Leopold Biberti Movies

Meant to memorialize the legendary 13th century Swiss hero Wilhelm Tell (William to English-speakers), this costume drama by novice director Michel Dickoff does not do justice to the legend.The uneven story relates how Gessler (Wolfgang Rottsieper) the governor over the general area of Switzerland, set up a pole with a hat in Austrian colors right in the center of Altdorf square. Everyone had to bow to the hat and when William Tell (Robert Freitag) refuses, Gessler orders him to shoot an apple off his son's head at 50 paces, or he would be executed. Even when the famed marksman succeeds in this legendary shot, he is still condemned to prison. A boat is prepared to take him across Lake Lucerne to the jail. Gessler and others get on board and before long, a high south wind comes up and threatens to capsize the craft. The story continues with the saga, as Tell's exploits take him into history as a key figure in Swiss independence. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The sketchy plot and cliched dialogue in this uneven drama about rescue in the Alps are more than balanced by the daredevil, visually evocative, and challenging footage of men and planes converging on the victims of a mountaineering accident. Several people from various parts of Europe have joined a particularly challenging tour that takes them through dangerous areas in the Swiss Alps. Everything is going well until they are trapped in a glacier and some are killed, others are injured, and they need help to get out alive. As the search parties and planes approach, the danger is far from over. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Uli der Paechter (Uli the Tenant) is the sequel to the 1955 Swiss film hit Uli the Servant. Both films are based on a character created by Jeremias Gotthelf, and both had also served as the basis of the popular European radio series. Hannes Schmidhauser returns as Uli, a young, recently married tenant farmer. Uli and his wife (Liselotte Pulver) run into a streak of bad luck, which not only nearly destroys their farm but also their previously unquenchable spirit. Fortunately, things improve in the last few reels, enough to encourage distribution of Uli der Paechter in America, where happy endings were still de rigeur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the few Swiss-produced films of the 1940s to gain an international release, Last Chance was distributed in the US by MGM. The film stars E.G. Morrison, John Hoy and Ray Reagan as three American officers who come to the aid of a group of Italian refugees. Tension mounts as the officers do their utmost to see their charges safely over the Alps. If the names of the leading actors seem unfamiliar to you, that's because they weren't actors, but genuine Allied pilots who'd been shot down near Switzerland and who agreed to appear in this film before being mustered out. Similarly, the refugees are the genuine article. Last Chance's enthusiasm and sincerity compensates for any lack of polish or skill among the amateur performers. The dialogue is spoken in several languages, requiring the film to be subtitled in every country where it was released. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide