Beresina oder Die letzten Tage der Schweiz (1999)

Director:

Daniel Schmid

Writer:

Martin Suter (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 1999 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Fetish | Assassination | Switzerland | Coup D'état | Money Laundering

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Elena Panova	...	Irina
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Charlotte De
Martin Benrath	...	Alt-Divisionär Sturzenegger
Ulrich Noethen	...	Dr. Alfred Waldvogel
Iván Darvas	...	Direktor Vetterli
Marina Confalone	...	Benedetta Hösli
Stefan Kurt	...	Claude Bürki
Hans-Peter Korff	...	Nationalrat Tschanz
Joachim Tomaschewsky	...	Alt Bundesrat von Gunten
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ulrich Beck
Ivan Desny	...	Rudolf Stauffacher
Schuyler Landolt
Hilde Ziegler	...	Frau Vetterli

Directed by
Daniel Schmid

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Martin Suter		writer

Produced by
Karl Baumgartner	....	co-producer
Marcel Hoehn	....	producer
Michael Seeber	....	co-producer
Heinz Stussak	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Carl Hänggi

Cinematography by
Renato Berta

Film Editing by
Daniela Roderer

Production Design by
Kathrin Brunner

Costume Design by
Birgit Hutter

Makeup Department
Thomas Nellen	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Antje Paul Leinberger	....	executive in charge of production (as Antje Paul)
Peter Spoerri	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marcel Just	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Thérèse Traber	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Sören Blüthgen	....	foley recordist
Günther Friedhoff	....	sound technician
Stefan Korte	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kai Storck	....	sound re-recording mixer assistant
Luc Yersin	....	sound
Guido Zettier	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Demmer	....	key grip
Tom Meyer	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Catherine Schneider	....	wardrobe

Production Companies

• Cinema Projects GmbH
• Pandora Filmproduktion
• Prisma Film
• T&C Film AG

Distributors

• Pegasos Film (2000) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinequest Distribution (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Connaissance du Cinéma (France)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ruhr Sound Studios  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

"The Last Days of Switzerland" - Hong Kong (English title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Switzerland | Germany | Austria

Language:

German | Swiss German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:U | Germany:12 (f) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Cinema Projects GmbH

A political burlesque with a vengeance

This is by far the funniest Swiss movie to hit the screens since decades, maybe with the sad exception of Thomas Koerfer's "Green Henry" - where all the puns were unintentional. The plot of "Beresina" is so original that no word should be lost about it in front of anyone who intends seeing the movie. The acting is superb throughout, with newcomer Elena Panova carrying the whole film on her shoulders with amazing ease. Still, this doesn't mean "Beresina" is a perfect satire. Schmid is not a comedy director by nature, and sometimes the film suffers from the maker's conviction that any kind of overstatement or repetition is funny in its own right. Furthermore, the strong focus on national themes will hardly allow the film to travel very far. However, what finally matters here is that Swiss cinema has been in need of a vital injection for a very long time, and that this movie is doubtlessly it.