Momo (film)

For other uses, see Momo (disambiguation).

Momo
File:Momo poster.jpg Theatrical release poster by Renato Casaro
Directed by	Johannes Schaaf
Produced by	Horst Wendlandt
Written by	Johannes Schaaf Rosemarie Fendel Michael Ende Marcello Coscia
Based on	Momo by Michael Ende
Music by	Angelo Branduardi
Cinematography	Xaver Schwarzenberger
Edited by	Amedeo Salfa
Production company	Rialto Film
Distributed by	Tobis
Release dates	July 17, 1986 (1986-07-17)
Country	West Germany Italy

Momo is a 1986 fantasy film directed by Johannes Schaaf and based on the 1973 novel Momo by Michael Ende. It is about the concept of time and how it is used by humans in modern societies. The film features the final acting role of actor/writer/ director John Huston.

Synopsis

In the ruins of an amphitheatre just outside an unnamed Italian city lives Momo, a little girl of mysterious origin. She is remarkable in the neighbourhood because she has the extraordinary ability to listen—really listen. By simply being with people and listening to them, she can help them find answers to their problems, make up with each other, and think of fun games.

This pleasant atmosphere is spoiled by the arrival of the Men in Grey. These strange individuals represent the Timesavings Bank and promote the idea of timesaving among the population, time which can be deposited to the Bank and returned to the client later with interest. In reality, the more time people save, the less they have. The time they save is actually lost to them, consumed by the Men in Grey. Momo, however, is a wrench in the plans of the Timesaving Bank thanks to her special personality.

Actors

• Radost Bokel: Momo
• Leopoldo Trieste: Beppo
• Bruno Stori: Gigi
• Mario Adorf: Nicola
• Armin Mueller-Stahl: leader of grey men
• John Huston: Meister Hora
• Concetta Russino: Liliana
• Sylvester Groth: agent BLW/553 X
• Michael Ende: train passenger (cameo)

Author involvement

This film was an Italian/German production in which Michael Ende himself played the role of the passenger in the train (who is told the story by Master Hora and writes it down). It appears that Ende, unhappy with how the film based on The Neverending Story did not follow the spirit of the book faithfully enough, requested that he was involved more directly in filming Momo.

External links

• Momo trailer
• Momo at IMDb