Schwabenkinder (film)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
Original title Swabian children
Country of production Austria ,
Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2003
length 109 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Jo Baier
script Jo Baier
production Arno Ortmair ,
Dieter Pochlatko
music Enjott Schneider
camera Tomas Erhart
cut Clara Fabry
occupation

Schwabenkinder is a homeland film that was made in 2003 in cooperation with ORF and BR and tells of the Swabian way of life that was widespread in the 19th century and therefore also of the Swabian children. The film was shot in Tyrol , southern Bavaria and southern Baden ( Meersburg ). The film is based on the novel Die Schwabenkinder - Die Geschichte des Kaspanaze by Elmar Bereuter and received the television film award of the German Academy of Performing Arts .

action

Tyrol , early 20th century : Kaspar Reiter returns home as a grown man. His older sister, who has not seen him since childhood, still recognizes him and is amazed because his brother has long been pronounced dead. He finds his father lying on his death bed.

Together, the two of them remember the events of Kaspar's childhood: How Kaspar's mother, who did sewing work for the “Madame” in the nearby castle in order to earn money for the poor farming family, was killed in an avalanche . Shortly before, his father had given Kaspar a pocket knife, which he enjoys with a lot, because no other child in the village has received such a gift. Kaspar is never out of his hands. Kaspar carves his "K" into some furniture. Despite the difficult economic situation of the family, which has clearly deteriorated due to the death of the mother, the father is initially against Kaspar going to Swabia to earn something as a shepherd boy. The widowed father tries to complete the children's clothes that the mother could no longer finish, but has no talent for sewing. The next day he makes his way to the castle, is welcomed there by the maid and initially also by the lady, gives her the clothes and hopes for a salary. Because the clothes were completely unsuccessful, the countess is beside herself and he receives no money. In the tavern he is persuaded by the other farmers to send Kaspar to Swabia so that he can earn 30 marks. Due to the great financial hardship he is forced to do so. The father gives Kaspar blows - whereupon Kaspar thinks the father no longer likes him. However, he wants to make the difficult farewell easier for him. Kaspar no longer has an appetite and says goodbye to the animals on the farm. More than once, the group of children, accompanied by the cooperator , is pushed to their physical limits on their way over the wintry mountains. Kaspar cannot yet tie shoelaces himself, Magdalena has to help him with that. A girl falls into the ice-cold water while marching along the creek. The group must then spend the night outdoors under a ledge. Magdalena wears shoes that are too small, and she gets a sore toe. Kaspar then cuts her shoe. In the next accommodation, the cooperator checks the children's feet, where they find large blisters. The next day, Veva, the girl who fell into the water before, collapses unconscious and has to be pulled with a rope while lying on a blanket. The group gets into a heavy snowstorm and the cooperator is also exhausted to his limits. However, the monks of the hospice come to the rescue, with whom the group finds accommodation. There remains Veva who has contracted pneumonia and dies from it. Lieserl, who is moving to Swabia for the first time, cries with longing for her mother and is carried on her back by the cooperator. But the friendship among the children, especially between Kaspar and Magdalena, is strengthened. In Ravensburg the group comes to the children's market , where they are offered for sale. On arrival, a boy explains that the “Saubauer” that some of the children know from earlier are secretly marked with chalk marks on their backs to warn of them. Alois and Lukas have to prove their strength in front of a farmer with weights. The Lieserl is housed with a good-natured, fine lady as a small household helper. Magdalena refuses to go into service with a farmer and asks a wealthy merchant couple whether they need a maid. It will be taken immediately. Kaspar hits the “Saubauer” Steinhauser, of all people, who treats his workers in a rough and inhuman way. He has two chalk lines on his back. Kaspar has to sleep in a room with the servant Killian. He has to submit to Steinhauser's tough regiment, is not allowed to wear shoes and has to "clean" all the cows in the barn within two hours, with Steinhauser setting the time with an alarm clock. As soon as the alarm goes off, Steinhauser checks the cleanliness of the cows with a white glove and determines that they are supposedly not clean, and Kaspar has to clean until late in the evening. The horse goes through the farmhand Albrecht and ruins the dovecote. Steinhauser assigns him the blame, and since Albrecht cannot compensate for the damage, he punishes him by tied to a dog chain and having to spend the night outdoors in the rain. When Kaspar begins his work as a shepherd boy, the stuttering farmer's son Gerhard explains to him the boundaries of the pastures on which the cows are allowed to graze. Kaspar carves his initial, a K, into his stick. When he disregards the cows, they enter a strange meadow, which causes trouble with the neighbors. Kaspar is unhappy, wets the bed and cries all night long. He has to herd the cattle in the pasture even in rain and hail. When Knecht Killian receives a letter from his girlfriend, he asks Kaspar to read the letter to him because Killian is illiterate . In gratitude, Killian teaches Kaspar how to tie his shoes.

Servant Albrecht steals a calf from Steinhauser and fled the farm with it. Steinhauser is beside himself and threatens to break the cross to Albrecht. The farmer, Killian, Gerhard and Kaspar go in search of Albrecht in the forest and in the city, but the search remains unsuccessful. In the city, Kaspar meets Magdalena again.

Because of Kaspar's bed-wetting, Steinhauser decides to lock him up in the toilet (an "outhouse") overnight. However, Kaspar takes matches and a candle and sets the door on fire. He manages to escape. After that the whole yard is on fire. There is no longer any trace of Kaspar. It is now assumed that he did not survive the fire and his father is sent a death certificate for him.

Kaspar flees to Magdalena. She tells him that he cannot stay because she is expecting a child from her employer and has to go herself. In order to avoid a scandal, Magdalena's employer is willing to pay her and Kaspar for the crossing to the USA , where both begin a new life and later become a couple.

The film ends with Kaspar forgiving his father, who has never got over his son's being sent away, for his momentous decision shortly before his death. In the end credits it is indicated that Kaspar became a journalist in America and there he drew attention to the suffering of the Swabian children.

Backdrops

Parts of the film were shot against the backdrop of the old town of Meersburg, which looked like the 19th century .

Prices

nomination

Awards

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ HOANZL: Schwabenkinder - MORETTI, TOBIAS / GLOWNA, VADIM (2012). April 4, 2013, accessed December 24, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Manuela Klaas: Historical setting for 36 feature films. In: Südkurier from June 20, 2015.