This quotation from Karl Marx could be applied to "Es Dach überem Chopf" (pronounced like "Ess Takh uber em Khop-f", but with soft "kh"), one of the so-called Old Swiss movies that has been directed by Kurt Früh. It depicts in Früh's typical radical way the life of the very poor family Caduff, father (Zarli Carigiet), mother (Valerie Steinmann) and their six children. Father has just lost his job in a plant, drinks, mother does not know where to get money for food and household, children are staying away from school or bringing bad degrees home. The family lives in a so-called Notbau, a wooden stall, where the light turns periodically out, unless someone throws one Swiss Frank (a lot in the 60ies) into the light automaton, otherwise there is darkness.
Kurt Früh's movies bring light in this darkness, because they are miracle-movies. Like "Hinter den sieben Gleisen", this one, too, belongs to his donquixotish and self-tormentingly engaged protests against a world in which the poor and mavericks are forgotten. In "Es Dach überem Chopf", the wonder happens in the person of Mr. Frehner, a reckless realty-capitalist whose exclusive interest consists in squeezing out his tenants by high rents. However, in one of his houses, there lives the couple Eidenbenz which are complaining constantly about their neighbors upstairs. So, Fehner comes to the idea to get rid of the couple Eidenbenz by offering the "gypsy" family Caduff the apartment above the Eidenbenz'. He is convinced that even in the new house, they will continue to be loud and dirty.
However, the opposite happens: Social being determines consciousness, or: How I feel, so I behave. Father stops drinking, mother has enough money because they rent their room in the attic, children are behaving appropriately. House-owner Mr. Frehner is raging with fury: his trick failed. He sends the Family Caduff a notice to leave the apartment, just as a Christmas gift. However, the old couple Eidenbenz have realized what is going on. Behind the back of Mr. Frehner they tell the whole story, how the family Caduff has been misused by Frehner, to Mrs. Weber, whose rich husband has a very big commission for an expensive building which he is not willing to give to the company of Mr. Frehner, unless he lets the family Caduff in their apartment ... .
The film is shot in the Zurich of the early 60ies, everyone who has lived there recognizes the places and how they looked almost half a century ago, so Kurt Früh's movies have a strong documentary character, too. Finally, a hint for Swiss film historians: The "mysterious" villa where the young Bruno Ganz and the breathtakingly beautiful Erika Halm (what happened out of her??) meet is the still existing Villa Cloetta at Plattenstrasse 58 in 8032 Zurich.
Kurt Früh's movies bring light in this darkness, because they are miracle-movies. Like "Hinter den sieben Gleisen", this one, too, belongs to his donquixotish and self-tormentingly engaged protests against a world in which the poor and mavericks are forgotten. In "Es Dach überem Chopf", the wonder happens in the person of Mr. Frehner, a reckless realty-capitalist whose exclusive interest consists in squeezing out his tenants by high rents. However, in one of his houses, there lives the couple Eidenbenz which are complaining constantly about their neighbors upstairs. So, Fehner comes to the idea to get rid of the couple Eidenbenz by offering the "gypsy" family Caduff the apartment above the Eidenbenz'. He is convinced that even in the new house, they will continue to be loud and dirty.
However, the opposite happens: Social being determines consciousness, or: How I feel, so I behave. Father stops drinking, mother has enough money because they rent their room in the attic, children are behaving appropriately. House-owner Mr. Frehner is raging with fury: his trick failed. He sends the Family Caduff a notice to leave the apartment, just as a Christmas gift. However, the old couple Eidenbenz have realized what is going on. Behind the back of Mr. Frehner they tell the whole story, how the family Caduff has been misused by Frehner, to Mrs. Weber, whose rich husband has a very big commission for an expensive building which he is not willing to give to the company of Mr. Frehner, unless he lets the family Caduff in their apartment ... .
The film is shot in the Zurich of the early 60ies, everyone who has lived there recognizes the places and how they looked almost half a century ago, so Kurt Früh's movies have a strong documentary character, too. Finally, a hint for Swiss film historians: The "mysterious" villa where the young Bruno Ganz and the breathtakingly beautiful Erika Halm (what happened out of her??) meet is the still existing Villa Cloetta at Plattenstrasse 58 in 8032 Zurich.
