt szerelmeken ès az elmaradhatatlan gyötrődèseken keresztül vezet az út .
many of the characters in this movie have the same name and family name as director istván szabó, but in different languages. the hungarian name istván in english corresponds with stephen. surname szabó means
tailor
. and some persons in film are: stephen taylor (english), stefan schneider (german), stefano sarto (italian), etienne tailleur (french) / there are also maria krawiecki (from the polish word krawiec which means tailor) and isaac partnoi (from russian word портной [ portnoy ] = tailor
) .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1. 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
this list is a result of more than forty years of compulsive - obsessive data - gathering by the above trio, separately. when our paths crossed a few years ago we combined our lists together .
finding out who dubbed who since the beginning of sound movies in 1928 is a fairly daunting task since until relatively recently such information was kept secret by the movie studios who carefully guarded the reputations of their contract players. but in recent years the explosion of books and articles on every aspect of filmmaking has made the task somewhat easier, contradictory as different sources may be. laura wagner in particular has spoken to many of these dubbers. to credit every source would be impossible, there' ve been so many .
included are not only the singers but credits for
dancers
who couldn' t dance ,
musicians
who couldn' t play, and even a few actors who couldn' t talk too good .
what' s not here, obviously, is data on stars who did their own singing. but some stars sang for themselves in some movies but were dubbed in others. barbara stanwyck, for example ,
sang
in seven movies but was only dubbed in three of them, so only those three are included here. also, some stars were only partially dubbed in a film, doing their own singing for some of the songs but not all of them, or even singing parts of songs with only the more demanding passages dubbed. in those cases we' ve noted that the dubbing is only partial. (but if you don' t find a listing here for a specific title you' re wondering about, it doesn' t necessarily mean the singer wasn' t dubbed, it may mean we just don' t have the information. )
and finally, there' s one legendary dubbing credit you won' t find here. for years it' s been accepted as gospel that andy williams dubbed lauren bacall' s vocals in
to have & have not .
the story has become something of an urban legend, but sorry folks, that was bacall' s own voice. williams, then an unknown singer doing dubbing work in hollywood, was hired by director howard hawks to record the songs because he couldn' t find a female singer with a low enough voice, but when bacall began singing along with the playback he found that he liked her voice better, so he scrapped williams' recordings and she did the songs herself. if the story sounded too good to be true… it was .
this project has always been, and remains, a lifetime work - in - progress. any additions and / or corrections are most welcome .
athena (1954): jacqueline [ aka jackie ] allen for cecile rogers / betty allen, marie vernon, gloria wood for sisters (other than j. powell, d. reynolds, v. gibson) / victor marchese for edmund purdom
the barbara stanwyck show
out of the shadows
( tv ep. 1960): frank beach for william stephens (trumpet )
best foot forward (1943): gloria grafton for lucille ball / jeanne darrell for virginia weidler / ralph blane for jack jordan .
blood & black lace (italian, 1965): paul frees for many actors, u. s. release (dialogue )
carousel (1956): marie greene [ aka marie vernon ] for susan luckey / marni nixon for one line for shirley jones in
you' re a queer one, julie jordan. ”
the 5, 000 fingers of dr. t (1953): tommy butala for tommy rettig
flower drum song (1961): b. j. (betty jane) baker for nancy kwan / jon dodson for kam tong / marilyn horne for reiko sato
gigi (1958): betty wand for leslie caron (partial) / john abbott for unnamed singer / paul frees for various french - sounding bit actors (dialogue). for french soundtrack (dialogue & songs): sacha distel for louis jourdan, marie - france for leslie caron, jane marken for hermione gingold .
grand prix (1966): paul frees for toshiro mifune & misc. drivers (dialogue )
gypsy (1962): lisa kirk for rosalind russell (except
mr. goldstone
and spoken parts of
rose' s turn
) / marni nixon for natalie wood [ partial ]
helen of troy (1956): jacques sernas for edmund purdom (english - speaking voice) .
i love a bandleader (1945): dorothy ellers for leslie brooks / bobbie canvin [ aka barbara ames ] for
mr. beebe
number
the king and i (1956): marni nixon for deborah kerr / leona gordon (or cleone duncan) for rita moreno / reuben fuentes for carlos rivas / marilyn horne for terry saunders .
a man called adam (1966): nat adderley for sammy davis jr. (trumpet )
meet me in st. louis (1944): arthur freed for leon ames / denny markes - wilson for mary astor
phantom lady (1944): buddy rich for elisha cook jr. (drums )
pinnochio (1939): dickie jones for
pinnochio
/ cliff edwards for
jiminy cricket
/ walter catlett for
j. worthington foulfellow
/ christian rub for
gepetto
psycho (1960): virginia gregg, paul jasmine & jeanette nolan for
mrs. bates
( dialogue )
seven brides for seven brothers (1954): bill lee for matt mattox / norma zimmer for betty carr / bobbie canvin [ aka barbara ames ] for norma doggett / marie vernon [ aka marie greene ] for nancy kilgas / betty noyes for ruta kilmonis [ aka ruta lee ] / betty allen for julie newmeyer [ aka julie newmar ] / alan davies, charles parlato, robert wacker, gene lanham, m. spergel and howard hudson for various brothers
sinatra (tv - 1992): frank sinatra (records), frank sintra jr. and tom burlinson for philip casnoff
speakeasy (1929): fred warren for henry b. walthall (piano )
that lady in ermine (1948): ric ricardi for douglas fairbanks, jr .
thirty seconds over tokyo (1944): hal derwin for carlyle blackwell, jr .
