Although he had planned another movie, but had to stop it because of his disease, "Beresina" is Daniel Schmid's last movie, and the feeling that he said good-bye to his homeland with this wonderful grotesque, leaves a very special feeling in the audience.
First, the biggest part of the crew are non-Swiss. Because he could come through as a Herr Sturzenegger from Niederbümpliz, even Hungarian actor Iván Darvas is in the movie and dubbed. Other good Swiss substitutes are, according to the director, Ivan Desny, Ulrich Noethen, Martin Benrath, Geraldine Chaplin and Joachim Tomaschewsky. Second, nobody speaks Swiss German in this movie, although from the scenery at least a big part was filmed in and around Zurich. Did the director take the following sentence that we hear in this movie for serious: "Every Swiss is a danger for the security of Switzerland"? Or did he want to prevent that his black comedy, which is crowded already with a lot of idiosyncratic Swiss prejudices, would glide down into ludicrousness? Whatever the reason may be - at the end, the attractive Russian call-girl Irina is crowned queen of Switzerland and the certificate in the credits guarantees us that Schmid's movie has been appreciate by the new Swiss regime.
I have rated this movie with the maximal number of points, although it is superficial slapstick that sucks from prejudices that have been applied so long that nobody really finds them funny anymore, at least not in Switzerland and in the neighboring states. However, Switzerland seems to have stayed the little Big Unknown in world history, and since this is one of the very few movies that has made it to the American audience, these prejudices from which the movies profits quite unrighteously, may not be known. On the other side, I am not fully convinced if all the typical Swiss jokes and allusions will be completely understood. The quality of directing is it what gives this movie the highest value.
First, the biggest part of the crew are non-Swiss. Because he could come through as a Herr Sturzenegger from Niederbümpliz, even Hungarian actor Iván Darvas is in the movie and dubbed. Other good Swiss substitutes are, according to the director, Ivan Desny, Ulrich Noethen, Martin Benrath, Geraldine Chaplin and Joachim Tomaschewsky. Second, nobody speaks Swiss German in this movie, although from the scenery at least a big part was filmed in and around Zurich. Did the director take the following sentence that we hear in this movie for serious: "Every Swiss is a danger for the security of Switzerland"? Or did he want to prevent that his black comedy, which is crowded already with a lot of idiosyncratic Swiss prejudices, would glide down into ludicrousness? Whatever the reason may be - at the end, the attractive Russian call-girl Irina is crowned queen of Switzerland and the certificate in the credits guarantees us that Schmid's movie has been appreciate by the new Swiss regime.
I have rated this movie with the maximal number of points, although it is superficial slapstick that sucks from prejudices that have been applied so long that nobody really finds them funny anymore, at least not in Switzerland and in the neighboring states. However, Switzerland seems to have stayed the little Big Unknown in world history, and since this is one of the very few movies that has made it to the American audience, these prejudices from which the movies profits quite unrighteously, may not be known. On the other side, I am not fully convinced if all the typical Swiss jokes and allusions will be completely understood. The quality of directing is it what gives this movie the highest value.