Barbarossa (2009)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Barbarossa |
| Original title | Barbarossa |
| Country of production | Italy |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2009 |
| length | 139 (200 TV version) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Renzo Martinelli |
| script | Renzo Martinelli Giorgio Schottler |
| production | Renzo Martinelli |
| music | Aldo De Scalzi |
| camera | Fabio Cianchetti |
| cut | Osvaldo Bargero |
| occupation | |
| |
Barbarossa is an Italian film by director Renzo Martinelli from 2009 and is based on the biographical book "Federico Barbarossa e Beatrice di Borgogna" by Federico Rossi di Marignano from the same year. The world premiere took place on October 2, 2009 in Milan , Italy .
action
The plot of the film spans the period from approx. 1150 to May 29, 1176 and the Battle of Legnano and takes place primarily in city, castle and natural backdrops in Upper (Milan, Alessandria, Como) and central Italy (Rome) and, more rarely , took place in Germany.
The focus is on the historical conflict that took place in the 12th century between the German Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa and the city of Milan . This is triggered by the increasing disobedience of the Lombard city towards its German liege lord , which is why the latter is forced to cross the Alps with a military force and bring the Milanese to their knees by starving them and razing their walls. The now homeless city dwellers, however, subsequently understand how to form a sworn rebel movement, the “ Compagnia della Morte ” (“The Brotherhood of Death”), underground and in league with other Lombard cities ( Lombard League ) . And under the command of their ringleader, the simple Milanese blacksmith's son Alberto da Giussano , the latter finally succeeds in defeating the German armed forces in Legnano in 1176 and regaining the freedom that has been lost.
As the most important subplots of the film, two love relationships are brought to the fore: On the one hand, the happily ending relationship between the Milanese hero Alberto da Giussano and the beautiful farmer's daughter Eleonora, which is at times burdened as a result of her dubious reputation for being a witch , when she is nearly burned by imperial henchmen. On the other hand, the unrequited love wishes of Siniscalco Barozzi - in his function as defector from the Milanese to the German camp the classic villain of the plot - to Eleonora's sister Tessa, the lover of Alberto's brother Reinero da Giussano, who are responsible for the tragic downfall of all three Involved.
In two secondary subplots, the defection of Saxon Duke Heinrich from his liege lord Friedrich and the prophecy of the imperial drowning death by Hildegard von Bingen , which cannot be proven historically and which goes beyond the film's time, are discussed.
Historical background
The original book for the film is a work with serious historiographical claims and is sometimes based on medieval writings by the Milanese chronicler Sire Raul (approx. 1100–1200). Federico A. Rossi di Marignano, an economist who u. a. Biographical works about Martin Luther , the Apostle Paulus and Pope Pius IV. , also acted as a “historical consultant” for the film, whereby he later emphasized that not all of his advice - “I try not to write anything untrue or not credible ”- were perceived.
Nonetheless, the film's efforts to dock with current knowledge of historical research are very noticeable. Particularly in the staging of the “big” political events, actors and hierarchical relationships, there is (in the core) an astonishing faithfulness to history. Examples: The (explicit) representation of Frederick's claim to unconditional Lombard and Roman obedience ( Translatio imperii ) legitimized by the successor of Charlemagne is just as historically accurate as the design of certain character characteristics, such as the self-confident, politically active nature of Empress Beatrice von Burgundy ( Cécile Cassel ). Efforts to ensure historical correctness even go down to the last detail: For example, Friedrich's warning letter to the Milanese is alleged to have been demonstratively trampled “with their feet” by their council members, as in the film Gherardo Negro ( Christo Jivkov ). Historical events that were considered to be “nebulous” were also omitted, including the controversial kneeling of Friedrich before Heinrich.
On the other hand, "historical gaps" emerge, understandably, in the depiction of the anonymous Lombard protagonists and their most important exponent, Alberto da Giussano, whose memory is now the subject of legendary formation . The plot of the fearless blacksmith's son and freedom fighter - whether he really existed must remain unclear - arises from a romantic , Italian-national idea. As a symbol for the liberation of Italy from all foreign rule, da Giussano was transfigured, especially during the time of fascism . And even today he functions as the “mascot” of the right-wing populist Lega Nord . Against this background it can be argued that the representation of the Lombard struggle against the Germans (as a mission led by an outstanding, “quasi-Italian” leader) should not be seen as much more than a fantasy that was retrospectively transferred to the High Middle Ages and thus one of the biggest anachronisms in the film.
