Momo (1986)

"Momo" is a German/Italian co-production and this children's film has its 30th anniversary this year. The director and also one of the writers who adapted Michael Ende's book is Johannes Schaaf. Ende himself was still very much alive when this film was made. It runs for exactly 100 minutes and stars Radost Bokel as the title character. Early on, I thought it was really just about her physically fitting the role, but in the second half of the film she also shows that she is a decent actress, even at 10 years of age. Quite disappointing to see all she is in today is that jungle reality television series with so-called "stars". Also quite a letdown compared to the magic in this film here. Reality can be harsh. Anyway, the supporting cast includes a couple known name, such as Mario Adorf, Armin Mueller-Stahl (as the main antagonist) and a very young Sylvester Groth. And a very old John Huston in one of his final performances. There are also a handful Italian actors in here, but I cannot say I am familiar with any of them, maybe Italians are.In terms of the story, I cannot talk about how will it was adapted from the novel, but honestly, I was not very much convinced. It feels like a collection of scenes that are atmospheric, but have little interesting connection to one another, especially the flying sequence near the end. Other than that, the film has good moments and bad moments. I personally think that this film is much more creepy to adults than to children probably. I'd have instantly run if I had run into one of these gray men or if I saw these talking Barbie dolls. Those were the scariest thing ever seriously. The film is very fantastic and fantasy is really the only genre where I would categorize it. Luckily for the filmmakers, they get away with some obscure references and absurd scenes because of that. Overall, it is certainly a positive feature that the movie looks definitely a lot more recent than it really is. I recommend watching it. But not with any enthusiasm.

The most positive thing I can say about this movie is that it adheres to the book very faithfully and it is not an unapologetic butchery like The Neverending Story. Apparently Michael Ende oversaw the film himself (he plays a cameo role at the beginning) and made sure it was not tinkered with. However, whether because of his lack of film experience or despite his watchful eye, this film is extremely uncreative. At its best, which is extremely rare, it's how you imagined it. At its worst, if you've already read the book, it is frankly boring to watch and may disrupt the fancies of your imagination: I never imagined Momo with an afro, myself. The special effects don't go that far beyond stage play level and certainly don't live up to Ende's mind-sparking descriptions. This movie has not been released with proper English subtitles, and it's not worth the trouble obtaining illicit versions. Read the book, think for yourself, and enjoy some other movie on the same theme.

Momo is a fantastic fantasy movie. Written by the legendary writer of the Never-ending Story, Michael Ende, who takes us into the world of a little orphan who is set out to save the world. Love, a big heart, courage are the weapons she needs to save her little Italian village from time. This movie is just magical. This is a must see for my children, there is just way too much wiseness told to miss out on.

I've seen "Momo" when I was a child and it really fascinated me. The movie inspired me to read Michael Ende's novel. This story about time or better about people who steal other people's lifetime was so fascinating for me as a child. I haven't seen the movie for about 10 years, but I still can remember a lot of images, e.g. Cassiopoeia, the turtle who's leading Momo to Master Hora.