Vitus (film)

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Movie
Original title Vitus
Country of production Switzerland
original language German , Swiss German , English
Publishing year 2006
length 123 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
JMK 6
Rod
Director Fredi M. Murer
script Fredi M. Murer ,
Lukas B. Suter ,
Peter Luisi
production Christian Davi ,
Christof Neracher
music Mario Beretta
camera Pio Corradi
cut Myriam Flury
occupation

Vitus is a film directed in Switzerland in 2005 by director Fredi M. Murer , known for his film Höhenfeuer . The film premiere took place in German-speaking Switzerland on February 6, 2006. The German release was on December 21, 2006, followed by Austria the day after.

action

The child Vitus leads a relatively normal life, but already plays the piano very well at the age of six. His parents do not recognize this musical talent, but his remarkable intelligence is noticeable. The parents Helen and Leo are well off. The father becomes the manager of the company where he works.

Vitus 'life changes during a party in his parents' apartment. His parents ask him to play something on the piano. One of the guests recognizes the boy's talent and draws the parents' attention to it. They decide to promote his talent. His mother breaks off the collaboration with the previous piano teacher in order to place Vitus in the care of another, "better" teacher at the music college. Vitus, who felt comfortable with his old piano teacher, can hardly understand that. This is one of the reasons why he increasingly fled to his grandfather, with whom he made bat wings, among other things.

When his parents leave, the girl Isabel comes to take care of Vitus. After a while she becomes Vitus' friend. When the parents return from an event one evening, they find them both sleeping on the sofa next to an empty bottle of sparkling wine . A camera installed by the father shows Vitus, who is playing a rocking melody on the piano, and Isabel, who is dancing and singing to it. Fearing for the boy, the mother forbids Isabel to visit Vitus again. From now on she takes care of her son herself.

Vitus skips several classes. Since he is much smaller than his classmates, he is always the target of their ridicule and contempt. Vitus also has problems with his teachers. This becomes clear when his math teacher once gives the class a complicated interest calculation, but Vitus calmly continues reading the newspaper. When the teacher says that Vitus is pissing him off with his arrogant behavior, Vitus says: "Then there are two of us in the class who have one." Then Vitus' parents are appointed school principal. Vitus counters the increasing stress with more and more frequent visits to his grandfather.

One day Vitus' mother makes an appointment with a great pianist and piano teacher. Vitus knows that teaching a woman would mean embarking on a career as a pianist. But he doesn't want that. He refuses to play. The following night he decides to take his life into his own hands: he fetches his old bat wings from the wall and pretends to jump from the balcony parapet.

The diagnosis is only "concussion", but his previously measured IQ has dropped from 180 to 120. That is still above average, but Vitus has to go back to the class appropriate for his age. He can no longer pursue the intended pianist career. He makes a new friend and can lead a largely normal life. He only shares his secret with his grandfather.

His father's career is going downhill. The company is bankrupt and the board fires him. Vitus could possibly help his father, but he decides - probably to avenge his lost youth - not to do so for the time being. Instead, he uses his intelligence and his grandfather's savings to make him a millionaire on the stock exchange in a few days. He sets up his own business: Dr. Wolf Holding, his grandfather's front company. He also rents an empty apartment, in which he regularly practices the piano from now on.

He meets his old friend Isabel again in a music store. He invites her, but the appointment is disastrous. A little later, Vitus suffered another blow: his grandfather fell from the roof while covering the roof and is fatally injured in hospital. He gives Vitus a farewell letter for him and his parents. Vitus puts the letter in the mailbox and decides to help his parents out of financial difficulties. With the fortune of his deceased grandfather, he buys his father's bankrupt company. After the grandfather's death, Vitus' father is the only responsible descendant to inherit the business. In the letter, the parents learn, among other things, that Vitus' IQ is still at the originally measured 180.

Vitus decides to take the path his parents intended for him. He takes his grandfather's Pilatus PC-6 and flies to the piano teacher with whom he was originally supposed to audition. The film ends with Vitus, in the Zurich Tonhalle as soloist the Piano Concerto of Robert Schumann plays.

Filming

The film was shot in Switzerland, including in Waldegg Castle . The final sequence of the film in the Zurich Tonhalle was the first recording during the shooting of the film. There was a regular concert that evening, the last part of which was played by Teo Gheorghiu (Vitus). His appearance was filmed. All viewers were made aware of the filming when they bought their tickets and played for Murer extras.

Film music

criticism

The lexicon of international film praised the film as a "conventional, but effective and touchingly told story of an Incarnation with polished dialogues and impressive acting performances". Hans-Ulrich Pönack presented the film on Deutschlandradio Kultur as fun and great. The fact that “soul can be seen and felt wonderfully easily and atmospherically” does not degenerate into “kitsch, superficiality and boredom”, also because of the excellent actors.

Awards and nominations

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for Vitus . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , November 2006 (PDF; test number: 108 217 K).
  2. ↑ Age rating for Vitus . Youth Media Commission .
  3. ↑ imdb.com
  4. ↑ Vitus. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  5. ↑ Hans-Ulrich Pönack : Outsiders in focus , in: Deutschlandradio Kultur from December 20, 2006, accessed on March 23, 2015
  6. ^ Bieler Tagblatt of October 1, 2008, page 24
  7. ^ Vitus (Swiss German version) in the Hörfilm database of Hörfilm e. V.
  8. ↑ 8th German Audio Film Award 2010