“Rise of the Raven,” the anticipated European event series from Beta Film, behind “Babylon Berlin” and “The Swarm,” and producer Robert Lantos, will world premiere at Cannes content trade fair Mipcom on Oct. 22.
Beta Film has shared in exclusivity with Variety a first teaser to the series, which is a bracing introduction to the scale and ambition of “Rise of the Raven’s” production values, as well as the brutality of its battles scenes as it tells in an 10-part epic the extraordinary real-life feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who turned back the tide of the Ottoman Empire’s seemingly unstoppable advance into Europe.
This looks set to climax in the series as in history in 1456 when Hunyadi won a bloody Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were sometimes armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.
Beta Film has shared in exclusivity with Variety a first teaser to the series, which is a bracing introduction to the scale and ambition of “Rise of the Raven’s” production values, as well as the brutality of its battles scenes as it tells in an 10-part epic the extraordinary real-life feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who turned back the tide of the Ottoman Empire’s seemingly unstoppable advance into Europe.
This looks set to climax in the series as in history in 1456 when Hunyadi won a bloody Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were sometimes armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.
- 9/5/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film, the powerhouse behind hits like ‘Babylon Berlin,’ has just given us a sneak peek at their latest project, ‘Rise of the Raven.’ Thanks to Variety, we got our hands on an exclusive first-look image of this 10-part series. They’re calling it one of the grandest European TV productions ever, and that’s saying something.
The story is a labor of love for Robert Lantos, a producer with roots in Hungary and Canada. You might know him from big titles like ‘Eastern Promises’ and ‘Barney’s Version.’ ‘Rise of the Raven’ is his latest passion project, and it’s shaping up to be something special.
This series dives into the life of Janos Hunyadi, a Hungarian army commander. With the actor Gellért L. Kádár bringing Hunyadi to life, we’re taken back to 1456. That’s when Hunyadi pulled off an incredible win at the Battle of Belgrade against a much larger Ottoman army.
The story is a labor of love for Robert Lantos, a producer with roots in Hungary and Canada. You might know him from big titles like ‘Eastern Promises’ and ‘Barney’s Version.’ ‘Rise of the Raven’ is his latest passion project, and it’s shaping up to be something special.
This series dives into the life of Janos Hunyadi, a Hungarian army commander. With the actor Gellért L. Kádár bringing Hunyadi to life, we’re taken back to 1456. That’s when Hunyadi pulled off an incredible win at the Battle of Belgrade against a much larger Ottoman army.
- 2/27/2024
- by Hrvoje Milakovic
- Fiction Horizon
European giant Beta Film, known for ambitious titles such as “Babylon Berlin” and “The Swarm,” has shared with Variety in exclusivity a first-look picture of 1o-part series “Rise of the Raven,” which it hails as “one of the most epic European TV productions of all time.”
“Rise of the Raven” weighs in as a passion project of Hungarian-born and Canada-based producer Robert Lantos, behind “Sunshine,” “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Barney’s Version,” “Eastern Promises” and “Crimes of the Future.”
A highlight at Beta Film’s showcase this Tuesday at the London TV Screenings, “Rise of the Raven” turns on the extraordinary feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who in 1456 won a bloody, brutal Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were often farm labourers armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.
Hunyadi largely halted a full Ottoman...
“Rise of the Raven” weighs in as a passion project of Hungarian-born and Canada-based producer Robert Lantos, behind “Sunshine,” “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Barney’s Version,” “Eastern Promises” and “Crimes of the Future.”
A highlight at Beta Film’s showcase this Tuesday at the London TV Screenings, “Rise of the Raven” turns on the extraordinary feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who in 1456 won a bloody, brutal Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were often farm labourers armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.
Hunyadi largely halted a full Ottoman...
- 2/27/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Principal photography is underway near Budapest on “Rise of the Raven,” an epic drama series produced by veteran Canadian producer Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes of the Future”) and Beta Film (“Gomorrah”) that marks the most lavish TV production in Hungary’s history.
Adapted from author Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-episode series tells the story of the Hungarian warrior Janos Hunyadi, who defeated the Ottoman army in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade, halting its march across Europe.
Lantos, whose producing credits include “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Eastern Promises,” spoke exclusively with Variety about a passion project more than a decade in the making. He was joined by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Robert Dornhelm and Hungarian directors Attila Szász and Orsi Nagypal, who joined the conversation fresh off shooting an epic battle sequence outside Budapest.
The Hungarian-born Lantos, who was in Cannes this year with David Cronenberg...
Adapted from author Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-episode series tells the story of the Hungarian warrior Janos Hunyadi, who defeated the Ottoman army in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade, halting its march across Europe.
Lantos, whose producing credits include “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Eastern Promises,” spoke exclusively with Variety about a passion project more than a decade in the making. He was joined by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Robert Dornhelm and Hungarian directors Attila Szász and Orsi Nagypal, who joined the conversation fresh off shooting an epic battle sequence outside Budapest.
The Hungarian-born Lantos, who was in Cannes this year with David Cronenberg...
- 8/9/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
ITV Studios Strikes Major CBC Content Deal
ITV Studios has struck a major scripted and non-scripted content deal with Canadian network CBC as the London Screenings approaches. The deal includes BBC drama Showtrial from ITV Studios-backed Line of Duty producer World Productions, the second series of Kelsey Munro’s Bump, Paramount+’s Australian comedy Spreadsheet, adult animation Ten Year Old Tom and Swedish procedural Thin Blue Line. On the non-scripted side, CBC has taken British factual titles such as Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs and The Queen Unseen. The Canadian network has also extended its deal to air ITV soap Coronation Street. “This is a top notch list of amazing scripted and factual titles from across the globe,” said Craig Bohland, ITV Studios’ Vice President Sales, Canada. The deal comes as ITV Studios gears up for next week’s London Screenings, which will feature major distributors pitching shows...
ITV Studios has struck a major scripted and non-scripted content deal with Canadian network CBC as the London Screenings approaches. The deal includes BBC drama Showtrial from ITV Studios-backed Line of Duty producer World Productions, the second series of Kelsey Munro’s Bump, Paramount+’s Australian comedy Spreadsheet, adult animation Ten Year Old Tom and Swedish procedural Thin Blue Line. On the non-scripted side, CBC has taken British factual titles such as Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs and The Queen Unseen. The Canadian network has also extended its deal to air ITV soap Coronation Street. “This is a top notch list of amazing scripted and factual titles from across the globe,” said Craig Bohland, ITV Studios’ Vice President Sales, Canada. The deal comes as ITV Studios gears up for next week’s London Screenings, which will feature major distributors pitching shows...
- 2/22/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Beta Film CEO Jan Mojto was in his twenties when he left his native Slovakia in the 1970s, embarking on a career as a journalist before joining the German media giant Kirch Group and finally taking the reins of the Munich-based independent in 2004. Nearly half a century later, the 73-year-old admits a part of him has never left. “Obviously, there is a piece of [my] heart there,” he tells Variety.
It would be a stretch, however, to write off Beta Film’s growing investment in Central and Eastern Europe as nostalgia on the part of its venerable head. For a company that partners with and holds stakes in production companies across Europe, such moves are a natural extension of a strategy that has helped it evolve into one of the continent’s more formidable production and distribution powerhouses, behind the strength of titles like “Gomorrah” and “Babylon Berlin.”
“The market [in Central and Eastern Europe] is developing very rapidly,...
It would be a stretch, however, to write off Beta Film’s growing investment in Central and Eastern Europe as nostalgia on the part of its venerable head. For a company that partners with and holds stakes in production companies across Europe, such moves are a natural extension of a strategy that has helped it evolve into one of the continent’s more formidable production and distribution powerhouses, behind the strength of titles like “Gomorrah” and “Babylon Berlin.”
“The market [in Central and Eastern Europe] is developing very rapidly,...
- 9/8/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes Of The Future”) and Beta Film are joining forces on “Rise of the Raven” (working title), a big-budget epic drama series about Janos Hunyadi, a fearless warrior who defeated the vast Ottoman army and defended Europe in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade.
Based on Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-hour series will be showrun by award-winning director George Mihalka who will also direct the final three episodes. Mihalka’s drama credits include NBC’s “The Firm,” TNT’s “Transporter: The Series” and Showtime’s “Bullet to Beijing.” He’s also the recipient of the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robert Dornhelm, whose most recent TV series include “Vienna Blood” with Matthew Beard and “Maria Theresa,” will direct the first two episodes of “Rise of the Raven.” Dornhelm previously directed Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions such as “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” with Sir Ben Kingsley,...
Based on Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-hour series will be showrun by award-winning director George Mihalka who will also direct the final three episodes. Mihalka’s drama credits include NBC’s “The Firm,” TNT’s “Transporter: The Series” and Showtime’s “Bullet to Beijing.” He’s also the recipient of the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robert Dornhelm, whose most recent TV series include “Vienna Blood” with Matthew Beard and “Maria Theresa,” will direct the first two episodes of “Rise of the Raven.” Dornhelm previously directed Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions such as “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” with Sir Ben Kingsley,...
- 7/16/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film has closed multiple pre-sales deals on “Atlantic Crossing,” the prestige Norwegian period drama starring Sofia Helin (“The Bridge”) as Crown Princess Märtha, and Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”) as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, ahead of its world premiere at Canneseries and Mipcom.
Sales have been struck with Italy’s Rai and Deutsche Telekom’s Magenta TV for Germany and Austria, as well as with France’ Chérie 25. The series was produced by leading Norwegian banner Cinenord for public broadcaster Nrk, and was co-produced by Beta Film, Svt and Dr.
“Atlantic Crossing” was also snatched up for Russia (more.tv), the Australian public broadcaster Sbs, Greece and
Cyprus (Forthnet) and across Eastern Europe, including Lithuania (Lrt). The event series is competing at Canneseries and will bow on Nrk on Oct. 26.
Directed by Alexander Eik (“Cold Feet”), “Atlantic Crossing” tells the riveting untold story of the Norwegian Crown Princess who became...
Sales have been struck with Italy’s Rai and Deutsche Telekom’s Magenta TV for Germany and Austria, as well as with France’ Chérie 25. The series was produced by leading Norwegian banner Cinenord for public broadcaster Nrk, and was co-produced by Beta Film, Svt and Dr.
“Atlantic Crossing” was also snatched up for Russia (more.tv), the Australian public broadcaster Sbs, Greece and
Cyprus (Forthnet) and across Eastern Europe, including Lithuania (Lrt). The event series is competing at Canneseries and will bow on Nrk on Oct. 26.
Directed by Alexander Eik (“Cold Feet”), “Atlantic Crossing” tells the riveting untold story of the Norwegian Crown Princess who became...
- 10/11/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
English actor Ben Cross, best known for playing British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 Oscar-winning “Chariots Of Fire” and Sarek in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot has died at 72 in Vienna, according to a report in the Austrian Newspaper, der Kurier. The newspaper said he had been diagnosed with cancer and was in Vienna for treatment.
Cross also starred as the villainous Prince Malagant in 1995’s “First Knight” opposite Richard Gere, Sean Connery, and Julia Ormond.
Born in London in 1947, his credits include “Great Expectations” (1947), “Turbulence” (1997) and “Die Bibel – Salomon” (1997), as well as “Chariots of Fire,” which won Best Picture at the Oscars in 1982. Based on the story of two British track athletes who compete in the 1924 Olympics, Cross starred in the Oscar winning film alongside Ian Holm, and John Gielgud.
Also Read: Noah Hawley's 'Star Trek' Put on Hold at Paramount
“I had the great privilege...
Cross also starred as the villainous Prince Malagant in 1995’s “First Knight” opposite Richard Gere, Sean Connery, and Julia Ormond.
Born in London in 1947, his credits include “Great Expectations” (1947), “Turbulence” (1997) and “Die Bibel – Salomon” (1997), as well as “Chariots of Fire,” which won Best Picture at the Oscars in 1982. Based on the story of two British track athletes who compete in the 1924 Olympics, Cross starred in the Oscar winning film alongside Ian Holm, and John Gielgud.
Also Read: Noah Hawley's 'Star Trek' Put on Hold at Paramount
“I had the great privilege...
- 8/18/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez and Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Austrian broadcaster Orf and Germany’s Zdf have commissioned a three-episode season two for period crime drama “Vienna Blood,” produced by Endor Productions — a Red Arrow Studios company — and Mr Film. After successful season one runs in the U.S. and U.K., both PBS and BBC Two are on board as well.
Screenwriter Steve Thompson returns to continue adapting Frank Tallis’ best-selling books. Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Robert Dornhelm (“Anne Frank: The Whole Story”) will lead direct.
Production is scheduled to begin on location in Austria next month with stars Matthew Bared and Jurgen Maurer returning to their roles as Doctor Max Liebermann and detective Oskar Reinhardt, who together investigate a series of unusual murders in the Austrian capital city.
Season one was BBC Two’s second best-performing drama of 2019, while episode one was Orf’s top-rated Friday-night broadcast of the year. The series is also broadcast in France,...
Screenwriter Steve Thompson returns to continue adapting Frank Tallis’ best-selling books. Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Robert Dornhelm (“Anne Frank: The Whole Story”) will lead direct.
Production is scheduled to begin on location in Austria next month with stars Matthew Bared and Jurgen Maurer returning to their roles as Doctor Max Liebermann and detective Oskar Reinhardt, who together investigate a series of unusual murders in the Austrian capital city.
Season one was BBC Two’s second best-performing drama of 2019, while episode one was Orf’s top-rated Friday-night broadcast of the year. The series is also broadcast in France,...
- 7/6/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Vienna Blood, the adaptation of Frank Tallis’ novels, has been renewed for a second season by Germany’s Zdf and Austria’s Orf, while BBC Two and PBS have again come aboard the drama series.
Red Arrow Studios-owned Endor Productions and Austria’s Mr Film will produce another three feature-length episodes, with Sherlock writer Steve Thompson and Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) again writing and directing respectively.
The first series starred Matthew Beard as central character Max Liebermann, the protégé of Sigmund Freud, and was set in 1900s Vienna. When Liebermann comes into contact with Oskar Rheinhardt, played by Tatort’s Juergen Maurer, a detective struggling with a strange murder case, he is called to help him solve the investigation.
Vienna Blood Season 2 will go into production in Vienna next month and will premiere next year. Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm are the producers for Mr Film, while...
Red Arrow Studios-owned Endor Productions and Austria’s Mr Film will produce another three feature-length episodes, with Sherlock writer Steve Thompson and Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) again writing and directing respectively.
The first series starred Matthew Beard as central character Max Liebermann, the protégé of Sigmund Freud, and was set in 1900s Vienna. When Liebermann comes into contact with Oskar Rheinhardt, played by Tatort’s Juergen Maurer, a detective struggling with a strange murder case, he is called to help him solve the investigation.
Vienna Blood Season 2 will go into production in Vienna next month and will premiere next year. Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm are the producers for Mr Film, while...
- 7/6/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Berlin — Underscoring its ambitions for Central and Eastern Europe, “Babylon Berlin” and “Gomorrah’s” Beta Film has just taken a majority stake in Zagreb-based Drugi Plan, producers of Netflix pick-up “The Paper” and “Success,” HBO Europe’s first HBO Adria original.
The investment builds on Beta Film owner Jan Mojto’s determination to plow ever more into production and target shows, companies and regions with international potential, endowing them with international level financial resources to realize their potential.
Beta Film has begun to build up a portfolio of Eastern European productions, joining forces with HBO Europe on Agnieszka Holland’s multiple-prized “Burning Bush” as well as “Wasteland, with Robert Dornhelm on “Maria Theresa,” and Dariusz Jablonski on “The Pleasure Principle,” the first co-production between Poland, Czech Republic and Ukraine, showcased at Series Mania.
A Munich-based production, financing and distribution powerhouse, Beta Film already linked up with Drugi Plan on projects...
The investment builds on Beta Film owner Jan Mojto’s determination to plow ever more into production and target shows, companies and regions with international potential, endowing them with international level financial resources to realize their potential.
Beta Film has begun to build up a portfolio of Eastern European productions, joining forces with HBO Europe on Agnieszka Holland’s multiple-prized “Burning Bush” as well as “Wasteland, with Robert Dornhelm on “Maria Theresa,” and Dariusz Jablonski on “The Pleasure Principle,” the first co-production between Poland, Czech Republic and Ukraine, showcased at Series Mania.
A Munich-based production, financing and distribution powerhouse, Beta Film already linked up with Drugi Plan on projects...
- 2/26/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film, whose Mipcom lineup includes “Agent Hamilton,” “Babylon Berlin” and “Medici: The Magnificent,” has partnered with Croatian production company Drugi Plan on “Amnesia,” a six-hour thriller series about refugee and drug trafficking in the Southeast of Europe.
The move adds to Munich, Germany-based Beta Film’s portfolio of Central and East European series, a growing part of its business. Beta Film has partnered with HBO Europe on Agnieszka Holland’s “Burning Bush” and “Wasteland,” with Robert Dornhelm on “Maria Theresa,” and most recently with Dariusz Jablonski on “The Pleasure Principle,” which is also on its Mipcom slate.
“Amnesia” will be shot in March in the spectacular surroundings of Plitvice Lakes National Park (pictured), the actual route used by many refugees who are fleeing Syria and other war-torn regions.
After suffering a brutal beating, the 17-year-old son of a former mayor awakens from a coma to find he can’t remember who attacked him.
The move adds to Munich, Germany-based Beta Film’s portfolio of Central and East European series, a growing part of its business. Beta Film has partnered with HBO Europe on Agnieszka Holland’s “Burning Bush” and “Wasteland,” with Robert Dornhelm on “Maria Theresa,” and most recently with Dariusz Jablonski on “The Pleasure Principle,” which is also on its Mipcom slate.
“Amnesia” will be shot in March in the spectacular surroundings of Plitvice Lakes National Park (pictured), the actual route used by many refugees who are fleeing Syria and other war-torn regions.
After suffering a brutal beating, the 17-year-old son of a former mayor awakens from a coma to find he can’t remember who attacked him.
- 9/20/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film is partnering with Croatian production outlet Drugi Plan on six-part drama series Amnesia, about refugee and drug trafficking at the south eastern European border.
The series, which is currently being co-developed, will star Branka Katić (Captain America – The Winter Soldier), Tihana Lazović (The High Sun) and Aleksandar Cvjetković (Netflix’s The Paper). Director is Goran Gajić (The Beat).
The drama is slated to shoot next March in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, the actual route used by many refugees who are fleeing Syria and other war-torn regions.
The story will open with a 17-year-old son of a former mayor waking up from a coma after a brutal beating to find he can’t remember who attacked him. This triggers the unveiling of a series of dark secrets in the small Croatian border town, where local authorities are profiting from trafficking operations of both drugs and refugees from the south of Europe,...
The series, which is currently being co-developed, will star Branka Katić (Captain America – The Winter Soldier), Tihana Lazović (The High Sun) and Aleksandar Cvjetković (Netflix’s The Paper). Director is Goran Gajić (The Beat).
The drama is slated to shoot next March in the Plitvice Lakes National Park, the actual route used by many refugees who are fleeing Syria and other war-torn regions.
The story will open with a 17-year-old son of a former mayor waking up from a coma after a brutal beating to find he can’t remember who attacked him. This triggers the unveiling of a series of dark secrets in the small Croatian border town, where local authorities are profiting from trafficking operations of both drugs and refugees from the south of Europe,...
- 9/20/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
“Vienna Blood” is set to spill on the BBC after the U.K. pubcaster picked up the Austrian-set crime thriller, which is based on the best-selling Liebermann novels by Frank Tallis. Steve Thompson, whose writing credits include the BBC’s “Sherlock” and Fox’s international thriller “Deep State,” penned the series.
Starring Matthew Beard (“The Imitation Game”), and Juergen Maurer (“Tatort”), “Vienna Blood” is set in 1900s Vienna, a hot bed of philosophy, science and art.
Max Liebermann (Beard) is a brilliant young English doctor, studying under psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He meets Oskar Rheinhardt (Maurer), an Austrian detective and the pair go on to tackle some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases.
The series was filmed on location in the Austrian capital. Conleth Hill (“Game of Thrones”), Charlene McKenna (“Ripper Street”), Amelia Bullmore (“Gentleman Jack”), Jessica De Gouw (“Dracula”), and Luise Von Finckh also all appear. It is produced by the U.
Starring Matthew Beard (“The Imitation Game”), and Juergen Maurer (“Tatort”), “Vienna Blood” is set in 1900s Vienna, a hot bed of philosophy, science and art.
Max Liebermann (Beard) is a brilliant young English doctor, studying under psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He meets Oskar Rheinhardt (Maurer), an Austrian detective and the pair go on to tackle some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases.
The series was filmed on location in the Austrian capital. Conleth Hill (“Game of Thrones”), Charlene McKenna (“Ripper Street”), Amelia Bullmore (“Gentleman Jack”), Jessica De Gouw (“Dracula”), and Luise Von Finckh also all appear. It is produced by the U.
- 8/16/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Strengthening its activities in Eastern Europe as the region makes ever more ambitiously financed shows, Munich’s Beta Film has boarded crime thriller “The Pleasure Principle,” the first ever international TV production between three Eastern Europe countries.
Written by Maciej Maciejewski, a scribe on Tvp’s Polish crime TV series “The Cop,” “The Pleasure Principle” is produced by Apple Film Production – the company behind “”The Passing Bells,” made for BBC, Tvp, BBC America – and Arte, in co-production with Canal+ Poland, Czech TV and Star Media and in association with Beta Film.
Currently in post-production, the crime thriller will the subject of a panel discussion at the Series Mania Forum on Tuesday.
The ten-hour series is helmed and showrun by multi-awarded director Dariusz Jablonski (“Photographer”), a Polish documentary filmmaker and producer. It stars Malgorzata Buczkowska (“I Am You”) in the main role, alongside Karel Roden (“The Bourne Supremacy”), Stipe Erceg...
Written by Maciej Maciejewski, a scribe on Tvp’s Polish crime TV series “The Cop,” “The Pleasure Principle” is produced by Apple Film Production – the company behind “”The Passing Bells,” made for BBC, Tvp, BBC America – and Arte, in co-production with Canal+ Poland, Czech TV and Star Media and in association with Beta Film.
Currently in post-production, the crime thriller will the subject of a panel discussion at the Series Mania Forum on Tuesday.
The ten-hour series is helmed and showrun by multi-awarded director Dariusz Jablonski (“Photographer”), a Polish documentary filmmaker and producer. It stars Malgorzata Buczkowska (“I Am You”) in the main role, alongside Karel Roden (“The Bourne Supremacy”), Stipe Erceg...
- 3/19/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In today’s Mipcom roundup, reflecting a jam-packed day of announcements, Viacom boasts big sales, Germany’s a ‘Survivor,’ Nordics plot murder, Fremantle sells to Saudi Arabia and Vienna gets bloody.
Viacom Intl. Announces Wave of Mipcom Sales
Announced on Monday, Viacom International Studios (Vis) has signed sales deals for three titles before the French market. Nickelodeon’s “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” an updated animated version of the IP, has sold to China, the Middle East and Albania. The series is currently rolling out in more than 170 countries on Nickelodeon’s networks. The “Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis,” a ratings hit for the network in the U.S., has been acquired by broadcasters in Russia, Australia, Israel and Finland. And finally, MTV’s new reality gameshow format “True Love or True Lies?” which launched with great success in the U.K. has been picked up by...
Viacom Intl. Announces Wave of Mipcom Sales
Announced on Monday, Viacom International Studios (Vis) has signed sales deals for three titles before the French market. Nickelodeon’s “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” an updated animated version of the IP, has sold to China, the Middle East and Albania. The series is currently rolling out in more than 170 countries on Nickelodeon’s networks. The “Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis,” a ratings hit for the network in the U.S., has been acquired by broadcasters in Russia, Australia, Israel and Finland. And finally, MTV’s new reality gameshow format “True Love or True Lies?” which launched with great success in the U.K. has been picked up by...
- 10/16/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Imitation Game’s Matthew Beard is to front a European remake of Frank Tallis novels Vienna Blood, produced by Endor Productions, the company behind Mark Strong-fronted drama Deep State.
Endor has partnered with Mr Film and Red Arrow Studios International on the three-part series, which has been commissioned by Germany’s Zdf and Austria’s Orf.
Jericho and Sherlock writer Steve Thompson is adapting the series into three feature-length episodes with Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) and Umut Dag (Cracks in Concrete) directing.
Bear plays central character Max Liebermann, the protégé of Sigmund Freud, and set in 1900s Vienna. When Liebermann comes into contact with Oskar Rheinhardt, played by Tatort’s Juergen Maurer, a detective struggling with a strange murder case, he is called to help him solve the investigation.
The three features will be based on Tallis’ first three books in the Liebermann Papers series of novels,...
Endor has partnered with Mr Film and Red Arrow Studios International on the three-part series, which has been commissioned by Germany’s Zdf and Austria’s Orf.
Jericho and Sherlock writer Steve Thompson is adapting the series into three feature-length episodes with Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank: The Whole Story) and Umut Dag (Cracks in Concrete) directing.
Bear plays central character Max Liebermann, the protégé of Sigmund Freud, and set in 1900s Vienna. When Liebermann comes into contact with Oskar Rheinhardt, played by Tatort’s Juergen Maurer, a detective struggling with a strange murder case, he is called to help him solve the investigation.
The three features will be based on Tallis’ first three books in the Liebermann Papers series of novels,...
- 10/15/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
New Tricks
Kieran Kinsella
Costume drama lovers are in for a treat as Acorn Media are set to release the 2007 multi-national production of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace on DVD on 24 September. Originally broadcast in France and Belguim, the production has never aired in the U.S. although it was available on Acorn’s streaming service earlier this summer. While there have been many adaptations of this Russian classic, few if any can boast a cast that includes such luminaries as Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Clemence Poesy (Birdsong) and Brenda Blethyn (Vera). The director, Austrian film-maker Robert Dornhelm is no slouch either, having been been behind the lens for hits including the Oscar nominated The Children of Theatre Street.
War and Peace is so long and so impressive that it makes “epics” such as Dr Zhivago look like short children’s stories. It features a colorful cast of...
Kieran Kinsella
Costume drama lovers are in for a treat as Acorn Media are set to release the 2007 multi-national production of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace on DVD on 24 September. Originally broadcast in France and Belguim, the production has never aired in the U.S. although it was available on Acorn’s streaming service earlier this summer. While there have been many adaptations of this Russian classic, few if any can boast a cast that includes such luminaries as Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Clemence Poesy (Birdsong) and Brenda Blethyn (Vera). The director, Austrian film-maker Robert Dornhelm is no slouch either, having been been behind the lens for hits including the Oscar nominated The Children of Theatre Street.
War and Peace is so long and so impressive that it makes “epics” such as Dr Zhivago look like short children’s stories. It features a colorful cast of...
- 9/24/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
Lifetime moves on with the plan to make a TV movie based on the real and controversial murder of British student Meredith Kercher. On Monday, October 25, Hayden Panettiere who has been tapped to portray the convicted murderer Amanda Knox, was seen on the filming location in Italy. She colored her hair darker to resemble Knox and wore sombre clothes.
The project was announced earlier this year to bring the sensational story of Knox and her dead roommate. The U.S. exchange student is in the middle of a murder trial surrounding the brutal killing of Kercher whose throat had been slit in November 2007 allegedly during a violent night involving sex and drugs. Knox, her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Italian native Rudy Guede were charged with sexually assaulting Kercher.
Knox's 11-month trial ended in December 2009, and she was sentenced to 26 years in prison in an Italian jail. She maintains her innocence...
The project was announced earlier this year to bring the sensational story of Knox and her dead roommate. The U.S. exchange student is in the middle of a murder trial surrounding the brutal killing of Kercher whose throat had been slit in November 2007 allegedly during a violent night involving sex and drugs. Knox, her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Italian native Rudy Guede were charged with sexually assaulting Kercher.
Knox's 11-month trial ended in December 2009, and she was sentenced to 26 years in prison in an Italian jail. She maintains her innocence...
- 10/27/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Hayden Panettiere wants to meet convicted murderer Amanda Knox before she plays her in a new film. The "Heroes" star is keen to visit the imprisoned killer to help her prepare for the film, which is due to start shooting in Rome, Italy, at the end of October.
"I wish. I know the Italian government is being pretty protective of her and her lawyers are being protective of her, which is pretty understandable," she told Britain's BBC Newsbeat when asked if she had met Knox. "It's something I would like to do but I'd be more surprised if it happened than if it didn't."
Panettiere also revealed she was "flattered" to be offered the part, despite the controversy she expects the movie to attract. The 21-year-old actress added, They called me up and asked me to do it. I was completely floored and flattered. I was like, 'Are you sure?...
"I wish. I know the Italian government is being pretty protective of her and her lawyers are being protective of her, which is pretty understandable," she told Britain's BBC Newsbeat when asked if she had met Knox. "It's something I would like to do but I'd be more surprised if it happened than if it didn't."
