| Momo | |
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Original theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Johannes Schaaf |
| Based on | novel by by Michael Ende |
| Release date(s) | 1986 |
Momo is a 1986 fantasy film directed by Johannes Schaaf and based on the 1973 novel 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
There is also an animated cartoon (2001) distributed by Disney but only in Italian entitled Momo alla conquista del tempo which features a soundtrack by Gianna Nannini, an Italian popular singer who has developed into something of a torch singer with a flair for dramatic delivery. She sings several songs in the film.
Contents |
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.
In the cartoon Momo finds her way up to an elevated realm of a master time keeper who contrives to stop time long enough for Momo to sabotage a meeting of the gray men long enough to close their time vault when they need it, causing them to all disappear into their own cigar smoke, after which she can open the vault and release everyone's time which returns as a river of flower petals.
This film was an Italian/German production in which Michael Ende himself played a small role. 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.