View source for Long Hello and Short Goodbye

{{short description|1999 film}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Long Hello and Short Goodbye
| image          =
| caption        =
| director       = [[Rainer Kaufmann]]
| producer       =
| writer         =
| narrator       =
| starring       = [[Nicolette Krebitz]]
| music          =
| cinematography =
| editing        =
| distributor    =
| released       = {{Film date|1999}}
| runtime        =
| country        = [[Germany]]
| language       = [[German language|German]]
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}

'''''Long Hello and Short Goodbye''''' is a 1999 [[Germany|German]] neo-noir [[crime film]] produced by [[Studio Hamburg Letterbox Filmproduktion]] and co-authored by [[Jeff Vintar]] and {{ill|Martin Rauhaus|de||tr}}.{{not verified in body|date=November 2019}}

==Plot summary==
The film revolves around a recently released safe-cracker named Ben and an undercover police agent named Melody.  Melody's job is to dupe Ben into another job so that he can be put away once more by her sinister and ambitious boss Kahnitz.  But complications arise when the talkative cop falls for the taciturn gangster.

The film features a complex neo-noir flashback structure that centers on seemingly dead characters littering the bloody floor of a fancy apartment.  As the story progresses, we find out that some of these dead people are not dead at all, more are hiding in the closet, and slowly the pieces of the puzzle come together.

==Production history==
Based on an original English-language screenplay by ''[[I, Robot]]'' writer [[Jeff Vintar]],{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} the English-language version of Vintar's screenplay struggled to reach the screen for many years.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} The work was under a variety of producers and production companies;{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} hence, the script was under option for a very long time.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}  At one time, [[Gustavo Mosquera]], who had directed ''[[Moebius (1996 film)|Moebius]]'', was slated as its director, with [[John Woo]] and partner [[Terence Chang]] producing under their [[Lion Rock]] banner.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

The screenplay that eventually made it to the screen was developed by the production company [[Circle of Confusion]].{{verification needed|date=November 2019}}{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} Shortly before the movie's release, the film's producers{{who|date=November 2019}} "got cold feet"{{cite quote|date=November 2019}} and re-edited the film to give it a [[linear narrative]], which became the version that made it to the screen.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

==Cast==
{{cast listing|
* [[Nicolette Krebitz]] as Melody
* [[Marc Hosemann]] as Ben
* [[Sunnyi Melles]] as Aurelia
* [[Axel Milberg]] as Percy
* [[Dietrich Hollinderbäumer]] as Kahnitz
* [[Martin Glade]] as Dennis
* [[Katja Riemann]] as Ida
* [[Hannelore Hoger]] as Therapeutin/Therapist
* [[Stefan Kurt]] as Arzt/Doctor
* {{ill|Albert Kitzl|de}} as Dealer
* {{ill|Gustav Peter Wöhler|de}} as Verkäufer/Salesman
* {{ill|Michael Benthin|de}} as Rezeptionist/Receptionist
* {{ill|Eva Kryll|de||it||nds}} as Sachbearbeiterin/Case Worker
* [[Jimmy Yassa-Campos]] as Tresenmann/Barkeeper
* {{ill|Atto Suttarp|de}} as Pizzamann/Pizza Man
}}

==Critical reception==
The film became a cult favorite among noir buffs,{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} and received a positive review in ''Variety'' that predicted that the film would play in broad-minded festivals around the world, and that genre fans would "lap it up".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elley |first1=Derek |title=Long Hello Short Goodbye |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/long-hello-and-short-goodbye-1200458468/ |website=Variety |date=12 July 1999 |access-date=27 October 2021}}</ref>

The final editing that gave the film its [[linear narrative]] is said to have diluted its "effect"{{clarify|date=November 2019}}{{according to whom|date=November 2019}},{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} which resulted in its polarizing critics and audience members alike.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}{{dubious|date=November 2019}}<!--It is very unlikely that audience members were aware that the edit had been done, and so this informed polarisation is likely editorialising by the original WP writer/editor.-->

==Futther reading==
* {{cite web | last = Elley | first = Derek | date = July 12, 1999 | title = Reviews: Long Hello and Short Goodbye | work = Variety | url = https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/long-hello-and-short-goodbye-1200458468/ | accessdate = November 18, 2019 }}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0139429}}

[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:German crime thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s German-language films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hamburg]]
[[Category:German neo-noir films]]
[[Category:1990s German films]]


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