Panettiere also revealed she was "flattered" to be offered the part, despite the controversy she expects the movie to attract. The 21-year-old actress added, They called me up and asked me to do it. I was completely floored and flattered. I was like, 'Are you sure?...
- 10/15/2010
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
Austrian filmmaker Robert Dornhelm ("Anne Frank: The Whole Story," "War and Peace") is currently in pre-production on a TV movie about the life of convicted murderer Amanda Knox, an American exchange student who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher last year in Italy. Actresses like Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox and Kristen Stewart have been rumored to star as Knox, but Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") has won the role in the film which will air next year on Lifetime. Kercher's father said: "I don't like the idea of a film based on Meredith's death. Seeing it graphically portrayed is a horrible thought." Knox's legal team are also concerned the film could affect her appeal.
- 9/22/2010
- WorstPreviews.com
The Berlin Film Festival which took place early last month had a pair of in competition for the Golden Bear entries in Der Rauber (The Robber) and Jud Suss - Film ohne Gewissen (Film without Conscience). Neither films won, but there was some controversy surrounding Jud Suss - Film ohne Gewissen which is Oskar Roehler's latest venture. - Austria walked away with a one out of three count from last night's Academy Awards. While going home empty-handed in the Cinematography (Christian Berger) and Foreign Film categories (Haneke's film was a German produced picture, but our pride in Haneke makes us consider this film one of our own), but Austrian-born Christoph Waltz predictably won for Best Supporting Actor in Q.T's Basterds. And speaking of the Oscars, here are some updates and the whereabouts of recent Austrian Oscar nominees. Austria Film Scene: Local Götz Spielmann, who wrote and directed Revanche,...
- 3/9/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Cologne, Germany -- "If you have the titles, they will come" proved the motto for German sales group Beta Cinema, which locked up several deals for its slate out of last week's European Film Market.
Florian Gallenberger's well-received 1930s epic "John Rabe" sold to Spain and Italy, picked up a free TV deal with Austria and generated serious interest from U.S. buyers, Beta said.
Phillipp Stoltzl's rock-climbing drama "North Face" was picked up by distributors in France, Japan, Scandinavia, Benelux, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China while another German biopic, Kai Wessel's "Hilde," starring Heike Makatsch as legendary actress-singer Hildegard Knef, also closed for Benelux.
Other strong sellers for Beta include Robert Dornhelm's opera film "La Boheme" with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon, which is set to close for Spain after already inking with Filmladen in Japan. Beta also signed a Spanish deal for upcoming children's...
Florian Gallenberger's well-received 1930s epic "John Rabe" sold to Spain and Italy, picked up a free TV deal with Austria and generated serious interest from U.S. buyers, Beta said.
Phillipp Stoltzl's rock-climbing drama "North Face" was picked up by distributors in France, Japan, Scandinavia, Benelux, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China while another German biopic, Kai Wessel's "Hilde," starring Heike Makatsch as legendary actress-singer Hildegard Knef, also closed for Benelux.
Other strong sellers for Beta include Robert Dornhelm's opera film "La Boheme" with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon, which is set to close for Spain after already inking with Filmladen in Japan. Beta also signed a Spanish deal for upcoming children's...
- 2/18/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cologne, Germany -- Opera film "La Boheme," featuring singing stars Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon has sold to the U.K. and Japan ahead of the American Film Market, which kicks off Wednesday.
Beta Cinema closed with Axiom Films in the U.K. and Star Sands in Japan.
Beta has already sold Robert Dornhelm's adaptation of the famous Puccini opera to Australia (Palace) and Czech Republic/Slovakia (Hollywood Classic).
German indie Nfp bowed "La Boheme" in a platform release Oct. 23. The film's international premiere will be in London in December.
Beta Cinema closed with Axiom Films in the U.K. and Star Sands in Japan.
Beta has already sold Robert Dornhelm's adaptation of the famous Puccini opera to Australia (Palace) and Czech Republic/Slovakia (Hollywood Classic).
German indie Nfp bowed "La Boheme" in a platform release Oct. 23. The film's international premiere will be in London in December.
- 11/3/2008
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Caravaggio' debuts at Rome TV fest
ROME -- The European premiere of Caravaggio was the highlight of Tuesday's first full day at the RomaFictionFest.
Veteran television director Angelo Longoni's biographical telefilm about the Renaissance master painter, screened to a full house Tuesday. It was only the second public screening for the film, which screened once in New York last month.
The RomaFictionFest encompasses some 140 programs created for television.
Caravaggio star Alessio Boni was among the stars on the event's orange carpet -- the festival uses an orange carpet rather than a red one to differentiate itself from a traditional cinema festival -- and he will appear here later in the week for Robert Dornhelm's War and Peace, the centerpiece film of the July 2-7 festival.
Also screening Tuesday were the TV film Dans L'Ombre du Maitre (In Her Master's Shadow), a film about a young genius from France's David Delrieux; Kai Wessel's miniseries Die Flucht (March of Millions); and The State Within, a miniseries about an air confrontation between the U.K.
Veteran television director Angelo Longoni's biographical telefilm about the Renaissance master painter, screened to a full house Tuesday. It was only the second public screening for the film, which screened once in New York last month.
The RomaFictionFest encompasses some 140 programs created for television.
Caravaggio star Alessio Boni was among the stars on the event's orange carpet -- the festival uses an orange carpet rather than a red one to differentiate itself from a traditional cinema festival -- and he will appear here later in the week for Robert Dornhelm's War and Peace, the centerpiece film of the July 2-7 festival.
Also screening Tuesday were the TV film Dans L'Ombre du Maitre (In Her Master's Shadow), a film about a young genius from France's David Delrieux; Kai Wessel's miniseries Die Flucht (March of Millions); and The State Within, a miniseries about an air confrontation between the U.K.
