Werner Schweizer Movies
- 2010
Aspiring filmmaker David Sieveking had graduated from college and was wondering what to do next when heard that his favorite filmmaker, David Lynch, was hosting a conference on creativity in Iowa, and Sieveking flew in from his hometown of Berlin to attend. Sieveking soon discovered that Lynch's discussions of the creative process usually led to his passionate interest in Transcendental Meditation, the spiritual practice popularized in the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Curious about TM and the claims made for it -- including the assertion that certain practitioners can actually levitate while in a trance -- Sieveking signed up for training (at a cost of close to $3,000), and as he began to study TM and its rise in the west, the Maharishi died, and suddenly many high ranking figures in the TM movement were involved in a mad scramble over control of his empire. Sieveking chronicles his experiences with TM, the history of meditation in the West, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's checkered reputation and surprising business acumen, Sieveking's rocky relationship with his long-suffering girlfriend and his efforts to talk to David Lynch about TM in the documentary David Wants To Fly, which received its world premiere at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
After focusing on the sport of hockey in his award-winning 2000 documentary Home Game, German filmmaker Pepe Danquart turns his lens on the Tour de France in this film that explores the effects of suffering and loss on those who devote their entire existence to winning the world's most famous bike race. For the men who partake in this grueling ride, physical suffering is par for the course as they push their bodies to the breaking point and beyond in hopes of gaining both the fame and fortune that comes with being a winner. Despite their unyielding dedication, however, success in the race is never guaranteed. For these individuals who dream of being the first to cross the finish line, the endless hours of physical and mental preparation can either make or break them when the starting horn sounds and the true race begins. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lance Armstrong, Erik Zabel, (more)
- 2002
Von Werra is an offbeat documentary which, while investigating the life of a historical figure, also explores the fine line between fact and fiction. Franz Von Werra was an aviator from one of Switzerland's most provincial regions, Canton Valais. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he volunteered as a fighter pilot for the Luftwaffe and his exploits made him a darling of the Nazi press. When Von Werra was shot down over England, he managed to pull off a miraculous escape which was later recounted in the British film, The One That Got Away. The actor who played Von Werra, Hardy Kruger, serves as narrator and chief investigator here as he and director Werner Schweizer set out to discover the real man behind the legend, who was reported to have said: "making war was terribly entertaining". With the use of archive footage, written memoirs, and interviews, the lives of Von Werra and Kruger are scrutinized side-by-side as intertwined dramas about the making of history, and the exploiting of it. ~ Connor McMadden, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hardy Kruger, Marthe Rey-Von Werra, (more)
Eighteen years after his acclaimed 1984 documentary on Marlene Dietrich, actor/director Maximilian Schell has created another moving portrait of a German-speaking actress, this time his own sister. Meine Schwester Maria documents the rapid rise and decline of Maria Schell, the briefly beloved star of such films as Die Ratten and The Brothers Karamosov. Using excerpts of her feature films along with home movie footage, Schell explores the high points his sister's career throughout the 1950s, as well as the personal problems that cast her into obscurity only a decade later. The film offers quite a few emotional peaks, especially when an elderly Maria Schell goes before her brother's camera to speak candidly about her life, and a suicide attempt which she refers to as her "first death." ~ Connor McMadden, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maria Schell, Maximilian Schell, (more)
This film takes place in 1935 in a once-tranquil valley in the Black Forest, where Jewish cattle dealer Levi goes every year to do business. This year, he also wants to propose to Lisbeth Horger. But the valley seems to have changed. Workers from the National Railway are repairing damage in the train tunnel, and their presence has changed the spirit of the closed-off valley. The town hopes for an economic upswing, but the workers also introduce Nazi ideology. Farmer Horger will no longer sell his cattle to Jews. Swastika flags appear on the tables of the local pub. Someone slashes the tires of Levi's car. Nobody will defend Levi except Lisbeth, but the era does not favor their union. People are caught in the confrontation between the old and the new order; they end up doing things they don't really want to do. Thomas Strittmatter, author of the play on which the film is based, constructed the narrative from recollections of stories told by his family and neighbors about a Jewish cattle dealer, Levi. The theme of the film has universal qualities; the outsider and his wish to integrate are applicable to many contemporary ethnic conflicts. Viehjud Levi was screened at the International Forum of New Cinema section of the 49th Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bruno Cathomas, Caroline Ebner, (more)
- 1997
A dark and claustrophobic film, this brutal, tragic, gut-wrenching drama is set almost totally within the confines of a ship's cargo container that is only 25 square meters in size. It is the grim story of six ill-fated refugees trying to get to Canada from a port in France. The police are in hot pursuit when the septet of strangers are stowed away in the huge metal box. The refugees -- two men, two women and two children -- are of various backgrounds including Gypsy, Russian and Arab. The first of many problems occurs when a mother and daughter arrive with no food (they lost it during a chase). The one Russian refugee, Roman, declares that they should not be allowed to board the ship, but the other three refugees allow them in. Their ordeal begins when the ship breaks down in Liverpool. The layover is hard on the hidden party's food supply. Another breakdown at sea is disastrous, for everyone inside runs out of food and water. Their hunger, thirst and fear causes chaos amongst them, and violence erupts at different points. Finally they become so desperate that they decide they must escape the container or die. Unfortunately, if they succeed, a worse fate may await them on deck, for the ship's crew knows that their employer will face a $5,000 per head fine levied by the Canadian government for any illegal alien that is discovered on board their vessel. As a result, the crewmen have no qualms about doing whatever they want with their unwanted cargo. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ovidiu Balan, Moussa Maaskri, (more)
- 1997
Like their American counterparts, Communist leaders fueled Cold War fires though paranoia and terror that was not always reality-based. This documentary offers a provocative, complex portrait of a man whose political idealism blinded him to the fact that he was used as a scapegoat and a pawn in Soviet-sponsered witchhunt for captialist traitors. Noel Field was born in Switzerland, but was a U.S. citizen whose left-leaning tendencies led him to be assigned in various Eastern European diplomatic posts for the State Department. One of his major contributions was helping refugees escape Nazi Germany during the war. In 1949, he was ripped from his family and children by Hungarian and Soviet soldiers and taken to Budapest where he was accused of spying and interrogated. Hailing him an "imperialist master spy," Field was incarcerated for five years while many Party members were executed for having know him. Despite the cruelty and unfair treatment, Field remained a devoted communist until the late '60s. His fascinating story is told from the perspective of historians and those who knew him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.