How well told the Film “Zwingli” story?
How good of a movie, decide Yes once the spectator, and the film scholar. As a historian, the careful references to images from the 15, I noticed the recognition effects. and 16. Century. Zwingli, looks at the crucial Points of the film, just as his painted portrait. Since the makers were very precise: it is exactly the right hat, just the strict Black. As a film narrative Zwingli is organised according to very strict visual rules: The Reformation is a social and transparent, and black-and-white dressed. All the Reformed in the movie to dress like that, and with three or four exceptions, they are all young and good-looking. Their opponents, the corrupt Catholics, wearing Red and Gold, are significantly older, more wrinkled and look not nearly as good.
Above all, they are fat …
Yes, the old stereotype of the lecherous and schlemm ends of the cleric is to be implemented very consistently. Remember the scene with the Bishop of Konstanz, in the luxurious robe, biting into the chicken leg, and at the same time about bloody revenge and conspiracy with Habsburg think of: Since the Film is in a venerable Tradition of controversial theology, directly from the propaganda images of the Reformed churches from the 16th century. Century.
Drama is controversy and confrontation. Maybe it is a carved bit of wood. That would be a falsification?
no, this is just a movie. Each game film has a Problem with the mediation of the historical context. He has only the dialogues to build up tension and to characterize the characters. At the same time, these dialogues need to include the whole of the background information – and on top of that original deliver, namely quotes from the many extant sermons and pamphlets of Zwingli. Because of the large effort. In the Film the sound but often somewhat grotesque. A occurs, speak a few pithy words, and then goes again.
“at the time, the gender of God share cursed, and that was still harmless.”
you to teaching?
Pretty much. Especially everything that doesn’t fit in the self-image of the reformed Church of their own founding 500 years ago, is omitted, consistently. There’s a historical image of the 19th century. Century visualized, with which the past is subsequently to be put in order. There is in the Film, wonderfully researched Details to each of the images, and furnishings and decorations. And at the same time a loud omissions.
For example?
I have worked on corruption and politics at the time of Zwingli. I noticed that the Film is a sharp, bawdy, and obscene everyday language of the 16th century. Century censored strictly. The at the time, the gender of God share cursed, and that was still harmless. The political language in Zurich in the year 1519, was to such an extent coarse and sexualized, that we can hardly imagine today! Political opponents have accused of letting foreign money birds of donors – none of this in the movie!
And apart from the curses?
is spoken Each Time the Bible is quoted in high German, otherwise one hears throughout the movie, only the TV-Swiss German. But never Italian or French, and that the historical reality does not match. The then-Confederation was full of Italian and French business people and diplomats. The brought the big money. Italy and France were the sources of pleasure and luxury, and in the argument of Zwingli, which plays a very important role: all omitted. Since this Film is a Zurich-based home movie and want to be.
Video “Zwingli” to the movies last Tuesday, the Film had its Premiere in Zurich cinema Corso. Video: SDA/Webvideo Tamedia
you have reservations about the language melody, and the historic atmosphere of the film. He is too easy?
Yes, because he can’t show or wants, such as foreign, shocking and exotic to our past, 500 years ago. The extreme social differences were, how dirty, Zurich was – and how colored. The streets and the house facades full of Graffiti and store signs, and much more colorful than the gray-and-white decorated, the original locations of the Film shows. Again, this is the historical image of the 19th century. Century of the virtuous simple past. Zurich at the beginning of the 16th century. Century must be thought of as Bern or Basel, very colorful, full of advertising for money-changers and the weapons dealer, such as an Afghan Bazaar in the rain.
Colored as a political and religious life of the world?
Also, the. The Film shows a dark, greyish middle ages with a lot of fog, and this fog-veiled, what does not fit in. For me, it also shows the difficulties that the authors with the pleasure of the 16. Century had. It looks like Zurich would have been reformed already. Hardly Zwingli, 1519, remains not in the least bit Catholic. And according to him, no religious conflict, as the guy claims. This is historically simply false. I am amazed that such a clearly moral daughter of history is staged in the year 2019 so without irony.
How was it really?
The real story of the everyday life in the Protestant Reformation and the ratio of the Confederation of the Mercenaries, this great exchange and source of income for over 300 years, were much more interesting and contradictory than the Film shows. The Central political Problem of these years is the corruption and the dependence of the Switzerland of foreign money. In the Film, plays a much smaller role than the Catholic indulgences dealer: In reality, it was exactly Vice versa. All of this, what in the 16th century. Century was associated with pleasure and luxury, the dirty-earned wealth, the mayor and the Soldunternehmer literally on the body wore, which is not present in the Film.
“The jewelry, the brocades and silks, the prostitutes, the oranges, the Sugar, the wines, the luxury art – all that the Film shows.”
In Zwingli’s texts?
Yes, it speaks of the blood of their own Relatives, the swells from the fine red coats. The quote of the movie, not the coats. And not even the glittering jewelry, the Venetian brocades and silks, the prostitutes, the oranges, the Sugar, the Italian wines, the luxury of art. As a historian, I regret that. Because the Confederation was at that time a part of what we call the Renaissance, Zwingli was a contemporary of Holbein, Raphael, and Machiavelli.
type in “Zwingli” little chances to exist scientifically.
He would have been able to avail more opportunities. Then he would be but certainly not for twelve-year-old, but only starting from 16 years permitted.
Can you ask of a movie, really anything you are missing?
Our Job as historians is to do something about the reality of the past to find out. Movies, however, have their own dramatic rules, you need a love story and a Drama of heroic probation. But these narrative patterns are also forced. “Zwingli” is forced, in contrast to the historical reality, to be limited to a Set of identifiable main characters in recognizable places: The Hero, his beloved, the best friend, the evil enemy, and the unreliable friends, in this case, the the Anabaptists. That should be enough, otherwise you overwhelmed the audience.
Video of The Trailer for “Zwingli” the film adaptation of The story of Huldrych Zwingli, Max Simonischek. Video: Ascot elite
Any movie based on history have to omit Important.
Or compress, this is the second Convention: the Film as time-lapse. It must happen very much in a narrow time window, so that we can experience as a spectator is about the love story in the right dramatic context. But in terms of the Reformation, which lasted from Zwingli’s first sermon until his death just two hours, but for twelve years, can’t organize a Film such compression probably. As a historian, you can’t say actually, only a Pity that certain things would be strange and interesting occurrences.
Would you recommend to “Zwingli,” your students as an introduction to the history of the reformation anyway?
I’d Rather not. The Film, for example, Martin Luther show up only as a marginal figure. The Reformation was an extremely wide European movement, a multilingual media phenomenon. In the Film, she appears as only Zurich matter. I think that the creators of knowledge, who have done their historical homework well-behaved. But they wanted to turn the historic movie. But over the past that would have had on the reformed Church of today, in the year 2019. An anniversary film, which provides an optimized Foundation history.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 21.01.2019, 06:43 PM