Equipment and staging
The images that the film presents to its viewers correspond in many ways to the drawing box of a “typical” Middle Ages : Both the popular emblems of the knight's castle and the monastery are staged as spheres of domination as well as the opposing worlds of the city and rural living space. The basic architectural coating is the archaic Romanesque style , which was replaced by the Gothic only a little after the Hohenstaufen era .
The contrast between “stately” (Frederick and followers , Milanese councilors etc.) - “peasant” (Eleonora, rebels etc.) is expressed significantly in the dress styles of the figures: a mostly well-groomed, beautiful appearance of the noble matches the natural-colored, strongly functional and the unkempt habitus of the submissive people. However, this dichotomy, unlike v. a. in older medieval films, not overly romanticized : Because the peasants neither roll unnecessarily in the dirt, nor is the image of the great people particularly smooth and colorful. The film makes a noticeable effort to level out the visual and aesthetic differences of the individual groups in order to forbid an all too clichéd image of the Middle Ages and to secure a historically more accurate one.
This contrast is also emphasized by the verbal manners of the characters shown: The gentlemen on the one hand impress with their well-groomed and well-ordered language norms when dealing with one another. In this sense, neither interrupting a speaker nor secretly speaking aside about those who are immediately present shows style. Exuberant emotions are not completely non-existent, but they seem to want to reduce them to a minimum in the noble circles. It is also noticeable how what is said is often underlined here with an ostentatious, ritualistic gesture: For example, Friedrich emphasizes his anger at Heinrich's refusal to help by unceremoniously smashing the gold box with his sword, which he offered as financial compensation. The common people, on the other hand, appear by and large to be more childlike: The interaction is much more informal, emotions are practically expressed without reserve and underlined with extremely emphatic gestures.
The ideogram of a warlike Middle Ages, omnipresent for the subject matter of the film, contains a wide range of typical drawing elements such as ring mail shirts and nasal helmets, but of course also sword and horse (primarily for the "more prominent" warriors). The ideogram of the feudal dependence of the Lombard compatriots on the party of Frederick or his treacherous vassal Siniscalco Barozzi is equally strongly present , expressed by the symbolic contrast between "sitting on horseback" (the one demanding the taxes) and "walking around" (the Oppressed) in the context of the various conflicting meetings between the parties.
The light and weather conditions involved often connotatively emphasize the contrast between protagonists and antagonists : light and warm light tones are more likely to be used to depict the “good” side, while dark and cool tones are more likely to be used when staging the “bad” side, however gladly even when dark and sad episodes have to be portrayed.
The background music for the plot corresponds to the most common stereotypes of modern medieval films. Examples: In the context of acts of battle and victory, the focus is on heroic sounds , sacred settings evoke the usual choral chants and the use of bagpipes emphasizes the folk-like nature of many figures and figure associations.
reception
The film has been largely ignored by the general public and its critics. On the other hand, where it was discussed, it was given moderate to poor reports. He is often accused of being a failed copy of Mel Gibson's Braveheart or of being characterized by exaggerated pathos. In the Italian public a controversy arose for a short time about the national political tendencies behind the depiction of the liberation struggle against Friedrich. In addition, a recorded telephone conversation in 2007 between Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and RAI journalist Agostino Saccà , in which it was mentioned in passing , made the film more popular.
literature
- Egon Boshof : Europe in the 12th Century. Stuttgart 2007.
- Spiegel story No. 4 (2010): The world of the Hohenstaufen. From Barbarossa to Friedrich II: Imperial power in the Middle Ages.
- Federico Rossi di Marignano : Federico Barbarossa e Beatrice di Borgogna. Milan 2009.
Web links
- Barbarossa in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.viasarfatti25.unibocconi.eu/notizia.php?idArt=5028
- ↑ Ibid.
- ^ Boshof, Egon, Europa im 12. Jahrhundert, Stuttgart 2007, p. 45.
- ↑ Der Spiegel Geschichte No. 4 (2010), p. 39.
- ↑ Ibid., P. 82.
- ↑ http://www.ofdb.de/review/179226,429883,Barbarossa
- ↑ http://outnow.ch/Movies/2009/Barbarossa/Reviews/blu-ray/
- ↑ http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2008/07/28/bossi-sul-set-di-barbarossa-il-ciak.html
- ^ Pronto Silvio, sono Saccà. L'Espresso , December 20, 2007, archived from the original on June 22, 2013 ; accessed on February 22, 2018 (Italian).