Jenatsch (film)
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Martin Suter
| Jenatsch | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Daniel Schmid |
| Written by | Daniel Schmid Martin Suter |
| Produced by | Luciano Gloor |
| Starring | Vittorio Mezzogiorno |
| Cinematography | Renato Berta |
| Edited by | Daniela Roderer |
| Music by | Pino Donaggio |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries | Switzerland France |
| Language | French |
Jenatsch is a 1987 French-Swiss drama film directed by Daniel Schmid and written by Schmid and Martin Suter. It follows a journalist whose investigation into the historical figure Jürg Jenatsch leads him into a disorienting overlap of past and present. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival and later screened at festivals including La Rochelle, Neuchâtel, Buenos Aires, and Ankara.[1][2]
Sprecher, a journalist living with his girlfriend Nina, interviews an elderly anthropologist who once supervised the excavation of Jenatsch’s grave. After taking a small brass bell, he discovers that it can take him back in time. As Sprecher’s life becomes increasingly taken over by Jenatsch, his relationship with Nina falls apart and he is drawn into a violent confrontation.[1]
Cast
- Michel Voïta as Christoph
- Christine Boisson as Nina
- Jean Bouise as Tobler
- Laura Betti as Miss von Planta
- Vittorio Mezzogiorno as Jenatsch
- Carole Bouquet as Lucrezia
- Raul Gimenez as Taxi Driver
- Roland Bertin as Priest
- Teco Celio as Historian
Production
The film was not a direct adaptation of Conrad Ferdinand Meyer’s novel Jürg Jenatsch. Martin Suter instead wrote a new story loosely based on the novel and the historical events.[5]
Reception
Filmdienst described the film as an elegantly staged and photographed dream play, but found that it ultimately drifted into something too non-committal.[3]