- 7/4/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rome fiction fest unveils lineup
ROME -- The inaugural RomaFictionFest will kick off next month with a 140-program lineup of telefilms, miniseries and serials that includes 29 world premieres, organizers are set to reveal Tuesday.
The July 2-7 event -- the second major new festival in the Italian capital in as many years -- boasts a program that includes such high-profile productions as the €30 million ($40.5 million) adaptation of "War & Peace," directed by Robert Dornhelm and starring Malcolm McDowell. The 400-minute world premiere will air overnight beginning July 6 and continuing into the early hours of the following day.
The festival will be the world's largest television fiction festival, according to organizers, both in terms of its lineup and participation from the public, which will be allowed to attend the screenings free of charge.
Other high-profile world premieres include "Eine Einzige Tablette" (Side Effects), from German director Adolf Winkelmann, a two-part miniseries on pharmaceuticals that result in birth defects -- a set of programs banned in Germany.
The July 2-7 event -- the second major new festival in the Italian capital in as many years -- boasts a program that includes such high-profile productions as the €30 million ($40.5 million) adaptation of "War & Peace," directed by Robert Dornhelm and starring Malcolm McDowell. The 400-minute world premiere will air overnight beginning July 6 and continuing into the early hours of the following day.
The festival will be the world's largest television fiction festival, according to organizers, both in terms of its lineup and participation from the public, which will be allowed to attend the screenings free of charge.
Other high-profile world premieres include "Eine Einzige Tablette" (Side Effects), from German director Adolf Winkelmann, a two-part miniseries on pharmaceuticals that result in birth defects -- a set of programs banned in Germany.
- 6/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tolstoy epic 'War' gets EOS film adaptation
CANNES -- German production group EOS Entertainment has given the green light to a big-budget TV miniseries based on Leo Tolstoy's epic "War and Peace", the company said Tuesday at MIPTV. Robert Dornhelm, who just finished shooting costume drama "The Crown Prince" for EOS, will direct. Casting is under way for the English-language production, which is set to begin shooting in the fall. EOS head Jan Mojto put the budget of the "War and Peace" project at €15 million-€20 million ($18 million-$24.5 million).
- 4/4/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ABC puts faith in Scott, Sharif for 'Ten' mini
ABC and producer Robert Halmi Sr. have lined up an international cast led by Dougray Scott, Omar Sharif, Naveen Andrews, Mia Maestro and Linus Roache for The Ten Commandments, a big-budget four-hour miniseries that retells the classic biblical tale of Moses. Production on the Hallmark Entertainment special effects extravaganza, whose budget is estimated at more than $20 million, is slated to begin May 23 in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The premiere of the two-part epic, written by Ron Hutchinson after months of biblical and historical research, is targeted for next season. Robert Dornhelm is directing the project, which will present the story of Moses and the Israelites' exodus from Egypt in 13th century B.C. (HR 1/13). Halmi is exec producing. Scott, who worked with ABC and Halmi on Arabian Nights, will portray Moses.
- 5/10/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ABC, Halmi chisle out 'Ten' mini
ABC is teaming with veteran TV movie producer Robert Halmi Sr. for The Ten Commandments, a four-hour miniseries that will retell the classic biblical tale of Moses and the Ten Commandments.The Hallmark Entertainment special-effects extravaganza, whose budget is estimated at more than $20 million, will be written by Ron Hutchinson (USA Network's Traffic), with Robert Dornhelm (USA's Spartacus) on board to direct. Halmi is quick to point out that the mini will not be a remake of Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 movie starring Charlton Heston but will rely on extensive biblical and historical research for a realistic, truthful presentation of Moses and the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt and their travel to Mt. Sinai, where, according to the Old Testament, God descended to deliver the Ten Commandments.
- 1/13/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pena at wheel of 'Madness'
Elizabeth Pena has been tapped to star opposite Sela Ward in the CBS telefilm Suburban Madness, which retells the story of Texas woman Clara Harris, who was convicted last year of murdering her philandering husband by running over him several times with her Mercedes-Benz. Pena will play Harris in the project, told from the perspective of private investigator Bobbi Bacha (Ward), who was hired by Harris to spy on her husband and ended up capturing the July 2002 murder on tape. Robert Dornhelm is set to direct the Sony Pictures TV/Storyline Entertainment telefilm, executive produced by Storyline's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Production is slated to begin Friday in Toronto. Pena will next be seen in the telefilms The Hollywood Mom's Mystery and the features Down in the Valley, Sueno and How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer Vacation. She is represented by Paradigm and Rigberg-Rugolo Entertainment.
- 5/9/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ward behind wheel for CBS in 'Madness'
Sela Ward has signed on to star in the CBS telefilm Suburban Madness, which retells the stranger-than-fiction story of the Texas woman convicted last year of murdering her philandering husband by running over him several times with her Mercedes-Benz. Ward will play Bobbi Bacha, a veteran private investigator who wound up providing the most damning evidence in the 2003 trial of Clara Harris, a Houston dentist and mother of twins. Robert Dornhelm (ABC's Anne Frank: The Whole Story) has been tapped to direct the Sony Pictures TV/Storyline Entertainment telefilm, executive produced by Storyline's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Suburban Madness will be told from the perspective of Bacha, who was initially hired by Harris to investigate her suspicions that her husband, David Harris, was having extramarital affairs.
- 3/31/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ward behind wheel for CBS in 'Madness'
Sela Ward has signed on to star in the CBS telefilm Suburban Madness, which retells the stranger-than-fiction story of the Texas woman convicted last year of murdering her philandering husband by running over him several times with her Mercedes-Benz. Ward will play Bobbi Bacha, a veteran private investigator who wound up providing the most damning evidence in the 2003 trial of Clara Harris, a Houston dentist and mother of twins. Robert Dornhelm (ABC's Anne Frank: The Whole Story) has been tapped to direct the Sony Pictures TV/Storyline Entertainment telefilm, executive produced by Storyline's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Suburban Madness will be told from the perspective of Bacha, who was initially hired by Harris to investigate her suspicions that her husband, David Harris, was having extramarital affairs.
