Die schwarzen Brüder (2013)

Giorgio's poor parents sell their son to Milan to work as a chimney sweeper. There he joins the «Black Brothers».

Director:

Xavier Koller

Writers:

Fritjof Hohagen (screenplay), Klaus Richter (screenplay)

Stars:

Fynn Henkel, Moritz Bleibtreu, Waldemar Kobus

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Fynn Henkel	...	Giorgio
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Antonio Luini
Waldemar Kobus	...	Battista Rossi
Richy Müller	...	Pater Roberto
Oliver Ewy	...	Alfredo
Can Schneider	...	Dante
Javidan Imani	...	Antonio
Jasper Smets	...	Riccardo (as Jasper Smert)
Sergen Ecin	...	Luigi
Max Damisi	...	Marco (as Max André Damisi)
Andreas Warmbrunn	...	Anselmo
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ciro de Chiara	...	Meister Spitzbart
Ruby O. Fee	...	Angeletta
Robin Gorges	...	Katze
Julian Graupner

Storyline

Up until the middle of the 19th century, poverty stricken mountain farmers from the Ticino area of Switzerland frequently sold their children to Milan as chimney sweeps or spazzacamini. That is also young Giorgio's fate. He is forced to climb through pitch black chimneys, flinging down the soot with his bare hands. But he does not lose heart. Together with his buddies sharing in the same misery, he establishes the association of Black Brothers. They stick together, struggling against their penury and getting involved in fights with the street gangs of Milan. The film tells of the gripping adventures of the chimney sweep boys and their spectacular escape back to their native land.

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany Switzerland

Language:

German Italian Latin

Release Date:

17 April 2014 (Germany)

Also Known As:

I fratelli neri

Filming Locations:

Westhoven, Cologne, Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enigma Film, Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Herold Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color (ACES)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Moritz Bleibtreu stars as Antonio Luini in this screen version of the story. His mother, Monica Bleibtreu (deceased in 2009), played the role of Signora Rossi in the 1983 TV-Series.

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Connections

Remake of Die schwarzen Brüder (1984)

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Soundtracks

Die schwarzen Brüder
(uncredited)

User Reviews

Seeing through it

A predictable kids tale if there is one. But it's not that bad, even though one of the most charismatic German actors has to be as one-sided as I have ever seen him (talking about Moritz Bleibtreu). But it's not his movie or his story as it is more about the young boys who had to endure a lot early on in their lives.

The film is based on a book which is based on real life events from "back in the day". That makes the story interesting, but the weight seems to have been a bit too much to carry (no pun intended). While there are quite a few moments that will shock you or generally get you caught up in the moment, the overall sense is that something is missing. You can't blame the kids too much and the movie kind of decent, if you like those sort of movies