Les héritiers

I increasingly find myself tending to veer away from the more commercial mainstream cinema in an effort to find films which have a story to tell. Catherine Deneuve's comments at this year's `Mostra' are still ringing in my ears – i.e. she complained of Hollywood cinema being dominated by special effects and hardly any story to go along with. I heartily agree; thus it was with expectancy I watched the Austrian-German production of `Die Siebtelbauern'. On the whole I would say the result was satisfying – perhaps not great cinema, but at least an interesting tale unfolds in an atypical circumstance. The fable leaves you with some philosophical points to ponder.

Seven workers on a farm, including even illiterates among them, inherit the farm the rich landowner leaves them at his death. Happy-go-lucky simple peasants begin to have problems in life, which previously they had never had, both among themselves and with other landed gentry of the district.

Considering that many of those taking part in the film are not really professional actors anyway, one should allow certain weaknesses to be overlooked: the story is intriguing, the photography is wonderful, and I at last find an anchor-base from which to be able to comprehend Erik Satie's music with an element of background reality, however allegorical it may be.

Well worth a watch, especially if you are not expecting highly-polished glamorous film-making; on the other hand, I would more highly recommend the Italian film `L'Albero degli Zoccoli' (1978) directed by Ermanno Olmi: a poetic rural tale with genuine amateur actors – an exceptional film.

When a farmer is murdered he unexpectedly wills his farm and all his belongings to his 10 peasants, 7 of which decide, even more unexpectedly, to keep the farm and try to run it themselves despite the scorn and outrage of the "legitimate" farmers. Thus, they become the "one-seventh farmers" in this second feature length movie by prominent Austrian writer/director Stefan Ruzowitzky. A beautifully made movie about class struggles, injustice and vain arrogance (among other things), Die Siebtelbauern is also not a film that unravels the way you'd like it too (thus, it isn't really for everyone). This is quite a bleak film, but it is also extremely engaging as you truly feel for the characters, who were all wonderfully acted. Also serving the film perfectly is its beautiful music, consisting mainly of haunting piano pieces which set the tone very well. Most amusing of all is a well-made nod by Ruzowitzky to First Blood (aka the first Rambo movie) towards the end of the film, which you're likely to appreciate if you've seen said film. All in all, while it isn't essential viewing, this is a splendidly crafted little film, very engaging, beautiful, realistic and dark, and at least on par with Ruzowitzky latest, the Oscar-winning WW2 prison film Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters).

The Inheritors (Die Siebtelbauern), as I remember it, was amusing and also thought-provoking about general socio-economic changes of the past two centuries or so that today many people in Western countries probably take for granted. Perhaps in vague way, it reminds me of an allegory such as Orwell's Animal Farm in the sense of seeing political theory in an intimate, emotional story rather than in some abstract manifesto.

While the film might not be the most "profound" work of art ever made, it nevertheless deserves a viewing. I say it is quite entertaining and in short, thumbs up.

As I watched "Die Siebentelbauern", I was reminded of the film, "Gosfard Park", with its theme of class struggles among the "helpers" or servants and the upper class at that time. In both films, the moral of not judging another person by their position within society, such as if they are a cook or maid, but viewing them for their true personality, is something which can and should be applied to today's world. In terms of a "real world" application, one could view the abuse of a employee by their bose similiar to the kind of abuse, which occured between some servants and masters. Class struggles exist today, just in a different light-the work world.

When an old "Bauer" is found dead, his highly unusual "last Will and Testament" puts in motion an avalanche of events, and many dirty old secrets are unearthed, causing an uproar in the small community of landowners and peasants.

This film offers many parallels to societies of various times. The basic element of two sets of justice, one for the (untouchable) upper class, and another for the little people, who have to accept whatever is dished out from above, can be likened to similar injustices happening to this very day.

The brutality of the wrongs committed to the innocent is often shown in graphic realism. Viewers should be mindful of this, to not be offended by any shocking scenes. Non-gratuitous, thus essential to plot development, the violence furthers the story line.

This film can be categorized as a tragedy, although a small glimmer of justice and hope for a better tomorrow is offered in the end. The occasional expressions of human decency and compassion are noteworthy. Only when others realize an injustice and show this by their acts of kindness towards the victims, can we be assured that a better future is before us. Internationally acclaimed, this film is well worth a watch!