- 3/31/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Miller elected to play ex-wife in USA's 'Rudy!'
Penelope Ann Miller has been tapped to play Rudolph Giuliani's ex-wife, Donna Hanover, in Rudy! USA Network's upcoming biopic of the former New York mayor. She will star opposite James Woods, who will portray Giuliani in the project, which Robert Dornhelm (FX's RFK) has come aboard to direct. Based on Wayne Barrett's book of the same name, Rudy! looks at Giuliani's public and personal life. The script is by Stanley Weiser, who penned the first draft, and Lionel Chetwynd, who contributed significantly in the final stages.
- 10/15/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Der Unfisch'
This fairy tale about an Austrian village that gets everything it wishes for and quickly regrets it makes up in charm what it lacks in production values and stars. With its feel-good ending, it may find some specialty audiences internationally, especially on the college circuit.
"Der Unfisch" (The Unfish) of the title is an almost life-sized plastic carnival whale on the back of a flatbed that gets stranded in a mountain village. The whale's unsuspecting new owner, the young Sophie Moor (Maria Schrader), inadvertently discovers that the whale is magic: whenever she sleeps with a man in its belly, the man's wish comes true.
When the villagers discover this, things start getting out of hand. The first victim of wishes gone wrong is the young bride Maria (Eva Herzig), who is turned into a dog. It takes a lot of coming and going in that whales' belly before someone wishes her back into a bride.
What the film lacks is a main character for the audience to root for. Maria's abandoned, puzzled groom Carl (Andreas Lust) is too bland for an audience to care about, and the film's greatest asset, the sorceress-prostitute Sophie, played charmingly by Schrader, one of Germany's biggest female stars, is neglected. Though she is always sympathetic -- she gets sucked into the magical prostitution business by accident -- as soon as the wish-crazed town becomes the focal point of the action, her character stops developing.
Director Robert Dornhelm's second mistake is to give into the temptation of a voice-over narrator. Though the narration is often witty, it just as often tells us what we already see on the screen and puts us even further out of contact with the characters. Austrians love the turn of a neat phrase, but in this case Dornhelm and screenwriter Michael Koehlmeier should have resisted the temptation and instead invested that Alpine charm into making the characters and their lines more interesting.
Though Dornhelm and his production crew have created an adequate visual world, they never manage to invest the setting with a sense of wonder and magic that the story calls for.
Just the same, the film picks up after a slow start and arrives at a climax that is charming and warmly human, and the movie leaves its audience with a smile.
Add that to a fairy tale with a fairly original premise -- original enough to give an audience something to talk about afterwards -- and you get a good movie-going experience.
If a distributor can just sell the modest production values and the first 30 minutes, the film does the rest.
DER UNFISCH (THE UNFISH)
A Terra Film production
of a Robert Dornhelm film
Director Robert Dornhelm
Writer Michael Koehlmeier
Producer Norbert Blecha
Director of photography Michi Riebl
Editor Klaus Hundsbichler
Music Harald Kloser
Production designers Christof Kanter,
Christian Marin
Costumes Max Wohlkoenig
Special effects Peter Blecha
Color
Cast:
Sophie Moor Maria Schrader
Maria Eva Herzig
Carl Andreas Lust
Dogman George Kern
Mayor August Schmoelzer
Priest Rudolf Wessely
Wenzel Manuel Loeffler
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Der Unfisch" (The Unfish) of the title is an almost life-sized plastic carnival whale on the back of a flatbed that gets stranded in a mountain village. The whale's unsuspecting new owner, the young Sophie Moor (Maria Schrader), inadvertently discovers that the whale is magic: whenever she sleeps with a man in its belly, the man's wish comes true.
When the villagers discover this, things start getting out of hand. The first victim of wishes gone wrong is the young bride Maria (Eva Herzig), who is turned into a dog. It takes a lot of coming and going in that whales' belly before someone wishes her back into a bride.
What the film lacks is a main character for the audience to root for. Maria's abandoned, puzzled groom Carl (Andreas Lust) is too bland for an audience to care about, and the film's greatest asset, the sorceress-prostitute Sophie, played charmingly by Schrader, one of Germany's biggest female stars, is neglected. Though she is always sympathetic -- she gets sucked into the magical prostitution business by accident -- as soon as the wish-crazed town becomes the focal point of the action, her character stops developing.
Director Robert Dornhelm's second mistake is to give into the temptation of a voice-over narrator. Though the narration is often witty, it just as often tells us what we already see on the screen and puts us even further out of contact with the characters. Austrians love the turn of a neat phrase, but in this case Dornhelm and screenwriter Michael Koehlmeier should have resisted the temptation and instead invested that Alpine charm into making the characters and their lines more interesting.
Though Dornhelm and his production crew have created an adequate visual world, they never manage to invest the setting with a sense of wonder and magic that the story calls for.
Just the same, the film picks up after a slow start and arrives at a climax that is charming and warmly human, and the movie leaves its audience with a smile.
Add that to a fairy tale with a fairly original premise -- original enough to give an audience something to talk about afterwards -- and you get a good movie-going experience.
If a distributor can just sell the modest production values and the first 30 minutes, the film does the rest.
DER UNFISCH (THE UNFISH)
A Terra Film production
of a Robert Dornhelm film
Director Robert Dornhelm
Writer Michael Koehlmeier
Producer Norbert Blecha
Director of photography Michi Riebl
Editor Klaus Hundsbichler
Music Harald Kloser
Production designers Christof Kanter,
Christian Marin
Costumes Max Wohlkoenig
Special effects Peter Blecha
Color
Cast:
Sophie Moor Maria Schrader
Maria Eva Herzig
Carl Andreas Lust
Dogman George Kern
Mayor August Schmoelzer
Priest Rudolf Wessely
Wenzel Manuel Loeffler
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/24/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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