Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
THERE WAS ONCE...Movie Reviews
Hungarian language documentary about a Catholic high school teacher in Kalocsa, Hungary, who discovered that a Jewish community once thrived but is now non-existent in her city. Cast:Gyöngi Magó, Dr. Magone Toth Gyongyi, Torok Gusztav AndorDirector:Gabor KalmanRelease Date:September 23, 2011DVD Release: TBD From:IFCLength:1 hr 43 min
There Was Once..., Very Good Reviews (Doc) NYC, LA
There Was Once... played in New York City and Los Angeles to very good reviews. • Ronnie Scheib wrote in Daily Variety, "Hungarian schoolteacher Gyongi Mago's campaign to raise awareness of her hometown's once-vibrant, now conspicuously absent Jewish population is captured in this superior docu... well-crafted..." • And Kevin Thomas wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...wholly absorbing and poignant..." More Reviews Below...
There Was Once... Positive Reviews (6 Reviews, reviews below)
There Was Once... has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (4 Reviews)
David DeWitt, New York Times: GOOD "...a bit of visual scholarship that delves into Kalocsa, Hungary, and the loss of its once-thriving Jewish population.... it has integrity, recording one specific town's slice of living history. Simple as that, it's a worthy document."(See all of David DeWitt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 09/23/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Much in this wholly absorbing and poignant documentary is familiar from numerous previous Holocaust accounts, but Gyongyi Mago and her quiet sense of moral obligation provides a fresh perspective."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 09/23/11
Michelle Orange, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "A vitally personal version of a story often told in anonymous terms... reclaims the overwhelming tragedy of the Holocaust as it was visited upon a small Hungarian town."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 09/21/11
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
There Was Once... has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Michelle Orange, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "A vitally personal version of a story often told in anonymous terms... reclaims the overwhelming tragedy of the Holocaust as it was visited upon a small Hungarian town."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 09/21/11
Andrew Schenker, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The filmmakers draw the parallel between anti-Semitism past and present a tad crudely, but, in doing so, they show an understanding of historical continuity necessary for undertaking what amounts to an inconsistent, but still important project."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 09/19/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
David DeWitt, New York Times: GOOD "...a bit of visual scholarship that delves into Kalocsa, Hungary, and the loss of its once-thriving Jewish population.... it has integrity, recording one specific town's slice of living history. Simple as that, it's a worthy document."(See all of David DeWitt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 09/23/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Much in this wholly absorbing and poignant documentary is familiar from numerous previous Holocaust accounts, but Gyongyi Mago and her quiet sense of moral obligation provides a fresh perspective."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 09/23/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "Hungarian schoolteacher Gyongi Mago's campaign to raise awareness of her hometown's once-vibrant, now conspicuously absent Jewish population is captured in this superior docu... well-crafted..."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 222 words, 09/23/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Much in this wholly absorbing and poignant documentary is familiar from numerous previous Holocaust accounts, but Gyongyi Mago and her quiet sense of moral obligation provides a fresh perspective."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 09/23/11
David DeWitt, New York Times: GOOD "...a bit of visual scholarship that delves into Kalocsa, Hungary, and the loss of its once-thriving Jewish population.... it has integrity, recording one specific town's slice of living history. Simple as that, it's a worthy document."(See all of David DeWitt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 09/23/11
5.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
There Was Once...'s reviews are separated by an average 5.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
There Was Once... (6 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:There Was Once...'s reviews cover 7.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 1,734 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 289 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
There Was Once... Coverage, Volume & Length (6 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 13.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
There Was Once...'s reviews on average broke 13.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is There Was Once...'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
There Was Once... (6 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
