Made in Switzerland (film)

Movie
Original title	Made in Switzerland
Country of production	Switzerland
Publishing year	1981
length	12 minutes
Rod
Director	Erich Langjahr
script	Erich Langjahr
production	Langjahr Film GmbH
camera	Erich Langjahr
cut	Erich Langjahr
occupation
	Queen Elizabeth; Prince Philipp; Georges-André Chevallaz (Federal President); Kurt Furgler (Federal Councilor); Willi Ritschard (Federal Councilor); Pierre Aubert (Federal Councilor); Johann Jakob Vischer (Corps Commander); Participants at the following locations: Kloten Airport, Military Honor Bundesplatz Bern, Wandelhalle Bundeshaus, Rütli, "Grün 80" Münchenstein (with authorities and the St. Johann Basel men's choir), Münsterbrücke and Grossmünsterplatz Zurich;

Made in Switzerland is a short film from 1981 by the Swiss director Erich Langjahr . It is a short report on the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II with her husband Prince Philip in 1980 to Switzerland.

Emergence

The film "Made in Switzerland" was made on the occasion of Queen Elisabeth II's official state visit with her husband Prince Philip to Switzerland from April 29 to May 2, 1980.

Erich Langjahr had the spontaneous idea to accompany this event with his camera. To do this, he had to get accreditation from the press office in Bern.

In 2020 the film was digitally restored with the help of Memoriav (Association for the Preservation of Switzerland's Audiovisual Heritage).

content

“Made in Switzerland” is a report about the visit of the English Queen to Switzerland, which does not primarily say anything about the Queen, but all the more about the Swiss.

The film shows what is human. Human is the respect that falls upon all those who have the honor of shaking hands with a queen. For minutes you can see how dignitaries at the airport and at the garden exhibition " Green 80 " shake hands with the Queen of England.

Erich Langjahr was not only there with his camera when the Queen helped to plant a copper beech or when she visited the Rütli . He was also behind the scenes with the preparations, such as rolling out and vacuuming the red carpet.

Erich Langjahr sees his short film as a homage to the Swiss Film Weekly , which was abolished in 1975.

reception

The film "Made in Switzerland" was shown at various festivals in Switzerland and abroad, including the 16th Solothurn Film Festival and the 13th Int. Film Festival Nyon, on the 18th Int. Film Festival in Krakow, on the 23rd Int. Film Festival Bilbao, at the 30th Int. Filmwoche Mannheim , where it was the opening film, and at the 36th International Film Festival in Edinburgh.

At the time of its release in 1981, the film was seen in part as a satire and less as a contemporary document.

In 2019, the historian Michael van Orsouw wrote an article about the Queen's visit to Switzerland in the NZZ Geschichte series . At the end of his article he explicitly mentioned Erich Langjahr's film as a source.

Awards

Study award from the Federal Department of Home Affairs (EDI)

Web link

https://www.langjahr-film.ch/pagina.php?0,0,1,0,9,0 ,

Individual evidence

↑ Peter Isenegger: Erich Langjahr's film about the Queen's visit: Charm, "Made in Switzerland" . In: Fatherland . No. 231 , October 6, 1981.
↑ 36th Edinburgh International Film Festival: Made in Switzerland . In: Filmhouse Program . August 31, 1982, p. 31 .
↑ Hannes Schmidt: 30th Mannheim Film Week: Funny spoofing high rulers . In: Neue Ruhr Zeitung . 7th October 1981.
↑ Michael van Orsouw: Elisabeth, the Eternal . In: NZZ history . No. December 25 , 2019, p. 89-99 .

[1] Peter Isenegger: Erich Langjahr's film about the Queen's visit: Charm, "Made in Switzerland" . In: Fatherland . No. 231 , October 6, 1981.

[2] 36th Edinburgh International Film Festival: Made in Switzerland . In: Filmhouse Program . August 31, 1982, p. 31 .

[3] Hannes Schmidt: 30th Mannheim Film Week: Funny spoofing high rulers . In: Neue Ruhr Zeitung . 7th October 1981.

[4] Michael van Orsouw: Elisabeth, the Eternal . In: NZZ history . No. December 25 , 2019, p. 89-99 .