three daring daughters (1948): beverly jean garbo for mary elinor donahue / pat hyatt for ann e. todd
the threepenny opera (1963): george s. irving for curt jurgens / martha schlamme for hildegard neff / jo wilder for june ritchie (note: all dubbed for u. s. version only )
twilight zone
a passage for trumpet
( tv ep. 1960): uan rasey for jack klugman (trumpet )
the wizard of oz (1939): lorrraine bridges for billie burke / ken darby for mayor of munchkin city / ray
bud
linn for da of munchkin city / rad robinson for coroner of munchkin city / betty noyes, dorothy compton and marjorie briggs for munchkin trio / buddy ebsen for jack haley (ensemble singing only) / carol tevis, betty rome, billy bletcher, pinto colvig, j. d. jewkes, harry stanton & jon dodson for unknown munchkins
your cheatin' heart (1964): hank williams, jr. for george hamilton
note: two slash marks in a line indicate that the next actor’s line begins there .
the stage is split at a diagonal with the right half lit. the floor of the stage is planted with a living garden: vines of tomatoes on poles, stalks of corn, pepper plants, lettuces, and also a few unplanted beds. the dark earth is real. it is deep summer at a biodynamic farm in covelo, california. the lighting indicates a cool morning, and a light mist clings above the ground. rebecca, tony, ingrid and mike are working along one of the beds hoeing the soil, while henry and seth are kneeling tying up tomato plants. everyone is covered in a layer of soil which is smudged on their clothes, dusted on their faces and engrained in their hands. nothing exists outside this field, outside the six of them right there in that moment. ingrid, tony, henry and rebecca are singing “sixteen tons, ” while seth and mike hum and sway along, occasionally joining them .
all: (singing .) “another day older and deeper in debt. saint peter don’t you call me ’cause i can’t go, i owe my soul to the company store. ”
tony: (singing .) “i was born one mornin’ when the sun didn’t shine. ”
tony & henry: (singing .) “i picked up my shovel and i walked to the mine. ”
ingrid: (singing .) “’well, bless my soul. ’” (no longer singing .) hey, let’s do our version. i like it better. (laughs and starts singing again. )
rebecca: this is my favorite time of day here. smell it. it’s so… fresh .
seth: this morning, when i was bringing the horses up the lane, the mist was so thick i could barely see the fence of the blackberry field .
mike: most of it is burning off now though. look, you can just see a little mist hiding under the trees over in those fields .
rebecca: i don’t know if i can handle much more of these temperatures .
tony: yeah, i could go for some breakfast. what’s the time ?
rebecca: mike, did you know? i never liked porridge till i tried yours .
rebecca: absolutely. (looking directly at tony .) i don’t think i ever want to leave .
an acoustic guitar plays as we are taken to the beginning of this story. henry and rebecca enter dressed in clean work clothes. rebecca’s hair is plaited in two braids, making her look younger than she is. it is their first day as interns at live power community farm. the day is bright and sunny, but not too warm .
henry: the sweet aroma of cows…. (takes a deep sniff at the air. )
rebecca: oh be quiet. the place feels different when we’re not here with our class .
henry: yeah, no one whining about how they don’t want to sleep in the barn .
steve and tony walk by upstage deep in conversation, but out of earshot of henry and rebecca, and then exit .
rebecca: no, of course i remember steve. i mean the younger guy .
gloria enters and approaches henry and rebecca. she speaks slowly, with a soft, deep voice, often as though her mind is on a different, pleasant thought, far away .
gloria: welcome! (she draws both henry and rebecca into a warm hug .) look at you both. we’re figuring out where to put you, where to have you sleep .
gloria: come have lunch, then we’ll get you settled… okay? okay, over here. (steve and tony enter. tony is wearing glasses and some faded work clothes. steve is wearing a light green, plaid flannel shirt .) stephen, you remember rebecca and henry ?
steve: good, good. we have work. always lots to do .
they shake hands, tony holding rebecca’s hand perhaps a little longer than he held henry’s .
steve, gloria, henry, rebecca and tony enter the apprentice kitchen, a square room on the left diagonal of the stage. a magnificent willow tree stands beside the one - room building and a large musical triangle hangs from one of the eaves. the kitchen has a dusty, dark green floor, an old black stove covered in cast iron pans on the upstage left wall, a sink downstage of the stove, an ancient faded sofa against the right wall, and a pine table in the center surrounded by six chairs. ingrid, wearing a grungy red shirt and bare feet, is humming and stirring yellow lentils at the stove. the table is laden with a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes topped with shredded coconut, a wok of cooked greens, a metal bowl of salad, a pitcher of cold well water, and mismatched plates and cutlery in stacks. everyone sits down and begins serving and passing the dishes .
ingrid: oh no thank you! i was just trying out some new dishes. so i hope you like them. the greens are a bit different. (takes a bite of the greens and laughs .) oh well. they’re still good for you!
meeting venus is a 1991 british – american-japanese film directed by the hungarian director istván szabó and starring glenn close , niels arestrup , marián labuda , victor poletti , jay o. sanders , maria de medeiros and johanna ter steege . the movie was filmed in budapest , hungary . 
meeting venus is a 1991 british – american-japanese film directed by the hungarian director istván szabó and starring glenn close, niels arestrup, marián labuda, victor poletti, jay o. sanders, maria de medeiros and johanna ter steege. the movie was filmed in budapest, hungary.
meeting venus is a 1991 british – american-japanese film directed by the hungarian director istván szabó and starring glenn close, niels arestrup, marián labuda, victor poletti, jay o. sanders, maria de medeiros and johanna ter steege. the movie was filmed in budapest, hungary.